Fifteen men cared for by the Mother of God Brothers will be dispersed to group homes or their families.

Some of the intellectually-disabled men have lived there for all the 30 years since the lay brothers took over the former orphanage.

The Bishop of Wagga, Bishop Gerard Hanna, has ruled that the NSW Government’s residential house licence under which the home functions must not be renewed in June, 2009.

The four lay brothers are disappointed at the decision but hope to live as a group elsewhere in Thurgoona to continue pastoral care in the community.

Volunteer helper, Victoria Lingua, said volunteers were upset.

“Guadalupe House is like a family, and some of the men have been there since they were quite young,” Mrs Lingua said.

“I think the decision is disgusting.”

The Mother of God society’s superior, Brother Denis Devcich, is away this week but Brother Brian said the brothers were disappointed.

“Albury council inspected the place and said it no longer met fire safety standards,” he said.

Rectifying the problem would involve new fire walls and ceilings, but the changes would be more expensive because of the heritage constraints on the 1882 brick building.

The upstairs of the two-storey building is no longer used to house clients because of potential safety problems.

Brother Brian said the bishop also recognised that the brothers were getting older and fewer, and no new brothers were joining the society.

please include next lineBishop Hanna was in Melbourne yesterday and could not be contacted.

The building, originally built for the Sisters of Mercy, is owned by

Wagga diocese.

Bishop Francis Carroll allocated the site to the brothers in 1978 soon after the orphanage closed and for 20 years the extensive grounds were used to grow food and graze animals.

In 1997, Bishop William Brennan caused a storm in the Thurgoona community by directing the sale of much of the grounds for private housing.

Pope John Paul II was asked to intervene, but the sale went ahead and homes were built as Dunne Crescent.

Guadalupe House has cared for up to 24 men, the present 15 aged from their 30s to late 60s, with several of them long-time residents.

They come from the Border and further afield.