In an unusual lawsuit accusing a religious monastery in Ashford of pretending to be affiliated with the Catholic Church when in fact it wasn’t, a couple were awarded more than $278,000 in damages after donating $200,000 for a chapel to be built only to later discover the truth about the organization.
After construction of the chapel was nearly completed, the couple received a letter in 2011 from the bishop of the Norwich Catholic Diocese, who informed them that they should not proceed with their plans. The letter said the group was not “and has never been” a Benedictine monastery affiliated with the Catholic Church.
