Denver, Colo., May 4, 2021 / 10:24 am
A former altar boy with close family ties to a former Catholic parish in Akron, Ohio, now has a different connection to the church’s edifice: he owns it.
Christ the King Catholic Church in North Akron, Ohio has been vacant since November 2009, after the Cleveland diocese merged its congregation with two nearby parishes. Sacred items - including the altar, statues, and stained glass windows - have since been removed from the church, reported the Akron Beacon Journal.
It was also the Catholic parish where Joe Breiding grew up. Breiding, a former altar boy and now an accountant and businessman, recently purchased the church complex from the Diocese of Cleveland.
The property reportedly includes the church, rectory, a school building and two ballfields. The school building has been used by a charter school for the past seven years.