Work starts on new Iqaluit cathedral

More than two years after an arsonist destroyed St. Jude's Anglican Cathedral in Iqaluit, work has begun on rebuilding the distinctive church on the same site where the old one burned down.

Construction workers are currently putting in the foundation for the new church a sight thatdelights Iqaluit residents like Eva Aariak, whohasmissed seeing the igloo-shaped cathedral in the heart of the Nunavut capital.

"The church that was there is greatly missed by its congregation and so on, and the beauty of that building is also missing," Aariak said Tuesday.

"It is so exciting, the fact that we will be able to see this beautiful structure again."

On Nov. 5, 2005, the interior of St. Jude's was destroyed by a deliberately set fire. The building, which volunteers had built in the early 1970s, was demolished in the summer of 2006 after it was deemed structurally unsound.

Although construction has begun on its replacement, church officials say they still need to raise money for the new building.

Iqaluit parish dean James Barlow saidmore thanthree to four million dollars is still neededto complete construction. He saidpeople can helpby buying siding blocks that will cover the cathedral.

"These blocks are put together, they're the framing for the dome, right? And for $700, you can buy your own block and that would be your contribution, or your family's contributions, to the cathedral," Barlow said.

"It's a very nice idea."

If construction goes according to plan, Barlow said the first service at the new St. Jude's Cathedral could be held as early as December 2009.