At its February 10, 2020, meeting, the Christ Church Cathedral Bishop and Chapter adopted the following recommendations of the 2045 Task Force, to:
- enter formal discussions with Diocesan Synod about the potential for constructing a new purpose-built facility between the former Bishop’s Court and former Synod Office. Discussions would focus on the concept of sharing ministry and administrative space, and space for most of the activities currently held in Memorial Hall.
- continue to pursue opportunities to enhance the flexibility of the existing space within the Cathedral footprint to better accommodate Cathedral and community activities.
The status of the Bishop and Chapter progress on this resolution is as follows:
- With respect to replacing Memorial Hall with a new, shared ministry building with the Diocese, extensive exploratory discussions have been completed, and it is expected that there will be more definitive information in 2022.
- With respect to the possible development of a more flexible Cathedral church space, the Bishop and Chapter will shortly receive a Cathedral Condition and Issues Report which will enable us to evaluate and prioritize the Cathedral restoration.
- Complementary to a Cathedral restoration masterplan, we are investigating the possibility of replacing most pews with chairs that incorporate kneelers and book racks. This work, which includes the assessment of ecclesiastical chairs from at least two manufacturers, will be incorporated into the Heritage Standing Inc. Condition and Issues Report.
All three initiatives, regardless of their outcome, are significantly important for the future life and ministry of our congregation. The three initiatives also impact each other, both functionally and financially. Therefore, it is the intention of Bishop and Chapter that they be considered together, hopefully at some point in 2022.
Cathedral Bishop and Chapter
17 November 2021
