REGINA — The old parish hall at St. Paul’s Cathedral closed in 2012 due to old plumbing, inadequate heat and general disrepair after more than 50 years of service. Discussions of what a new hall could be for the congregation had been going on since 2000.
One thing was certain: it needed to be a community centre, not just a parish hall. Also, one thing was uncertain: how would the parish pay for it? Building in Faith (BIF) became the motto.
A team of parish members was trained to directly contact past and present members for pledges, and the people overwhelmingly responded. Although a pledge is not the same as money in a bank account, St. Paul’s held faith that the pledges would come through. And they certainly did.
The construction of the community centre began in November 2012, and like most old building construction, unexpected problems came up. A mortgage of $1.1 million was required to cover final costs. Construction was completed in 2014.
There was concern that once the excitement of the new building slowed down, parish members would forget about the mortgage payments that continued. Through regular BIF financial communication, pledges and donations also continued.
In November 2023, an anonymous donor came forward to match BIF donations over a two-month period. This raised approximately $300,000 to pay down the mortgage. In July 2024, St. Paul’s became aware of a bequest from a former parishioner that would pay off the remaining mortgage in its entirety.
On Aug. 1, St. Paul’s Cathedral was mortgage free! The faith and generosity of so many turned the vision into a reality.
