Diocese razes former convent on Lawrenceville campus
November 6, 2024 at 11:09 a.m.
Demolition and clean-up work is underway at the site of a former convent adjacent to the Diocesan Chancery and Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville.
The statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph holding the Christ Child that were in niches on the exterior of the former Notre Dame Diocesan Convent have been relocated to a garden on the campus of Notre Dame High School. Mike Corgan photoThe 67-year-old brick structure, which once provided residential space for the Mercy Sisters serving in NDHS and other religious sisters of the Diocese, was largely unoccupied and in need of major repairs, according to Kevin Cimei, diocesan chief fiscal officer. The work would have been cost-prohibitive and plausible alternatives for future use of the building could not be found.
Cimei described the structure as “a single purpose dormitory style building,” which would “require a tremendous amount of upgrades and funds to comply with current building codes for alternative uses.” Cimei added that potential alternative use was limited because of the building’s proximity to and shared access with the high school and Chancery. Potential upgrades to NDHS parking and traffic circulation are under consideration as future uses of the space.
Household items including furniture and bedding, as well as liturgical items such as the Tabernacle in the convent chapel, were given to a number of parishes in the Diocese. The statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph that were in niches on the building’s exterior were given to NDHS, which has installed them on school grounds. Additionally, stained glass windows from the convent’s chapel were given to NDHS and Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Hamilton.
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Demolition and clean-up work is underway at the site of a former convent adjacent to the Diocesan Chancery and Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville.
The statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph holding the Christ Child that were in niches on the exterior of the former Notre Dame Diocesan Convent have been relocated to a garden on the campus of Notre Dame High School. Mike Corgan photoThe 67-year-old brick structure, which once provided residential space for the Mercy Sisters serving in NDHS and other religious sisters of the Diocese, was largely unoccupied and in need of major repairs, according to Kevin Cimei, diocesan chief fiscal officer. The work would have been cost-prohibitive and plausible alternatives for future use of the building could not be found.
Cimei described the structure as “a single purpose dormitory style building,” which would “require a tremendous amount of upgrades and funds to comply with current building codes for alternative uses.” Cimei added that potential alternative use was limited because of the building’s proximity to and shared access with the high school and Chancery. Potential upgrades to NDHS parking and traffic circulation are under consideration as future uses of the space.
Household items including furniture and bedding, as well as liturgical items such as the Tabernacle in the convent chapel, were given to a number of parishes in the Diocese. The statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph that were in niches on the building’s exterior were given to NDHS, which has installed them on school grounds. Additionally, stained glass windows from the convent’s chapel were given to NDHS and Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Hamilton.