ANGLICAN CHURCH

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1938, Page 10

ANGLICAN CHURCH

CATHEDRAL PROJECT

OLD ST. PAUL'S BUILDING

The Bishop of Wellington, the Right Rev. H. St. Barbe Holland, left Wellington yesterday afternoon to continue his visits to parishes in the diocese in the interests of the Diocesan Centenary Appeal to raise money to build a cathedral in Wellington and for the purpose of establishing the Bishop's Fighting Fund. He is to tour in the Wanganui and Taranaki districts and will return via Levin and Otaki, after which he will embark on his visit to the Wellington parishes, commencing about the middle of September. Before his Lordship's departure it was announced that the Diocesan Appeal Committee, which is attending to both sections of'the appeal, had received to date in cash and promises approximately £24,000 since the campaign opened, and that the Wellington Citizens' Committee had -raised about £19,000, making the total of new money £43,000. About £35,000 is available for building the. Cathedral, and the remainder is earmarked for the Bishop's Fighting Fund. There is also available for the purposes of building the cathedral £27,000 , of the old cathedral funds previously held by the diocese. The amount which it is sought to raise for the cathedral is £200,000, but the actual estimated cost of the building is £230,000. For this reason the £27,000 is not being included in the appeal, but is being set aside against the extra £30,000 required. As yet the appeal has been barely launched, the promises and money received to date being in the main from a limited number of people in the different parishes who have been ap- j proached with a view to giving a lead. They have given a valuable and most encouraging lead, so much so that when the final numbers go up it is expected it will be found that the diocese and citizens generally have -made an outstanding response to the call being made upon them. In view of the ready response to • date Bishop Holland is confident that by this time next year there will be sufficient money in hand to start building the cathedral. Since the campaign opened the question has been asked of what is to become of St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral building, the wooden structure which ,has stood for many years in Mulgrave Street. The answer to this question at the moment is that there is a distinct possibility of part of the building at least being used for the Lady Chapel in the cathedral. The matter is receiving careful consideration, but it was stated today, in response to inquiries, that the indications at the present time, at any rate, make it practically certain that this course will be followed. There is strong support for such a step being taken. Another proposal which has been put forward in the nature of an alternative is the use of the St. Paul's building for the establishment of a new church at. Kaiwarra.