$4 million needed for December completion of Cathedral renovation project

The Roseau Cathedral Renovation Project started in 2013

The Roseau Cathedral Renovation Project, which started in 2013, is “nearing completion” says Fr. Nigel Karam, Dean of the Roseau Cathedral. 

“While it is nearing completion, funds are still needed. There are events annually to raise funds” Karam said at a news conference held on Wednesday to launch the 2019 Family Fun Day, one of the fundraising events for the project. 

So far, the church has raised $8 million and still needs $4 million for completion.

Fr. Karam said that the Cathedral is completely covered but there are still finishing touches to be added to the roofing and that is expected to be completed by the end of July.

He added that although the damage caused by Hurricane Maria was “fairly extensive”, most of the work is already done and what is left is mainly the cleaning and redoing of the floors which were completely damaged by the weather conditions. The majority of the tiles on the roof however, remained in place and proved to be resilient.

It is hoped that the work will be completed by December and that Christmas Mass will be held at the Cathedral. Fr. Karam suggested that even if the building is not completely furnished, a generator and chairs could be used. He said he hopes that this will at least give the people a boost of inspiration and encouragement.

He revealed that they have also received extensive donations from other catholic agencies but Fr. Karam nonetheless urges the public to donate and contribute.

“While we get help from the public, it is still ours and it reflects us. A cathedral is a national monument and even in larger cities it is very important” the Catholic priest pointed out.

The Roseau Cathedral is one of the largest in the English Speaking Caribbean and a major tourist attraction. 

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27 Comments

  1. Cool out
    July 13, 2019

    Even the Catholic church hinting for cool out :lol:

  2. Kalinago Justice
    July 13, 2019

    :?: When is this babylonian institution stop begging and ripping poor people when vatican owns billions of dollars :?: Why will they not sell some of their assets to raise money :?: Why does it take all these years to complete only because they’re depending on the poor to contribute :?: Initially, they only needed 8 million dollars, now they need an extra 4million making it 12 million :?: Isn’t this another ploy as elections is near,so that the one-man rogue regime prime mistake can donate the $4 million in exchange for another campaign boost to his image like the one received after he donated$500,000.00 :?: Why can’t the con-stantinian order bring it to completion instead of going around buying governments :?: This is the same institution involved in slavery and child molestation, therefore Black People should distance themselves from them, this church is on its way to hell!!!

  3. July 13, 2019

    Hello and good afternoon my people. First the Karams aren’t Christians rather they are Syrian Jews that were sent to the Caribbean . The Catholic Church which is based in Rome have been stealing money from Africa and the Caribbean for decades and they used that money to build France so please go and tell the pope to give you some of our citizens money they’ve stolen for years. They also have millions to pay for those sexual predators who abuse the little acolytes but they can’t repair their churches even though they don’t pay real estate taxes. We aren’t fools.

  4. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    July 13, 2019

    “The majority of the tiles on the roof however, remained in place and proved to be resilient.”
    Useless nonsensical babbling, tiles are resilient too; the ignorance of people have no bounds!

    How the hell can a tile be resilient, when tiles cannot bend, and return to an original shape?

    People who knows about building construction knows it is more difficult for winds to rip tiles off the roof of buildings than other materials such as felt shingles and galvanized; because of the way tiles are shaped, and installed.

    That is not due to any form of resiliency!

    Karam if you believe that tiles made from clay and cement are resilient, take a hammer and start hammering them only then you will prove their resiliency!  

    All of you as soon as you open your mouth is about resilient, and resiliency!

    What is the hype over such words, which existed and spoken long prior to Charles stayed in England and said Dominicans are a resilient people?

  5. Heddy
    July 13, 2019

    Why don’t the contractor give a free labour. All these are members of the church

  6. Iamanidiot
    July 13, 2019

    Catholic church want their cool out wi. Mr Skerrit will organize allu

  7. ThatGuY
    July 13, 2019

    Someone needs to look into this properly. I have personally seen cheque dedication to “catholic church roof repairs”to buy personal items.

    Why didn’t the church have insurance??

  8. let me remain in catolic
    July 12, 2019

    What? de catholic Church want it cool out too man. Four million dollars to complete the roof? Please be transparent and tell us how much money has been collected and spent on the roof and where the rest of the money was spent. A quantity survey based on the square footage is about 2.5 million dollars for the new roof.

  9. Legion
    July 12, 2019

    Ask the pop to write a cheque… The catholic church must stop abusing poor people.

  10. Faith & Hope
    July 12, 2019

    The Church must realize that most of us have limited disposable income, especially after hurricane Maria. Some of us cannot give to the 2nd collection now. There must be a way to make a special request for these funds from the Vatican to complete the Cathedral. It cannot be done the usual way. It is not business as usual. EC4 million is US1.5 million…not alot by Vatican standards.. while there are many other churches in need, the Catholic church is in effect one of the biggest aid agencies in the world with billions at its disposal. Have we received any help from the Vatican for this project? Probably we can write a request to Pope Francis signed by the Catholics in Dominica. The church officials also need to consider a full solar electricity system when it is restored and perhaps the church can charge a small sum for visitors.. It’s time to complete this project..

  11. B
    July 12, 2019

    No way in hell will a cathedral save any one soul. They don’t teach me how to pray, neither do they speak truth to me. So why would I put my hard work funds into a monument of Satanism, destined to tarnish the souls of Black People. “They came to Africa with the bible in their hands. We were left robbed of our land, but with that same bible in our hand”. After to be plundered for Gold. Yah, and you don’t think the conquests continue. They came with the Bible in their hands to Dominica, we were left hungry for faith, and a bill of 12 Million Dollars, of which the local construction industry alone can prove what came back to our community, if they did not send some home to increase the fire on Black People. And ask for these enslaved souls who cannot resist their Vatican Dungeon, they scorn the fatherless, eat the bread of the humble, and crucify and destroy every Christ who does not bow to their power. Only if I could not pray..Thank God.

  12. No accident
    July 12, 2019

    Read btween the lines, the guy isn’t sleeping. It’s election time and he is hearing of how generous the party is; although they have been given millions for this that could’av built a new church by now, he is throwing a ‘strategic’ unnecessarily childish time-line out there as ‘code word’ to Skeritt before campaign money finish. Everyone wants a piece of campaign money. Head makes books, or as the old folks say ‘Head Make Book’. Just watch and see how it works. :wink: :cry:

  13. Dominica
    July 12, 2019

    All the people commenting are the same ones who have not given a penny. The collection of the last week is always said in church on Sunday, and trust me it is not anything to shout about. Catholics are not required to tithe but instead give a free will offering, on average I would say $5.

  14. really?
    July 12, 2019

    Catholics don’t pay tithe then? Pass the offering plate.

    • Me
      July 13, 2019

      Tithe is a tax in anything but name.

  15. Bob Denis
    July 12, 2019

    What a symbol of shame, when the Church is removed from its materialism, and placed where it really should be , in the HEART, then and only then some of us will come to the realization that structures don’t ever make a man/woman a better being. The Indoctrination of a group of Colonial People lacking Spiritual knowledge, looks very well entrenched in Dominica. No wonder theres so much HATE in all its forms on Nature Island.

  16. Casio
    July 12, 2019

    Best they had just build a new church. How many millions spent on that roof now? How many years is it taking?

  17. Shaka zulu
    July 12, 2019

    If the country was doing well and people had disposable income dont you guys think Catholics would put much more money in collection. Why would other denominations want thier tax money spent on a church they do not belong to? Vatican have enough money to pay people for children those priest molesting. If they had stopped stopped that long possi would have a cathedral also by now. Karam it does not have to be completed by December. The building is just a building thats it. The people is the church and where they gather to worship does matter. Stop trying squeeze water out of stone to meet an unnecessary timeline.

  18. Truth Be Told
    July 12, 2019

    Complete waste of money as God does not dwell in buildings! These things simply serve the vanity of man, in the name of God! Jesus Christ would have given that money to the poor while he preached outdoors on the mountains, in the fields, on the beaches, and in people’s homes!

  19. jamie
    July 12, 2019

    Skerrit has 72 million on hand for election,let him give the money,hope the people do not,Skerrit has bought all the priests.

    • Casio
      July 12, 2019

      Last election i hear it was 29 million. Millions upon millions passing through Dominica daily but it only touches certain hands. Put the church in the CBI program.

  20. Looking
    July 12, 2019

    Very interesting. Since there is so much confidence that the cathedral will be completed by year end, it seems some people know something. We might hear of a cheque being offered sooner or later.

  21. LANGSAL
    July 12, 2019

    the vatican should give a cool out for that amount

  22. Trust Me
    July 12, 2019

    So many people still left with their houses uncovered and many more in need, and allu talking about all that money for Church?
    I not saying doh rebuild the spot, but that can wait my brother!

  23. hmm
    July 12, 2019

    Maybe they don’t know how to manage money or is me that doesn’t understand, But all that money shouldnt be needed

  24. look joke
    July 12, 2019

    The Boston Globe outlined the pontiff’s effort to internationalize the Vatican’s financial management by firing its all-Italian Vatican Financial Information Authority Board. He immediately replaced the officials with representatives from Singapore, Switzerland, Italy, and the United States.

    This marked a turning point in what was called Pope Francis’ “honesty and transparency” campaign – a campaign that wasn’t taken seriously until this point.

    But with the officials’ termination, people began to take heed of Francis’ actions. The pontiff also made the bank’s financial, transfer, and operational statements public. According to a May 29, 2015, article in Reuters , for the fiscal year 2014, the Vatican Bank reported about $76 million in net profit – more than 20 times the $3.16 million reported for the previous year.

  25. look joke
    July 12, 2019

    https://www.nasdaq.com/article/how-much-money-does-the-vatican-have-cm500605
    How Much Money Does the Vatican Have: What We Do Know

    We know:

    The Vatican Bank manages $64 billion of assets on behalf of its 17,400 customers, according to a Dec. 5, 2014, article in International Business Times .
    The bank owns $764 million in equity.
    The bank keeps gold reserves worth over $20 million with the U.S. Federal Reserve.

    While these numbers may not seem like much in the way of information transparency from such a large and reputedly mysterious institution, until a few years ago, not even these kinds of cut-and-dry statements were available to the public.

    However, upon his succession as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s replacement (who resigned in the wake of a scandal involving leaked documents and money transfers to America to pay for priests’ sex abuse trials), Pope Francis set about establishing widespread fiscal reform. A June 5, 2014, article in The Boston Globe…

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