They demolished our cathedral, in Basankusu, in 2012.
It was never intended to last so long. Built during the Second World War, cracks had appeared as long ago as the 1980s. I visited in 2013 and the building was progressing well. A new cathedral was slowly rising from the middle of the rainforest – but this time, instead of fired clay bricks, it was being built of reinforced concrete and cement bricks. The foundations would also be much more substantial to ensure that it would last much longer.
Now in 2018, after many stops and starts, it is almost complete. The inauguration will take place in October.
There are other churches and chapels in Basankusu, and mass is always well attended. But there’s always a need for a central place for everyone to come together. So, the construction engineers made a concrete hardstand nearby, with a corrugated metal roof over it, which became known as ‘the Hangar’. For the last six years a familiar sight on Sunday mornings has been people walking to the Hangar with plastic chairs on their heads for Sunday mass, so they’d have a seat when they got there.
I started my work with malnourished children three and a half years ago. I’ve walked past the cathedral building site every day that I’ve been to my centre. I’m pleased to say that in that time, as the cathedral slowly rose, we’ve treated 1,800 children with malnutrition and got them back on the road to good health. It hasn’t been easy – and there have been many times when I’ve thought that the money would run out. Until now, we’ve managed to keep afloat – and the vast majority of donations I receive come from people in Middlesbrough Diocese. So, it’s your success as well! We can’t be complacent, of course, I’m always about two months away from running out of funds ... but someone has always saved me at the last minute!
More good news from Basankusu is that our own Mill Hill Missionaries house, which burnt down two years ago, is almost rebuilt. And ... to top it all, we have just seen the ordination hįof the first Congolese Mill Hill priest since 1998 – with quite a few more coming up in the next few years. Fr. Placide Elia MHM just missed being ordained in the new cathedral, but the inauguration was delayed because of the Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Mbandaka Diocese (which, I’m pleased to say, seems to be over).
Congratulations to him!
It was never intended to last so long. Built during the Second World War, cracks had appeared as long ago as the 1980s. I visited in 2013 and the building was progressing well. A new cathedral was slowly rising from the middle of the rainforest – but this time, instead of fired clay bricks, it was being built of reinforced concrete and cement bricks. The foundations would also be much more substantial to ensure that it would last much longer.
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| Francis Hannaway outside Basankusu Cathedral in 2007 |
Now in 2018, after many stops and starts, it is almost complete. The inauguration will take place in October.
There are other churches and chapels in Basankusu, and mass is always well attended. But there’s always a need for a central place for everyone to come together. So, the construction engineers made a concrete hardstand nearby, with a corrugated metal roof over it, which became known as ‘the Hangar’. For the last six years a familiar sight on Sunday mornings has been people walking to the Hangar with plastic chairs on their heads for Sunday mass, so they’d have a seat when they got there.
 |
| The all new Basankusu Cathedral October 2017 |
I started my work with malnourished children three and a half years ago. I’ve walked past the cathedral building site every day that I’ve been to my centre. I’m pleased to say that in that time, as the cathedral slowly rose, we’ve treated 1,800 children with malnutrition and got them back on the road to good health. It hasn’t been easy – and there have been many times when I’ve thought that the money would run out. Until now, we’ve managed to keep afloat – and the vast majority of donations I receive come from people in Middlesbrough Diocese. So, it’s your success as well! We can’t be complacent, of course, I’m always about two months away from running out of funds ... but someone has always saved me at the last minute!
More good news from Basankusu is that our own Mill Hill Missionaries house, which burnt down two years ago, is almost rebuilt. And ... to top it all, we have just seen the ordination hįof the first Congolese Mill Hill priest since 1998 – with quite a few more coming up in the next few years. Fr. Placide Elia MHM just missed being ordained in the new cathedral, but the inauguration was delayed because of the Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Mbandaka Diocese (which, I’m pleased to say, seems to be over).
Congratulations to him!
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