Concord's Christ the King Parish Sells Sacred Heart Rectory

Christ the King Parish, the collection of Catholic churches on the western side of the city of Concord, has sold the rectory at Sacred Heart Church at the corner of Green and Pleasant streets, to the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire.

According to an announcement by the Diocese of Manchester, the sale occurred on Nov. 7. Financial information about the transaction was not released.

Fr. Richard Roberge stated that while the parish was sad to see the property go, the organization was happy that the association agreed to purchase it, “to continue the good work they do for the people of New Hampshire.” He also thanked the city of Concord for allowing the parish to subdivide the property.

“We continue to search for a buyer for the Sacred Heart church building and parking area,” he stated.

Steve Wade, the executive director of Brain Injury Association of NH, said the group was “excited” to reach an agreement with the parish and looked forward to expanding training and programs in the new building.

“Unfortunately, brain injuries have doubled in NH over the last decade, as have our programs assisting brain injury survivors, veterans, and those who have suffered concussions in schools,” he stated.

The parish, according to its most recent mailer to parishioners, has been running deficits the last few years and had to dip into its savings to pay for expenses this spring after running a $280,000 deficit. The parish also let three full-time and seven part-time staffers go.

In order to save on heating costs, the church also closed Sacred Heart and St. Peter for the winter a move that required the city of Concord to move its Ward 4 polling location from St. Peter to the Concord Boys & Girls Club for the mid-term election.

Church officials have been strategizing on what moves it could make, including the sale of buildings and also a reorganization of the St. John complex and moving St. John Regional School into the old Rumford Elementary School, in order to improve services and save money. It later dropped that plan and the building was sold to the Concord Community Arts Center for $200,000 less than the church proposed paying.

Both Sacred Heart and St. Peter remain for sale, according to church officials.

Roberge did not return an email request for comment about the parish’s financial issues in September.

Sacred Heart Parish first opened in 1892 and was the city’s French speaking parish at the time. The church was built in the 1930s. The rectory was known as the Corning House before the church purchased it in the 1920s.