Local parishes in Antigonish are selling properties deemed non-essential in order to make payments to Catholic Church sex abuse victims. The settlement is just one legacy of Father Raymond Lahey, who pleaded guilty Wednesday to possessing child pornography.

Lahey negotiated the payments to sex abuse victims at the diocese shortly before he was found with child pornography on a laptop computer at the Ottawa airport in September 2009.

With the prior settlement still standing, a 32-acre parish-owned summer getaway on Cape Breton’s Mira River is one of the diocese’s most unique properties up for sale. The location, known as Sangaree Island, along with three nearby uninhabited islands are on the market for just under $1 million. Sangaree Island served family campers for decades.

 “That’s a big loss,” said Michael Campbell, a member of the parish council that gave the diocese the church-owned property. “It’s difficult to understand but obviously we’re looking for restitution for the wrongs that were done. “Today, everything is measured in dollars so this is our way to make it right in a sense.”

Some of the fastest selling church-owned properties have turned out to be waterfronts.

A small rustic cottage built half a century ago on the Bras D’Or Lake was sold for a price that’s not being revealed. However, the diocese put a $600,000 asking price on those properties.

“The early property sales in the fall and leading up to Christmas went very well for us,” said Father Paul Abbass, a spokesman for the diocese.

One of the church’s most valuable properties up for sale is 28 acres of land located in a growing Sydney commercial district. The diocese is looking for a $1.9 million buyer, believing the land may be suitable for big box store development.

Enough money has already been gathered for the diocese to make one of three lump sum payments to abuse victims.

By the end of May, Abbass said the diocese will have given close to $5-million towards a portion of those settlements.

At least 250 former parish properties will be sold in order to pay for the abuse settlement.

The church has until November 2012 to raise the money to be shared by more than 130 abuse victims.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Randy MacDonald