This is an update on the current status of affairs for the construction of the Diocesan Cathedral.

2020 has been anything but accommodating. It has thrown curve balls and obstacles left and right. The coronavirus pandemic has limited the flow of business on all fronts and has siphoned off momentum across the spectrum on diocesan projects and affairs. That being said, the cathedral construction project is still on track and in progress, with victories almost every week.

The bishop and his team currently consist of the Cathedral Rector’s Council, a civil engineer, an architect, a construction firm/general contractor, and will soon include a liturgical designer. The latest addition to the team, the contractors, are CAM Construction who have a wide variety of finished projects across Maryland and the D.C. area.

The cathedral will sit on roughly 4o Acres of rolling hills that, until now, have been farmland. The bishop and his team have purchased a massive marble altar, an ornate tabernacle and rear doss, a set of marble stations of the cross, and are in the process of considering floor plans for the sanctuary space. The sanctuary will be a cruciform design with considerations for modern technology, lighting, and sound equipment, while also facilitating nearly 300 seated persons. The property will have a pond, pavilion, two cemeteries, a rectory, and a sports field.

The bishop hopes to break ground as soon as possible and perhaps even before 2020 ends. He asks for the prayers of those that wish to support the cause and the diocese is asked to pray for funding and benefactors. The project is estimated to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 million dollars.

The property itself, is almost paid off in entirety and the cathedral, through God’s grace and generous gifts, has been able to pay in cash for the altar, stations of the cross, and most of the surveying, planning, permits, and state mandated research. As we approach the digging and building phase, we are bold in the promises we have received from the throne room and prayerful in light of the challenge set before us.

Please visit: https://belairchurch.com/building-a-cathedral-in-forest-hill/ to learn more and follow the timeline of blessings that God has provided. Alla re invited to become a part of this developing story.