1.6 min readBy Published On: January 7th, 2021Categories: News0 Comments on St. Vincent Church has sold to Cedarwood Development

Sign of the times

Looks likes St. Vincent Church (on West Third Street) has officially sold. Father Peter DeFazio, Pastor, St. Monica Parish made an announcement via Facebook: 

“A few months ago, we had announced to the South Boston Community the anticipated sale of the St. Vincent de Paul parish property.  I can now share with parishioners and neighbors that the sale of this property to Cedarwood Development was made final on December 30, 2020.  This sale will enable our Catholic community to carry on the rich legacy of St. Vincent’s at our new parish of St. Monica.  We look forward as a people of faith, committed to building a community of compassion.  Specific questions about future plans for the St. Vincent de Paul site should be directed to Cedarwood Development.”

This is not the first church in South Boston to be converted into condos. St. Vincent has been closed since 2015 since the structure was deemed unsafe. It was announced back in August, that the Archdiocese of Boston has decided to put the church up for sale.

Needless to say, some neighbors were less than pleased. The South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation started a petition for affordable housing to be put in place of the church.

“South Boston does not need more luxury condos. Our community needs homes that are affordable to working families and seniors.”  Unfortunately, it feel upon deaf ears.

A Little History of St. Vincent Church

The church’s original home was on the waterfront in a neighborhood once known as Fort Hill (now the Financial District). Initially a Unitarian church, an Irish-Catholic immigrant named Andrew Carney bought the building.  The church was moved “brick by brick” by Irish immigrants to its current location in 1872.  According to the Boston Globe, many parts of the original church, including exterior stones and stained-glass windows, were used to construct the new church at the corner of E and West Third.

Image via dbsnews.com