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St. Jude’s set to rise from rubble

Burned structure demolished as fundraising continues

JOHN THOMPSON

Iqaluit’s igloo-shaped St. Jude’s Anglican Cathedral became a pile of rubble after demolition last Thursday. Fundraising is underway to build a new church, in a similar design. (PHOTO BY JOHN TYRRELL)

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An excavator made short work of the igloo-shaped church, which had been ravaged by fire last November. As the machine punched holes in the building’s sides, the spire first leaned backwards, then toppled over the front of the church.

In less than an hour, Iqaluit’s best-known landmark, built by volunteers in 1972, became a pile of rubble.

Soon, a new poster will be raised at the church site, attached to a large plywood sign. It shows a computer rendering of a new igloo church design, with the caption, “This too will rise again.”

“It’s a new beginning,” said Archdeacon John Tyrrell.

Before the demolition, Tyrrell went inside the building to make sure nothing valuable was left inside. Sure enough, lying on a desk in one corner, covered in ash and soot, was a framed sheet of paper torn from the guestbook, signed by Queen Elizabeth II.

The church burned down after a fire was set on the altar in early November. Litanie Pitsulak, 27, was arrested in December and charged with arson, breaking and entering to commit an offence, and possession of stolen goods – narwhal tusks once attached to a cross.

The altar has since been restored.

But fire gutted the building and destroyed irreplaceable works of art, such as several huge tapestries donated from six different communities in Nunavut and Nunavik.

Flames also ate away at the supporting beams, making the building unsafe to leave standing.

Fundraising for a new cathedral began before the church burned. Besides being too small, the cathedral had no washrooms, smoke alarms, fire sprinklers or wheelchair access.

Plans for major expansion of the church would have added new wings to the building, in the shape of snowdrifts, at a cost of $7 million.

But this plan proved spectacularly unpopular with parishioners. When put to a vote, 98 per cent opposed the snowdrift design, Tyrrell said.

Those plans were abandoned after the fire. Engineers are now developing a new, bigger igloo design, up to code and with double the capacity.

The latest design includes a puviraq, or extra bump in the front of the igloo, to serve as the church’s entrance, or narthex. That extra space, separated by glass doors from the rest of the building and rigged with speakers, would serve parishioners with crying babies.

The proposed design would expand from 22 to 30 metres across, and hold 450 worshippers, rather than 225. The new design has been approved by the congregation and bishops, but has yet to receive final approval from the executive.

Insurance only covers $1 million in damage to the building, while it’s expected to cost $4 million to build a new church.

In May the Arctic Diocese launched a national fundraising campaign to raise the $3 million difference, mailing out over 2,000 letters of appeal.

As of June 2, $65,142 had been collected, said executive officer Debra Gill in Yellowknife. Donations range from $15 to $25,000. “There’s stuff coming in daily,” Gill says.

As well, about $30,000 has been collected through the Iqaluit office. That includes a donation from one pensioner who lives on the east coast of the United States, who sent all he could afford. It was $5. “He still wanted to help,” Tyrrell said.

The parish still has a long way to go if it wants to ship construction supplies up next summer, as planned.

Local fundraising efforts also aim to replace the contents of the building, including the pews, sound system, phones, and the electronic organ.

The last item cost $38,000 to purchase five years ago, but fire fried its electronic guts.

The parish has held several fundraising meals since the Christmas holidays, which have brought in over $10,000. A silent auction is planned this fall.

They too have an ambitious goal, to raise $150,000.

“We’re going full guns. It’s a lot of work,” said Ed Picco, chair of the fundraising committee.

Donations over $100 are tax deductible. For more information, contact Picco at 979-3954.

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