The Catholic Church recently splashed out more than $1 million on a house for the region’s new bishop and his family.
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Last November, Father Brian Mascord was appointed the fifth Bishop of Wollongong.
According to Australian Property Monitors, the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Wollongong purchased a house on Greenacre Road, Wollongong for $1,290,000 in January.
The home features five bedrooms and three separate living areas.
Other features include a gourmet kitchen and in-ground pool.
“The property was purchased for Bishop-elect Brian Mascord as his private residence as he has two elderly parents who will be spending a lot of time in Wollongong with him, and he is often their primary carer when they are with him,” a spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong said.
“He also has a large extended family who will be spending a lot of time in Wollongong as well. It is for these reasons it was decided that the Cathedral house did not have the privacy or adequate set-up to cater for the new bishop’s family circumstances.
“Therefore, the diocese recently purchased a house within close proximity to the Cathedral with an appropriate set-up to cater for his family situation.
“There are currently four clergy, including Bishop Peter Ingham, living in the Cathedral house.”
Details of the Catholic Church’s residential property purchases have emerged from a six-month Fairfax Media investigation into the wealth of the church, which identified assets of at least $9 billion in Victoria and $30 billion nationwide.
According to Australian Property Monitors, since 2001 The Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Wollongong have purchased property in Bellambi, Shellharbour, Warrawong, Sutherland, Campbelltown, Corrimal, Albion Park and more.
The Diocese of Wollongong takes in the geographical areas of the Illawarra, Macarthur, Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands.
The Catholic Diocese of Wollongong recently announced that on Thursday, February 22, Bishop-elect Fr Mascord will be ordained as the fifth bishop of Wollongong.
Up to 4500 people are expected to attend at WIN Entertainment Centre.
It will be the first ordination of a bishop in the Diocese of Wollongong for some 22 years.
Bishop Peter Ingham was already an auxiliary bishop when he was installed as the fourth bishop of Wollongong 16 years ago.
Read more: Wollongong has a new Bishop