SAN JOSE — Bishop Patrick J. McGrath says he “erred in judgment” when he bought a $2.3 million, five-bedroom Willow Glen home on the Diocese of San Jose’s dime and won’t move there when he retires.

“I failed to consider adequately the housing crisis in this valley and the struggles of so many families and communities in light of that crisis,” McGrath said in a statement. “I have heard from many on this topic and I have decided not to move into this house.”

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McGrath said he plans instead to live in a rectory at one of the diocese’s parishes.

The home was purchased with money from a fund dedicated to housing retired bishops and proceeds from the sale of a Menlo Park condominium, where McGrath’s predecessor, retired Bishop Pierre DuMaine, had lived before moving into assisted living.

The diocese will put the home up for sale as soon as possible, said McGrath, adding that any profit will be donated to Charities Housing, a division of Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.

“I assume full responsibility for this decision and I believe that the sale of the house is the appropriate action,” he said.

Real estate websites describe the 3,269-square-foot home as a “Tuscan estate” with a “grand-sized chef’s kitchen,” “soaring ceilings,” “lush lawns” and a “luxurious master en-suite.”

The purchase appeared to run counter to the church’s mission of charity and serving the poor.

“It seems very inappropriate for this expenditure to be made on so many levels,” one parishioner previously told this news organization. The parishioner asked not to be named to avoid harming relationships with other Catholics. “Our diocese is greatly underfunded as it is.”

Liz Sullivan, the diocese’s communications director, said the diocese is responsible for paying for the bishop’s housing and its costs for upkeep when he retires, and it was “following the policy set forth by the United States Council of Catholic Bishops.”

At 73 years old, McGrath — who took over as San Jose’s second bishop in 1999 upon DuMaine’s retirement — has reached the age that the church requires bishops to retire.

In his statement, McGrath said he had initially hoped to live in a diocesan-owned home that is located on cemetery property, “but necessary retrofitting proved too costly.”

“This made it necessary to look for another house,” he continued. “The Diocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultors approved the purchase of the home in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. I agreed with them that in economic terms the purchase of the home made sense in terms of financial return on investment.”

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Staff writer John Woolfolk contributed to this report.