The following comes from a Jan. 26 story by John Woolfolk of East Bay Times.
San Jose Bishop Patrick McGrath has turned what he called an error in judgment into a $50,000 donation to a charity that helps house the poor in Silicon Valley’s pricey real estate market.
The goodwill comes after the Diocese of San Jose sold a $2.3 million, five-bedroom home in San Jose’ desirable Willow Glen neighborhood, that it had bought for the bishop’s retirement, but turned around and sold after parishioners learned about the pricey purchase and expressed outrage.
A day after this news organization reported parishioners’ concerns in August, McGrath said he had “erred in judgment” and that after he had “heard from many on this topic,” he decided to sell the house and donate any profit to Charities Housing.
The house sold Dec. 3 for $2.35 million, according to Zillow.com, $50,000 more than the diocese paid for it last year. The diocese said this week it donated $50,000 from the proceeds of the sale to Charities Housing, a division of Catholic Charities.
Charities Housing Executive Director Dan Wu said it plans to use the fund towards housing support services for low-income families.
The Diocese of San Jose‘s purchase of the home for the bishop in San Jose’s desirable Willow Glen neighborhood was within church policy to satisfy its obligation to care for retired clergy, and came from funds dedicated for that purpose.
But in a valley wracked by housing affordability woes and homelessness, housing the retiring bishop in a “Tuscan estate” with a “grand-sized chef’s kitchen,” “luxurious master en-suite” and “spa-like marble bathroom” didn’t sit well with many parishioners.
Some of them noted that the diocese had appealed to them for donations to ease a financial shortfall in funds for clergy retirement.
McGrath has been keenly aware of the housing affordability woes plaguing his Silicon Valley diocese, and has lent his voice to efforts to ease it.
McGrath said that when he steps down he will live in a church rectory, which serves as the home of parish priests.
How shameful. The house was sold only because his greed was exposed. Every week we hear of some failure among the clergy. So many weak shepherds. Best for the laity to rely on scripture and Jesus’s words.
Greed? It belongs to the Diocese of San Jose. I wonder what the rectory at St. Patrick’s Cathedral is worth? 50M? The land alone is priceless as it sits right on Park Avenue in mid-town. The Pope’s digs ain’t so shabby either. Better go after those guys too!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. Peter’s in Rome exist for the purpose of worshipping God. That is our obligation. The wayward bishop McGrath had purchased a luxurious home to worship and comfort himself, not God. HIs public humiliation and his new retirement quarters will serve his soul better than the luxury home.
Not the only ‘bad judgment” made by leadership in that diocese.
Probably paid too much originally if they only made $50k on the deal. Did the realtor donate part of their commission?
The original optics were awful. At least the later optics seem improved.
Interesting. Which parish rectory will he live in?
Will the diocesan “newspaper” cover the story?
At least this bishop can be shamed into doing the right thing. Can’t say as much for some others.
Let’s not be too judgmental, folks. The average price of a home in that area is now about 1.5M. Honestly, 2.3 M is for a nice, but average home in the San Jose area now. I don’t think it’s right to deny a senior member of the clergy a nice place to retire, which, upon his death, continues to belong the diocese, not to the individual. Remember, the majority of diocesan clergy make about 30-40k a year generally busting arse for the Church for fifty plus years. Diocesan priests and bishops do NOT take a vow of poverty and they are responsible for their own retirement costs, including their own auto and food when they retire. Just a hundred years ago, bishops homes were so large they were usually called “palaces” as they were used…
If he earned it and deserved it, which he didn’t and doesn’t.
You’ve got to be kidding…take your head out of the sand.