An Act of Divine Mercy: Diocese Gifts Transfer of Property Ownership to DMCS

Redemptorists forgive debt, Diocese of Saint John donates former St. Peter's church property debt-free.

Saint John, NB, April 24, 2022: In December 2021, Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint John, officially signed over ownership of the rectory building at the former St. Peter’s Church in the North End of Saint John to Divine Mercy Catholic School (DMCS), which has been renting the space from the diocese since 2009. As part of this arrangement, Holy Redeemer Parish in Saint John plans to gift a portion of the former St. Peter’s Church property, including the gymnasium, the chapel, and the land upon which they sit, to the school.

Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint John, understands the importance of Catholic education and the valuable role DMCS fulfils in the City of Saint John. "As a product of Catholic education myself growing up in Ontario, and having seen firsthand the wonderful dedication of the DMCS administration and staff to providing a first-rate Catholic education to its students, we want to ensure that the school will be able to continue its mission and leave a legacy behind for the benefit of present and future generations of young students and families who value Catholic education," he said.

In the fall of 2020, Bishop Riesbeck approached the Redemptorist Province of Canada (Redemptorists), an order of priests who served the diocese out of the former St. Peter’s Church from 1884-2006, petitioning them to forgive the $200,000 principal repayment for the mortgage so that the property ownership could be gifted to DMCS debt-free.

The Redemptorists were delighted to grant this request as a testament to the legacy of evangelization from their many years of service to the people of Saint John. “Divine Mercy Catholic School is a treasure that the Lord has planted in this fertile field. The Redemptorists feel that their legacy is not only being carried on but is being built up.  May God continue to bless students, staff, supporters, and the diocese through the wonderful gift of Divine Mercy Catholic School,” said Fr. Mark Miller, Regional Coordinator, Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

Regarding the diocese's gift, DMCS Principal Judy Burnham is ecstatic. “It’s absolutely huge. We are so grateful! It is beyond our wildest expectations to have been given such an ideal location to house our school: the spacious building, the gorgeous grounds, the gym, the central location, and especially, the beautiful chapel. We are enamoured with it! Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it is God’s providence through Bishop Riesbeck’s support and the generosity of the diocese and the Redemptorists that are working together to further Catholic education in Saint John.”

With growing enrollment numbers and waiting lists for many grades, having ownership of the school building means that DMCS can now focus on regular fundraising needs as well as capital projects to help accommodate the growing student population.

“I am grateful for this partnership between the Redemptorists, the Diocese of Saint John and DMCS, that helps the school to continue raising up missionary disciples who will spread the joy of the Gospel throughout our diocese and to the ends of the earth,” Bishop Riesbeck said.

About DMCS: Divine Mercy Catholic School is Saint John's only Catholic school and is in the North End of the city. Currently in its eighteenth year, the school is home to an ever-growing enrolment, varied sports teams, an internationally diverse student population, and a nationally recognized choir. The school's mission is to love each child as Christ loves and to educate the whole child: mind, body, and spirit.

BACKGROUND:

Over its eighteen years of existence, DMCS has been housed in different buildings, including the basement of the former St. Peter's Church, the rectory of the former Holy Trinity Church, and the former St. Vincent's High School in Saint John. In 2009, the Diocese of Saint John, under the direction of Bishop Robert Harris, offered to rent the St. Peter’s rectory building to DMCS and generously renovated parts of the building to make it suitable for a school population.

In recent years, the school has been bursting at the seams. What started as a school of twenty-five students now has one hundred and eleven students — and counting. "We are regularly turning away families who want to attend, but there just isn't enough space in the classrooms," says DMCS principal Judy Burnham.

This year, DMCS received a Christmas present they will never forget: an entire property. The
current bishop of the Diocese of Saint John, Christian Riesbeck approached Principal Burnham with an offer that left her open-mouthed: a gift of transfer of property ownership of the entire school building and property to DMCS — debt free. “Thanks in no small part to the generosity of the Redemptorists in forgiving the $200,000 principal repayment for the mortgage on the property, and Holy Redeemer Parish which plans to donate the gymnasium, the chapel portion of the building, and the land upon which the school sits, the diocese is pleased to offer a gift of transfer of property ownership for the rectory building to Divine Mercy Catholic School (DMCS) debt-free,” Bishop Riesbeck said.

DMCS keeps tuition rates as low as possible so that attendance is accessible for families, which also means that the school is constantly raising funds to cover operating costs. Ownership of the school building will allow DMCS to focus on major renovations, as well as regular fundraising needs and large capital projects that will help them grow to accommodate more students while providing affordable Catholic education to the many families who call DMCS home.

For more information on DMCS visit https://www.divinemercycatholicschool.ca/.

“DMCS is a beacon of light in the diocese providing a solid Catholic education to close to 120 students at an affordable school tuition rate. Catholic education, as lived at DMCS, helps create a Catholic culture by forming leaders who think and live, in all aspects of life, from the perspective of faith. Catholic schools have long been essential to the Church’s mission as they allow us to transmit the faith from one generation to the next, to form and equip young men and women to make virtuous and holy choices, to become priests, and religious sisters, and good parents—and to become leaders in business, the arts, and public life,” - Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC, Bishop of Saint John