The Rebuilding Committee of the Sacred Heart Church on Main Street, Georgetown, has managed to raise Gy$24 million for the reconstruction of the historic Roman Catholic edifice after it was destroyed by fire more than six years ago.
Bishop Francis Alleyne turns the sod for the construction of a new Sacred Heart Church on Friday
At the ‘turning of the sod’ ceremony last Friday, February 18th, it was disclosed by the Chairman of the Rebuilding Committee, Ramsay Ali, that the entire rebuilding project would cost some Gy$85 million.
The church and a facility to house the priest and a caretaker will be first constructed; and as benefactors and donors contribute, the other buildings will be constructed.
The church is to be made of steel and modern materials, and construction should be completed by the end of 2011.
The new church will have more facilities that its predecessor building, such as a Catholic Resource Centre, a library, archive and other departments to give the public and media access to its resources.
Additionally, there will be a facility to host workshops and seminars, Bishop Francis Alleyne disclosed.
The bishop said that, with the reconstruction of the church, “the smooth operation of parish activities, such as catechism, education classes, Sunday school, choir, readers, and other group activities,” will resume.
The bishop said that after the destruction of the church, he met with persons who were not even Catholics or churchgoers, but they had strong feelings for the church, and their sentiments strongly influenced his decision to rebuild the church.
He added that his vision is for members of the church to become “fluent in the language of faith,” despite what was happening in the country.
Meanwhile, Ali said that a large number of pledges have been made by persons, who promised to deliver upon seeing progress of the construction. The building contract has been awarded to Anand’s Construction.
Already, Gy$10 million has been spent to construct a fence around the property.
Ali said part of the site that was occupied by the Sacred Heart Primary School will be developed by the Roman Catholic Diocese at a later date.
