A Jan. 12 decision by the Newfoundland Labrador Supreme Court is expected to solidify and focus the compensation claims process for the victims of abuse at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in St. John’s in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. 

With the sale of church properties in the greater St. John’s area almost complete, the Newfoundland archdiocese is now eyeing the sale of some of its rural properties to compensate abuse survivors from the Mount Cashel Orphanage.

Parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish in Torbay, N.L., are teaming with the Archdiocese of St. John’s Archdiocesan Renewal Corporation (ARC) to raise $450,000 to secure ownership of their house of worship. 

As the reality of losing their parishes comes to fruition, Catholics in Newfoundland are feeling a wide array of emotions.

The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador has ratified the sale of 43 properties owned by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John’s, including 12 parish churches, with dozens more looming.

The Catholic Church presence in St. John’s, Nfld., is set to shrink significantly come autumn after at least four parish communities had their churches sold from underneath them to compensate Mount Cashel abuse victims, with possibly more to close.

The iconic Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Nfld., is poised to remain a sacred place of worship for Catholics for years to come.

Jane Doe never attended Mount Cashel Orphanage, but she knows the second-hand impact all too well. 

OTTAWA -- Archbishop Peter Hundt says “sacrifices” will have to be made, but the Archdiocese of St. John’s has to move forward with compassion and understanding after a “dark chapter” of abuse in the Newfoundland archdiocese’s history.

VANCOUVER -- The Archdiocese of Vancouver has been named in a proposed class-action lawsuit involving allegations of sexual abuse at two Catholic high schools run by the Christian Brothers.

The Archdiocese of St. John’s is responsible for paying victims of child abuse at the Newfoundland’s infamous Mount Cashel Orphanage.

As the Catholic Church comes to grips with an appalling past that saw thousands of children and vulnerable people exposed to abuse at the hands of clergy around the world, Canadians can only turn back the clock to remember when the scourge dominated the headlines at home.

ST. JOHN’S, NFLD. – There it was, on the front page of the St. John’s Telegram, a detailed discussion of the sacramental seal of the confessional, and rather fairly done too.