THUNDER BAY — From the air, one of the most visible structures in Thunder Bay right now is St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Looking down, it's temporarily an impossible-to-miss bright blue as a crew continues to work on replacing the roof of the most prominent church in the city.
By the end of the summer, it will have a metal roof that should last for about half a century, but for the parishioners of St. Patrick's Cathedral, protecting the landmark structure from the elements comes at the steep cost of $1.7 million.
A spokesperson for St. Patrick's said Monday that the contractors working on the project have made good progress, and are on schedule to finish the job next month.
The original roof, which dates back to the cathedral's construction in 1963, has required periodic repairs in recent year as a result of wind blowing sections of protective rubber sheeting right off, leaving bare plywood that started to rot and expose the concrete beneath it.
Deacon Derek West said support from local businesses, organizations and individuals who have contributed to an ongoing fundraising campaign is crucial, as the church has to pay off loans for this project plus about $700,000 worth of other work that needs to be done.
"We use the word 'iconic' and I don't think we're wrong in that. It's a landmark of Thunder Bay, it has a lot of history. That window at the end — the knave — that's the second largest knave of its kind in North America. We're pretty proud of that, and rightfully so. Yeah, we want to see this building last."
West added that the members of the church who are in charge of the project joke among themselves that "there's a lot of grey hairs on the committee," so the roof's expected durability "is a lifetime guarantee for us."
After the roof is done, the focus will switch to the next stage of improvements.
"On either side, there's a series of side chapels, and they have to be done as well," West said. "They're leaking, so they need to be upgraded. A third phase that we may or may not do is the actual rectory roof. We're still deciding whether to continue with that or not, but certainly the side chapels will be done next year."
So far, community fundraising has brought in about one-third of what's needed to pay for the main roof, but the appeal for donations will continue for as long as necessary.
The church has a 50/50 raffle every month, and will also be looking at other fundraising initiatives in the coming months.
