The Reopening of St. Jude's Cathedral

In 1970, an army of volunteers constructed St. Jude's Anglican Cathedral, a white-igloo shaped spiritual home for Christian parishioners in the town of Frobisher Bay (now known as Iqaluit).  Its inner walls were adorned with hand-made wall hangings and Inuit religious art.  For the next 35 years, the establishment would serve as a tourist attraction, town landmark, and of course, a place of worship. 

            

All was well until November 2005 when the cathedral was extensively damaged by fire.  In the early stages of the police investigation, the cause of the fire was determined to be arson.  It would later be added that thieves set the church ablaze while trying to steal a narwhal tusk cross.  Rather than 'close the book' on St. Jude's, the Anglican diocese decided to rebuild the cathedral. 

            

Over the next seven years, several fundraising campaigns would be organized across Canada to raise the necessary $8 million for construction.  I remember participating in one of these fundraisers in Ottawa, back in 2007.  The event took place at Christchurch Cathedral and was organized by Garth Hampson, a retired RCMP officer who performed and sang with the RCMP Band.  At the time, I was a percussionist with the National Capital Concert Band.  Conducted by Stanley Clark, the NCCB performed a variety of pieces for a nearly sold out crowd.  Visiting Inuit students also took part in the concert by performing throat singing and drum dances.               

            

Until the new cathedral was built, English & Inuktitut members worshipped at the nearby Parish Hall.  With every passing day, the new cathedral slowly rose from the ashes.  The white-igloo shaped design would remain, but this time, the structure would be more fire resistant and could accommodate 420 people.  The original cathedral could only seat 210.

            

The reopening ceremony took place on Sunday, June 3rd, at 10am.  It was a cloudy day but the sun could still be seen shining through the clouds.  I arrived at the cathedral at quarter to 10 and it looked like I was the first one.  What I didn't realize was that the cathedral was already full.  After several more minutes, a crowd had formed around the front entrance.  What stood out from this crowd was the long line of visiting priests (male & female), ministers, and bishops.  The local media & CBC Radio were also on site to record & report the event.

            

The bilingual ceremony (Inuktitut & English) began outside with the blessing of the cathedral.  Then the long procession of clergy entered the building singing a hymn.  Once they were all inside, we were informed that the cathedral was full and that any late-comers could see the ceremony through a live-televised-feed at the nearby Parish Hall.  I decided to enter the cathedral anyway.

            

The cathedral was definitely full of people.  It felt like the entire town was present. A brand new narwhal tusk cross hung on the wall behind the altar.  The Premier and town mayor were sitting somewhere at the front.  Many worshippers had their smartphones & cameras out, photographing & filming the entire event.  Three TV cameras and three microphones were strategically placed around the hall.  My face would be captured on film several times.  The electric organ was successfully moved from the Parish Hall and placed on the left side of the altar.  The choir would also sing from this position.  

            

Standing at the back, I noticed that the cathedral looks a lot bigger on the inside.  This is most likely due to its igloo design.  I also took note of the many fire sprinklers in the ceilings.  If a fire ever breaks out, it will be quickly extinguished.   

            

I was glad that I wasn't the one playing organ because I would have made too many mistakes.  It'll still be a while before I acquire the necessary skills to perform for a very large gathering that includes the local media.  The organ player was Mary Piercey, the music teacher I am replacing until next January.  She did an excellent job playing the required hymns and supporting the choir.  The choir was led by Dr. Anne Dolloff, the University of Toronto professor I had met back in February.  It was a long day for Mary, Anne, and the choir singers because another long mass was scheduled in the late afternoon.  Their day would not end until after 11pm.   

            

I didn't stay for the entire Mass because it was too long for me.  There were a lot of speeches and presentations, making the mass last 4 hours.  The sermon alone was 40 minutes!  I guess it was because it was a bilingual ceremony, meaning many things had to be said twice.  The communion also took a while because of the large audience, and many visiting clergy were given the opportunity to comment on the successful completion of the seven-year project.

            

Another highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the first fully translated Inuktitut Bible, using Inuktitut syllabics.  Before, only several passages and chapters had been translated.  The translation took 34 years to complete.   

            

When the ceremony concluded at 2pm, attendees were treated to a large community feast, featuring many traditional Inuit dishes.  Naturally, there was caribou, char, and seal meats.

            

With the cathedral now 'open for business', I guess I will no longer be playing in the Parish Hall.  I will also have a choice of either playing the electric organ or the new baby grand piano that was shipped from Ottawa.  I think I'll alternate between the two.