While delivering his State of the Diocese address in Norwalk last month, Roman Catholic Bishop Frank Caggiano said the 60,000-square-foot building, which has also served as a hospital and a high school, is much larger than the diocese needs. It also has several maintenance issues, which could potentially cost millions of dollars to repair.
The Diocese of Bridgeport covers all of Fairfield County, with 82 parishes with 410,000 registered members.
“I think the time has come for us to consider moving,” Caggiano said during his address at All Saints Catholic School in Norwalk. “I have created a task force, and they have been charged to answer that question by the end of this calendar year: whether or not the time has come for us to go into a much smaller space in downtown Bridgeport as a sign of support to the city in its hour when it’s beginning to slowly revive itself, and we would find an alternative use for Jewett Avenue.”
The exploration of a possible move would also include conversations with various community leaders in the area to find a new use for the building, he said.
The move could help alleviate some of the expenses for the diocese, which has been running a deficit for many years and is looking to decrease costs, Caggiano said.
The diocese has been making a concerted effort in recent years to cut spending, he said, and he believes that 2014 will be the first year in many years to end without a deficit.
He has also committed to cutting an additional $500,000 in expenses next year to create more "breathing room" in the budget.
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