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HOME	DECEMBER 17th, 2005

Catholic church hunting for funds

Roman Catholic Bishop in Grenada, Vincent Darius has appealed to Catholics on the island to sign financial pledges to rebuild the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in St. George's and other hurricane-damaged church buildings.

"I am asking you and every adult Catholic in the diocese to make a pledge to contribute a fixed amount every month to the Diocesan Restoration Account," he wrote in a letter dated December 8 and being distributed throughout the diocese.

According to Bishop Darius, 35 out of the 58 churches in the diocese were either totally destroyed or severely damaged, 15 presbyteries were damaged, and the diocese's radio and TV facilities were destroyed.

He thanked major international agencies for the repair of many Catholic schools, but noted that two were saved from being closed only because the diocese was able to construct temporary buildings.
"Most painful of all," Bishop Darius wrote, "was the destruction of our beloved Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception”.

He went on: “It is my hope and prayer that in the year 2006 we will see major progress on the reconstruction of the cathedral. It is estimated the cost of the reconstruction will be in the order of EC$6 million.

“Already, thanks to your generosity and that of our overseas friends, we have almost EC$800,000. However to begin the work we must have at least $3 million in hand. This will cover necessary foundation work, demolition, and erecting a steel frame and a new roof”, he said.

The Diocesan Building Committee has approved a conceptual design for the cathedral, respecting its historical importance. The design calls for the steel frame to secure the tower and sanctuary alcove, which are sound, and provide interior space 72 feet wide without pillars.

The old building had only 39 feet of open space between massive stone columns. The restored cathedral will have nearly its pre-Ivan exterior appearance.

Bishop Darius told members of the Catholic community in the diocese that the priority of the church management has been “to assist parishes to get their parish churches back into use, reconstructed or repaired to such a standard as to be able to withstand future events like Ivan or Emily".

He noted that to date major reconstruction work is currently underway on nine parish churches and that nine presbyteries have either been repaired or undergoing repairs.

"While much has been done during the past year much remains to be done. Our priorities now must be the reconstruction of the cathedral and the repair of our national Marian shrine.

“I hope it will also be possible to restore our outstation churches and to get our radio and TV facilities working again to bring the Gospel message to a wider audience.

"I am very confident that given your generosity and your faith we will not just build back a better cathedral but we will build a stronger Catholic Church in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique."