December, 2025
Dear Friends and Supporters of the Rebuilding Our Church Campaign,
It’s been a busy year! Here is the latest update on how far we’ve come and what’s next for Holy Rosary Cathedral Renewal.
Phase 1: Barrier-Free Access and South Stair Replacement
As of January this year we celebrated the completion of Phase 1. The new elevator, accessible washrooms on each of the main floor and lower level of the foyer, and the improved elevator entrance area, now welcome those with mobility issues to Masses, liturgies, celebrations and activities at the cathedral. At the same time, the rebuilt south stair no longer threatens the integrity and foundation of the church.
After much hard work by our contractors and consultants, and careful oversight by the Project Steering Committee and Working Group, Phase 1 work came in on budget at $2.6M.
Phase 2: Spires, Towers and North Façade ($5M)
As we previously shared, JCK Engineering has advised that Holy Rosary’s spires have reached the end of their service life.
Their deterioration is accelerating as moisture and weather infiltrate through the metal cladding and rot the wood structure underneath.
Due to this advancing degeneration, it is urgent to proceed with spire replacement in 2026. At the time of our September update, we were $1.1M short of the funds required to complete the spire work in the coming year.
We are now very happy to announce that caring donors have stepped forward to help.
Ben & Greg Hudye families have together offered a transformational gift, in honour of their late beloved parents, Paul and Pauline Hudye of Kamsack.This gift, in addition to those of other generous donors, has allowed us to reach the threshold needed to commit to the urgent spire replacement portion of Phase 2.
There are still more components of Phase 2 needed: exterior belfry work, towers masonry and rose window repairs. Find more details HERE.
Bid packages have now been sent out to contractors; we expect that bid evaluations will begin in January and the spire replacement contract will be awarded in February. The window for spire replacement work should be sometime between May and October, 2026.
The current plan is for the deteriorated spires to be removed, and new spires to be built in the Holy Rosary parking lot and craned up to the towers. It will be a very visible project, and we are hopeful that members of the Cathedral neighbourhood and the general public will be “inspired” to help our faith community support all of the Cathedral Renewal phases financially.
We have also applied for a City of Regina Heritage Incentives Grant, and are hopeful that some funds may be received that way.
Phase 3: Infrastructure and Lower Level Renewal ($4M)
As mentioned previously, Holy Rosary’s heating, electrical and ventilation systems, as well as sanitary pipes, are beyond their service life and are beginning to fail. While the lower level is torn apart to make these repairs, we have the opportunity to reconstruct the hall, kitchen and washrooms to comply with building codes and better serve archdiocesan, parish and community gatherings.
There has been more progress on funding for Phase 3. In addition to more gifts and pledges, there have been 4 cathedral fundraisers so far, ranging from concerts to a gala dinner in Holy Rosary Hall. The total received from these events is: $16,748, and more are being planned in 2026. In addition, the Holy Rosary Cathedral finance council has contributed $320K from the cathedral building fund, bringing the total dedicated so far to Phase 3 of Cathedral Renewal from all sources to $1,459,247. The latest gift chart for this phase is HERE.
Phase 3 work is in the design phase, which will continue for some months. Our hope is to receive enough gifts so that as much important Phase 3 work as possible can be completed during the 2027 construction season. See more details HERE.
Gratitude
You may know that this campaign began in the second half of 2019, and was expected to last approximately one year. After the pandemic, many twists and turns, and over 6 years, we are still at work and full of gratitude for your care and support.
The milestone of being able to send out the bid packages for the spires replacement was reached thanks to Brad Taylor and his engineering team at JCK Engineering, Dylan Elliot and his team at &Architecture, Teresa Drew from Drew Consulting, and Ray Plosker and Tim Lux as the phase’s dedicated volunteer Working Group.
Real progress is happening, and we can begin to see the renewed, efficient, thriving Holy Rosary Cathedral that can welcome the community for worship and gathering well into the future.
Our Gratitude page with a link to the donor list is HERE. Note: 2025 donor names will be added early in 2026.
We hold you in thankfulness during this holy Advent and Christmas season,
Your Campaign Team
Archbishop Don Bolen, Lisa Polk, Michelle Sanche, John Dipple, Mo Bundon, Samy McCarthy, Garth Herbert and James Lipoth
P.S. Feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments: [email protected]
P.P.S. You can find past updates here: https://rebuildingourchurch.ca/blog/2021/02/27/campaign-news-and-updates/