ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — St. John’s city council has deferred a decision on the controversial proposed Anglican cathedral annex.
It was originally scheduled for Monday’s regular meeting of council, but on Friday a city spokesperson said the applicants asked the city to defer the decision to meet with staff and further review the proposed design.
Friday morning, Rev. Geoff Peddle, bishop of eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, sent a letter to the mayor and councillors about the proposed annex.
In it, Peddle said the current conversation around the future of the cathedral was initiated by him about three years ago.
“As diocesan bishop, it was clear to me that the cathedral congregation was being crushed by the burden of a gothic stone building requiring a relentless amount of maintenance and care. I should state that we would never construct such a building today, but it is part of our heritage as Anglicans and it is therefore our responsibility to care for it and use it in ways appropriate to the 21st century.
“Coupled with the challenge facing the cathedral congregation with their place of worship was a parish hall that was several times larger than needed, highly inefficient to heat and maintain, and unable to be modernized for many reasons, not the least of which were serious issues with its foundation.
“Three years ago, I could see the cathedral parish tipping into financial insolvency because of its properties and something had to be done.
“I began a series of fresh conversations with the cathedral leadership whereby the decision was made that the diocese would assume responsibility for the cathedral parish hall (which is now conditionally sold) and we would all work toward the creation of a Diocesan Centre for Ministry combining the current Diocesan Synod Office on King’s Bridge Road, the old cathedral parish hall and the current cathedral offices.
“It was decided that the new structure would be attached to the cathedral, which is the current standard for churches so that worship, administration, fellowship, teaching and outreach are under one roof.
“The upgrade would see the blending of three separate buildings into a single structure that would meet modern standards of accessibility and inclusion, centrally located in downtown St. John’s.”
Peddle explained the bishop’s office at 19 King’s Bridge Rd. is at maximum capacity because they’ve opened their doors to several community groups. If the diocesan offices at that location could be moved to the proposed annex, it would provide more space at King’s Bridge Road for community groups at no cost, Peddle said.
Public concerns
His letter addresses concerns he has heard about the annex, such as the modern design. Peddle writes the design “has been exceedingly sensitive to the heritage of the cathedral building.”
“We decided early on that we could not possibly compete with that astonishingly beautiful gothic structure, but we could complement it with a design appropriate for today.”
Peddle writes that one point that has been “sadly (and perhaps deliberately) missed” by commentators is that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a living community, not “merely a monument to the past.”
“And while we must take care of the cathedral building, we must also take care of the family living within it.”
Peddle’s letter acknowledges another concern – the possibility of human remains on the proposed site.
“I raised that same concern three years ago and all of the evidence presented to me since suggests very strongly that there are no human remains where we plan to build.
“The proposed construction site, much of which is on the present-day parking lot, incorporates the old boiler room which was previously excavated. The proposed construction site also includes the location of a large oil spill in the last century that was previously excavated.
“Reports from our diocesan archives and the Anglican cemetery committee state that many bodies were removed from the burial ground in the mid-19th century and relocated to our cemetery on Forest Road.
“Pictures taken during the reconstruction of the cathedral in the late 19th century show that the proposed construction site served as a debris field during the work.
“A series of test pits requested by me (under the supervision of an archeologist) all suggest strongly that there are no human remains in that ground.”
When The Telegram spoke with Blair Temple, the archeologist who supervised the test pits, he said the pits were not dug specifically to identify human remains.
Temple called them geotechnical test pits, dug partly for engineers to determine the depth of stable ground to build the structure on.
Peddle wrote it’s regretful that “inflated figures untethered from any evidence” have been quoted, referencing but not naming Memorial University historian Robert Sweeney’s estimate that he believes there are more than 20,000 people buried in the church yard.
“Sensational headlines do not equal good journalism,” Peddle wrote.
He ends his letter by inviting council to discuss the situation in the event they don’t approve the annex.
“I will tell you that the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador does not see another alternative,” he wrote.
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