According to MassLive, a growing Seventh-Day Adventist congregation based in Florence, MA has purchased the former Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church at 354 Elm St. in Northampton for $455,000.
The Seventh-Day Adventist congregation had roughly 80 members worshiping together each week, according to Artur Preuss, senior pastor.
Eighty people was too many for the building the Seventh-Day Adventists used to own in the Florence section of Northampton. The congregation sold it about two years ago. The 6,000 ft² church dates back to 1900, according to city records. It’s next to Northampton High School.
“As a result of a lot of praying and dialogue between parishioners and myself we decided to find a new home,” Preuss said, after purchasing the Roman Catholic Church building.
He doesn’t expect to have his congregation worship at the former Blessed Sacrament until at least summer. There is some work that his church wants to accomplish at the building.
That includes remediating a mold problem. The Catholic diocese cited mold in the building as the reason it stopped worshiping there.
“There is also light cosmetic work we want to do to the church,” Preuss said.
The congregation will likely change its name to include Northampton instead of Florence.
Preuss said a decision has not been made yet on what to do with a shrine on the property.
Curiously, the diocese sells real estate with a deed restriction prohibiting any use inconsistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, as determined by the bishop. See deed restriction below:
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