Beaulieu

Munich

Birchgrove

Perdmontemps

Cathedral

River Sallee

Crochu

Roxbourough

Gouyave

Sauteurs

Grand Anse

St. David's

Grand Roy

Tivoli

Grenville

Victoria

Hillsborough

Windward

Morne Jaloux

Woburn

Reminder:

Persons wishing to send donations to assist in the rebuilding of the homes, churches and schools that have been devastated by Ivan can send cheques to
Bishop Vincent Darius
P.O. Box 375
St. George's
Grenada

Please make cheques payable to Bishop of St. George's - Hurricane Relief Account

Beaulieu - The Parish Church of Our Lady Help of Christians

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Beaulieu Parish

Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Beaulieu, covers the north-eastern section of the civil parish of St. George’s. Beaulieu is one of the most densely populated areas in Grenada. It suffered a greater degree of devastation than any other area of Grenada with virtually every building seriously damaged. The walls of the church at Beaulieu, which had lost its entire roof in the hurricane, were found to be seriously cracked and dangerous. On the advice of a structural engineer they were completely demolished. In addition to the parish church at Beaulieu, there are three outstation churches. They are, La Mode, Vendome and Willis. Of the three only Willis escaped serious damage.  Our Lady Help of Christians community at Beaulieu is a thriving Christian community. There is an active Parish Pastoral Council and groups involved in other ministries are all functioning effectively. Approximately two hundred people attend Mass in Beaulieu every Sunday. Within a radius of about one kilometre there are four non-catholic churches. Fundamentalist groups have been making serious inroads into our catholic community. At this time catholic children are a minority in our two catholic schools. The trend away from the Catholic Church has countered to some extent in recent years by a vigorous outreach consisting of home-to-home visitation and outdoor services of varying kinds in different places within the parish. We propose to rebuild the church using steel columns and a steel framed roof. The steel frame will come complete with galvanised roofing sheets (22 gauge, lacquered both sides) and will cost US$96,300.00 or EC$257,100.00. Preparatory work, transportation and erection will bring this figure to US$133400 or EC$ 356.125.00

La Mode - The Church of Jesus - the Living Water 

The church was built in 1990 to accommodate the Catholics of La Mode who form a very distinct community of their own. While the village of Beaulieu is on the main road between the capital St. George’s and the second largest town, Grenville, La Mode is situated on a bye road that leads high into the hills. The distance from La Mode to Beaulieu is too far to expect people to walk and public transport is not available especially on Sundays.  The La Mode community largely look after their own affairs, organising their catechetical programme, and having their own branches of the diocesan organisations such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Legion of Mary, etc.  Hurricane Ivan stripped the covering sheets from the roof of La Mode Church but left rafters and close boarding pretty much intact.  The building is L shaped, constructed with concrete blocks and a reinforced concrete structure. It has a total area of 1550 square feet. The building stood us well to hurricane Ivan.  It only lost its roof covering, a few ceiling boards and some guttering. The eaves along the front and back elevation where most heavily damaged and they should be reduced to maximum 12" in width. The remaining ceiling boards need to be checked as they were exposed to a lot of rain after hurricane IVAN. At least 30% will need to be replaced. After this is done, 2" x 4" pressure treated pitch pine purlins cc 24 " will be screwed with 4" long lag screws to the rafters. The new roofing sheets will be screwed or nailed to these   purlins. The electrical wiring and fixtures should be checked by a qualified electrician and where necessary replaced or repaired. Some new pvc guttering is also needed. All woodwork will need a professional painting and/or  varnishing/staining job.    

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The renovation works comprising of carpentry works, roofing, guttering, electrical works and painting work is estimated at EC $ 58,000.00 or US$22,000.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady.

Vendomme - Church of the Nativity

Travelling towards Grenville from St. George’s the last village you pass through before entering the Grand Etaing Forest Reserve is Vendomme. Situated high in the hills it looks down on the villages of Willis and Beaulieu. Vendomme, with an overall population of about 2000 is the largest Catholic outstation community of Beaulieu parish. About 150 people normally attend Sunday Mass and, like La Mode, the Vendomme community is quite self-reliant. Indeed among the leading members of Beaulieu Parish Pastoral Council are the representatives from Vendomme.  In recent years many Vendomme people commute to work in St. George’s or Grenville but traditionally the incomes of most families came from farming. People would go to their lands in the hills to clear the ground beneath the nutmeg trees. The ripe nutmegs drop to the ground from their pods to be picked up every few days by the farmer. The Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association pays a fixed price for all nutmegs and in addition pays a dividend to each farmer at Christmas, depending on the amount of nutmegs sold during the year. This was a constant and reliable source of income for most families. Hurricane Ivan uprooted almost all nutmeg trees and stripped the cocoa and other trees of every leaf and twig. While some trees will recover and begin to produce fruit within a year or so, it will take seven to ten years for nutmeg seedlings to begin to produce fruit.  The church of the Nativity was completed about 1994. It is one of the biggest outstation churches in the diocese. Because it was built on concrete pillars on a steep slope it was possible to convert the area beneath the church into a room for community activities. Hurricane Ivan lifted the roof (galvanised iron sheets, purlins, ceiling boards and rafters) completely off the church and left the walls badly cracked. Soil subsidence after the hurricane aggravated the damage. It has not yet been determined whether the Church of the Nativity, Vendomme can be repaired or whether all or parts must be demolished. The Church of the Nativity Vendomme must be rebuilt. Whatever plan is agreed upon the cost will not be less than EC$100,000.00 or US$38,000.00

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Birchgrove - St. Matthew's Parish 

 The parish of St. Matthew is situated in the mountainous centre of the island of Grenada. The people are mostly farmers and number about three thousand of whom about half are Catholic. The parish has two outstations, Byelands a flourishing Catholic community with about 200 attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis, and Morne Longue, a remote mountain village where the Catholic Church (totally destroyed by Hurricane Ivan) also served as a pre-primary school and community centre.  In spite of persistent and vigorous attacks from fundamentalist churches St. Matthew’s Parish, Birchgrove, continues to maintain a strong Catholic community. Approximately 200 people attend Holy Mass on an average Sunday and all the organisations, active in other parishes, are functioning here too. The people, mostly farmers, suffered a very severe loss with the destruction of the nutmeg and cocoa trees by the hurricane. St. Matthew’s church was built in the nineteen fifties. On the 7^th September 2004, with the passage of Hurricane Ivan the roof of the church, including the wooden supporting structure, was completely blown away. The nave of our church is 87 ft. long and 38 ft. wide. Aisles give an additional 12 ft in width on either side. The present project proposal (Phase One) is concerned only with the roof of the nave or main body of the church and not the side aisles. These will be attended to in Phase Two. A structural engineer has inspected the walls and found them structurally sound. We propose to order a steel frame roof from a company in French St. Martin complete with covering sheets, ridging and fixing screws. The Company will send a team to erect the steel structure and instruct a local contractor on how to fix the galvanised sheets.  The cost of the steel frame, complete with roofing sheets is EC$179,621.00 or US$68,000.00However with transport, additional labour, basic electrical installation and interior work the total cost will be EC$217,702.00 or US$81,000.00  

Morne Longue

 The village of Morne Longue is high in the mountainous centre of the island of Grenada. Only one road connects the village with the rest of the island. The inhabitants are mostly of Indian origin and tend to form a very close-knit community. The only school in the village is a pre-primary one. There are however no less than four churches, one Seventh Day Adventist, two Pentecostal and our Catholic church which also serves as the pre-primary school.  Like all the other agricultural communities in Grenada Morne Longue is suffering greatly because of the destruction of the nutmeg, cocoa and banana trees. A nutmeg-processing factory located near the village used to provide some employment but this has not re-opened since the hurricane.  The chapel and preschool was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Ivan as were many private dwelling houses in that village. All that remains are a few concrete pillars and a concrete block toilet section.                       We proposed to reconstruct a chapel (18 ft wide by 35 feet long) and a pre-school 20 feet by 16 ft alongside the existing toilet section. A total of 950 square feet. This can be done with timber on concrete foundations, some of them new, some already existing. The roof will consists of exposed rafters, T1 11 plywood, purlins and corrugated galvanized sheeting. All timber should be anti- termite treated. An alternative is a reinforced concrete structure with concrete block walls of the same size. PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The reconstruction works comprising of reinforced concrete foundations, columns, timber joists & floor, walls, partitions and roof structure, roofing, electrical works and painting work should cost about EC $ 157,000.00 or US$59,000.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady. 

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The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, St. George’s

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Cathedral Parish

The Cathedral was built in 1880 but the tower had been built in 1818. It was damaged by the passage of Hurricane Janet in 1958 and re built. Ivan left the cathedral without a roof, destroyed three beautiful stained glass windows and reduced the pipe organ (built in London in 1888) to matchwood. After Ivan the engineer who examined the tower declared it structurally sound. The two main sidewalls and the north transept will have to be demolished but the sanctuary gable is also sound.  After Ivan The two beautiful stained glass windows, the life size crucifix and brass candle holders were donated to the cathedral in the early years of the Twentieth Century by the Marrast Family. The windows were completely destroyed but the crucifix remained intact on the sanctuary wall as a sign of hope. Reconstruction
We plan to reconstruct the cathedral using a steel frame. The crypt, containing the graves of Justin Field, the first Bishop of Grenada and four priests who served in Grenada in the Nineteenth Century, will be preserved. The cost of the basic structure (walls and roof) will be in the region of EC$3.5 million (US$1.3 million). To redesign and restore the interior, the sanctuary, choir loft, sacristy, etc. will cost approximately another EC$500,000.00 or US$186,500.00   

Fontenoy - Church of the Holy Trinity

 Fontenoy is located on Grenada’s west coast just north of St. George’s. The Catholics from the area used to worship at the cathedral but had their own catechetical programme and prayer meetings in private houses. In 1996 they succeeded in getting an old house, which they renovated and extended, for use as their village church. With their own centre of worship the community began to grow in spite of the fact that many other denominations were also building small churches in the area. The destruction of their church has been a very serious setback to the community. The building consists of a timber section and a section constructed with concrete blocks. The timber section is 20'-4" wide and 20'-0" long.  It contains the seating area of the church. The area with concrete blocks is only 17'-6" in width and 23'-2" long.  It contains the Sanctuary and sacristy.  

The timber section lost its roof covering and subsequently the plywood ceiling has been damaged by rainwater. 

The short term repair works comprising of purlins, eaves, plywood, boarding, roofing, demolishing of concrete, electrical works and painting work should cost about EC $ 40,000.00 or US$15,000.00 if present rates of labour and the cost of materials remain steady. The cost of a new one-floor building, 28ft x 45 feet with external work would amount to EC $ 255,000.00 or US$95,500.00   

Belmont - Church of Our Lady Queen of Peace

 Belmont, on the south side of St. George’s Lagoon, might be called a ‘suburb ’ of St. George’s. It is a busy centre of population with a primary school, a bakery, a medical centre, supermarket and garages. In recent years drug abuse has become a serious problem. The Belmont community is one of the bigger village communities in the Cathedral Parish. The church was built in 1983 and has been more than centre of worship. It is a true centre of focus for the community.  The main roof has lost its roofing sheets.  Part of the sacristy roof is uncovered. The building is a one-storey building with a total imprint of 1828 Square feet. The chapel rectangular building is 48'-4” long x 30'-0 wide.  The adjacent sacristy rectangle is 37'-0"long and 10'-3" wide. The close boarding on the chapel area needs to be checked and several boards will need to be replaced. After this is done 2" x 4" purlins cc 24"can be screwed to the existing trusses (which are spaced at 3 ft intervals).The new roofing sheets (19 ft long) can be fixed to these purlins. The rafters of the sacristy, now fixed to the chapel trusses need to be fixed to a new wall plate bolted on the face of the existing ring beam. New close boarding or plywood needs to be installed. Purlins need to be screwed to the rafters.   As a lot of rainwater entered the electrical fans and wiring it is important that a certified electrician inspects all electrical fixtures, wiring and connections. The repair works comprising of roof structure, roofing, electrical works and staining/ varnishing & painting work should cost about EC $ 97,000.00 or US$36,500 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady.

 Mt. Moritz - Church of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe

 Mt. Moritz is located in the hills above Grenada’s west coast. Traditionally the people there formed a very close-knit community and the vast majority of them belonged to the Anglican Church. Fundamentalists and Pentecostals have established their churches in Mt. Moritz and have been very successful at winning converts.  The Catholics, while few in number have been both active and self-reliant. Just two years before Ivan they extended and re-furbished their little church with funds they themselves had raised locally without having to seek help from the wider Cathedral Parish.   This building was hit very badly by hurricane Ivan. The reinforced concrete floor slab with ceramic tiles is the only part that is left.    The building had an exterior width of 20 feet and was 33 feet long. A small portico was recently built on with a width of 7 feet.  The building was constructed with hollow 4" block with a few reinforced concrete columns. This church will need to be rebuilt with reinforced concrete columns, spaced 10'-0" c/c. The necessary foundation pads will need to be prepared. A RC beam will connect all these columns at the floor level. 12 mm steel rod c/c 16" will be inserted into the beam to reinforce the 6" block work (filled with concrete in every core). These steel rods will pass vertically inside the blocks and end into the reinforced concrete ring beam. A strong timber roof can be constructed on these ring beams. 

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE : The reconstruction works comprising of foundations, columns, beams, roof structure, roofing, concrete block work, electrical works and painting work should cost about EC $ 107,000.00 or US$40,000.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady.

Happy Hill - The Church of the Uganda Martyrs

 Happy Hill is a large village North of St. George’s on Grenada’s Western Main Road. Most of its people are farmers but many commute to work in St. George’s. Happy Hill has its own Catholic primary school, a Government secondary school and a fine sports ground for cricket and football.  The Church of the Uganda Martyrs was built in the late 1970s to cater for the predominantly Catholic population. This is the largest of the outstations in the Cathedral Parish.. Although other denominations have built churches in the area and made many converts, the Happy Hill Catholic Community remains vibrant. In fact the possibility of Happy Hill being upgraded to the status of a separate parish has always been an enduring topic for discussion   The building consists of two rectangular areas: The liturgy area 62'-2 long and 31'-7" wide and the entrance/sacristy area 34’-5" long and 11'-10" wide.  A total of 2372 square feet. The eaves along the gable walls are badly damaged. The thin plywood on trusses shows moisture marks. The gable walls have minor damage. Fans and other electrical fixtures were damaged. The building has a solid reinforced concrete column-beams structure.   At a first look, one would have the impression that all the building needs is new galvanized roofing sheets.  The trusses in the Liturgy area, constructed with 2" x 6” posts and spaced 4 feet apart are too weak to withstand heavy wind loads. A much stronger roof should be constructed on the existing reinforced concrete ring beams.  Trusses constructed with 2" x 8" termite treated posts, bolted to the ring beams and spaced 30"cc will be ideal. On top of these trusses, screw anti-termite treated T1 11 plywood 1/2" x 4' x 8' and thereafter screw 2" x 4' purlins cc 24" directly to the trusses. The plywood on the entrance/sacristy area will have to be replaced and 2" x 4" purlins cc 24" added. The eaves all around the buildings will be reduced to max. 18" width.  New fascia boards will be installed where needed. A certified electrician will rewire the building. The    final phase will be the painting and varnishing works.     

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The renovation works comprising of carpentry works, roofing, electrical works and painting work is estimated at EC $ 95,000.00 or US$35,600.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady.  

River Road - St. Benedict the Moor Chapel 

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built close to the top of a hill overlooking the Town of St. George. Just below the hill to the north is the St. John’s River. Cemetery Hill slopes very steeply from the top of the hill above the cathedral down to River Road. On the north bank of the river are Grenada’s National Stadium and Electricity Generating Station. Beyond is hilly area known as D’Arbeau,  Squatters settled the steep slopes of D’Arbeau and Cemetry Hill initially. Most of these have by now, acquired title deeds to the land on which their houses stand. While some of the more successful people of River Road and D’Arbeau have managed to build fine cement houses, many are still simple wooden structures without indoor plumbing or sanitation. In 1996 a local businessman allowed the community to use one of his buildings on river Road as a chapel. Initially it was used for catechism classes and meetings of a newly formed youth group. With a centre of their own the people were soon asking for Mass on Sundays and in fact a small but thriving Catholic community developed. The chapel lost its roof in Hurricane Ivan and has not been in use since. This is a very severe blow to the young community of River Road and many in fact have started attending worship services of other denominations. The building is a one floor rectangular building constructed with 4" concrete blocks without reinforcement. The building has a total area of 486 square feet (31'-0"x 15'-8"). The 2" x 4' rafters are evenly spaced at 3'-0" intervals. The 2" x 4" rafters need to be changed by 2" x 6" termite-treated posts. They need to be fixed into the concrete walls. The fascia board can be constructed with the same 2" x 6' posts. On the rafters, the 2" x 3" purlins cc 30" should be fixed with twisted hurricane ties. The 15 galvanized steel sheets will be 19 feet long.  The ceiling will take 15 sheets of plywood.

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The repair works comprising of roof and ceiling should cost about EC $ 14,000.00 or US$ 5,500.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady. Back to Top   

Crochu - St. Martin de Porres Parish

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Crochu Parish

St. Martin de Porres Parish Church Crochu is located in the southeastern part of the civil parish of St. Andrew’s in Grenada. It has one large outstation church at Pomme Rose in the civil parish of St. David’s. Both churches lost their entire roofs in the course of Hurricane Ivan on 7^th September 2004. The nave of Crochu Church is 110 ft. long and 34 ft. in width. There are side aisles giving an additional 12 ft. on each side. The present project concerns the covering of the nave only and not the side aisles. A structural engineer inspected the walls and found them to be sound except for the southern gable that will have to be demolished and reconstructed.  What we propose to do in Phase One of this project is to order a steel frame (hot-dipped, galvanised) for the roof, along with the covering sheets (22 gauge, painted both sides), fixing screws and ridging, from a company in St. Martin that will ship our materials along with materials for similar work on the roof of St. Matthew’s Church, Birchgrove. The company will provide a team that will erect the steel structure and instruct a local contractor on how to fix the galvanised covering sheets. This will save a considerable amount in shipping and transportation. The southern gable will be demolished and rebuilt. Basic electrical installation will also be done in this phase.  With the roof restored to the nave of the church it will be possible to resume Sunday Masses and other activities there. Presently services are being held in a makeshift shelter between the church and presbytery. In Phase Two of the project the side aisles will be recovered and doors and windows fixed. The whole church will be re-painted and its furniture re-furbished as far as possible.   There is no town or village of any size in Crochu parish. The people earn their living mostly from farming. The destruction of the nutmeg and cocoa trees by Hurricane Ivan deprived many people of their livelihood.  In Crochu there is a Catholic primary school and a home for aged people. Out of a population of about 1500 about 180 attend Holy Mass on an average Sunday. Within the parish there are active units of the Legion of Mary, St. Vincent DePaul Society and Mothers’ Union. There is a lively and active music ministry and a youth group that is struggling to revive in the post Ivan period.  The cost of the steel frame for the roof is EC$188,720.00 or US$70,600.00. The reconstruction of the gable, installation of basic electricals and other work this figure for Phase One will rise to EC$243,651.00 or US$91,200.00  

Pomme Rose - St. Joseph's Church

Pomme Rose, an outstation of Crochu parish is one of the largest outstation communities in the diocese. About two hundred people regularly attend Sunday Mass and all the organisations active in the diocese have branches there.   Pomme Rose is an agricultural community and like many others, suffered very greatly because of the destruction of its source of income by Hurricane Ivan.

 The building has lost its roof covering and timber roof structure completely.  The gable walls are in good condition. The building is a rectangular building constructed with concrete blocks and a reinforced concrete structure. The interior width is 38 feet and the length is 87'-3".   There are two entrances with porticos but these are in usable condition.  A galvanized steel roof structure, fixed with expanding bolts or chemical equivalent is the obvious choice for this building. Heavy gauge galvanized sheeting should be used as covering. The gable walls will need minor adaptations.  

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The Phase One works comprising of a steel roof structure, heavy gauge roofing sheets, electrical works will cost about EC $ 248,000.00 or US.$ 93,000.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady. 

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Gouyave - St. Peter's Parish Church

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Gouyave Parish 

Located half way up Grenada’s west coast is the fishing town of Gouyave. It is the third biggest town on the island. Most of the inhabitants of the town of Gouyave make their livelihood from fishing, either as fishermen, or vendors. When the fishing is good money is plentiful and is lavishly spent. When fish are scarce life is difficult. Most of the people who live further inland are farmers. The destruction of the nutmeg, cocoa and banana trees by Hurricane Ivan deprived them of their greatest source of income and left in many families in serious financial difficulties. Gouyave town is the centre of one of the most dynamic parishes in the diocese. The parish church is usually filled for Mass on Sundays and there is quite a good attendance at daily Mass. Various groups within the parish do home to home visitation to invite the lapsed to return to church and to reach out to those who are not Catholic. Outdoor services are held from time to time on the streets of the town and at other locations around the parish. These are very popular and have resulted in the return to the practice of the faith by many who had stopped coming to church. There is also and active Prayer Group and a vibrant catechetical programme.  St. Peter’s Parish Church in Gouyave town was severely damaged by Hurricane Ivan on 7^th September 2004. The roof over the north transept was blown off, as was a large section over the sanctuary. Flying debris damaged parts of the roof of the nave.  The exceptionally heavy rains of November 2004 caused much water damage to the close boarding and church furnishings. Emergency repairs have already been carried out to prevent further damage during the upcoming rainy season. However these emergency repairs are the first phase of a longer-term project to replace all the roofing sheets and some timbers, which have been on the church since 1955 and have deteriorated with time. The cost of the emergency repairs already completed is EC$116,425.00. However to ensure that the building is secure in the event of another storm the second phase must be carried out as soon as possible. The estimated cost of this is EC$364,067.00 or US$136,500.00

Clozier Chapel This chapel or outstation is located in a small village in St. Peter’s Parish Parish, high in the mountains.  The people earn their livelihood from the land. The main crops are nutmegs, cocoa and bananas. Hurricane Ivan levelled all the nutmeg trees and severely damaged all of the other trees and deprived many families of their source of income. The population of Clozier village is about 500. There are several churches in the village, the largest denomination being the Seventh Day Adventist. The Catholic community is very small, consisting of just a few families. Their church was built in 1982 and the building has been a sign of the determination of the small Catholic community to maintain its identity in spite of the persistent efforts of the fundamentalist groups to attract them.  The roof has lost some of its roof covering sheets.

The building is a one floor rectangular building built with concrete blocks and a reinforced concrete structure. The chapel has an area of 614 square feet (exterior 21'-8"x 28'-4").

 The trusses are embedded in the concrete ring beam. Some of the timber on the trusses needs to be changed.  The roof structure can be repaired "as was", but this can only be a short-term solution. As this is a small building it will not take much time, cost and effort to construct a stronger roof. The amount of rafters should be doubled to be max.30" apart. The new purlins must be 2" x 4" spaced cc 24".  Galvanised hurricane ties need to be installed in very rafter-purlin joint.  The eaves should be reduced to max 18". The new galvanised sheeting 14 feet long should have nails every two corrugation and 1 on every corrugation along the edges.   

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The repair works comprising strengthening the roof structure, replacing roofing sheets, a little concrete work, electrical works and painting work should cost about EC $ 18,000.00 or US$7000.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady.  

Mt. Grandby - The Ecumenical Church of the Epiphany

This is a joint Anglican/Roman Catholic chapel located in the Gouyave Parish. It was built in 1978. Each Sunday the Anglicans worship early in the morning and the Catholics later. On the Feast of the Epiphany each year and on other special occasions, there is a joint service. Mt. Granby is a small village high in the hills. The people depend mainly on agriculture and lost most of their source of income with the destruction of the nutmeg and cocoa trees by Hurricane Ivan. Although the village is small there are two other churches, Pentecostal by nature. The Catholic and Anglicans are few and the communities are struggling to survive. Groups from Gouyave who come for prayer services on weekdays to enliven, encourage and support the Catholics of Mt. Granby. The octagonal shaped chapel stood up very well to the punishing winds of Hurricane Ivan. Flying debris damaged a few galvanized sheets. The chapel has 8 sides each approx. 12'-6" and a total area of 704 square feet. This total area does not include the sacristy and covered entrance.  The galvanized sheeting and ridge capping need to be replaced with new ones. New 2" x 4" purlins cc 24" have to be screwed to the rafters. There is a wet rot problem in the apex of the roof where the 8 rafters meet. This seems to be caused by a pre-hurricane leak along the timber cross.  The heavy rains since Hurricane Ivan made the damage worse.  

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The repair works comprising of carpentry work to the rafters, new purlins and fascias, covering and painting work is estimated at EC $ 8,000.00 or US$3,000.00

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Grand Anse - Blessed Sacrament Parish Church

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Grand Anse Parish

Blessed Sacrament is situated just a few yards away from the very beautiful Grand Anse Beach. The church was built in the late 1970s and is very popular as a venue for weddings. It is on of the few churches in the civil Parish of St. George’s where there is ample parking space for cars so the Sunday Mass attracts people from many other parishes. Blessed Sacrament Church serves the community of Grand Anse Valley, one of the poorest communities in Grenada and L’Anse aux Epines, one of the more affluent. The parish has a very active conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which not only takes care of the poor and elderly but also has an ongoing programme for the construction of houses for people who lost their homes as a result of Hurricane Ivan. The Pastoral Council of the parish along with successive parish priests have consistently carried out improvements to the buildings and the surrounding property, funding these works out of parish funds. Hurricane Ivan stripped the galvanised iron sheets from the roof of the church and the heavy rains of November and December 2004 did much damage to the ceiling and interior. Presently tarpaulins give temporary protection but the roofing sheets must be replaced before the upcoming hurricane season. The cost of replacing the roofing sheets on Blessed Sacrament Church is approximately EC$40,000.00 or US$15,000.00   

Calliste - Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Calliste, is an outstation of Grand Anse Parish. Bishop Vincent Darius built the church in the late 1990s when he was parish priest of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Grand Anse. The church caters for the many people who have moved into the Calliste and Point Salines areas within the past ten to fifteen years. There is an active self-reliant, Church Committee that has been taking care of the maintenance of the church and surrounding property.  Right beside the church is the Grand Anse Home for the Aged. For the more active inmates of the home the church was just a short walk away. It is close enough so that even those who need assistance in walking can make it to Sunday Mass and so truly feel a part of the local community.   During the hurricane the building lost its roof covering and timber roof structure completely.  Both gable walls collapsed. The building is a one storey building built with concrete    blocks and a reinforced concrete structure: foundations, columns, floor, floor beams, and ring beams.  The floor has a total area of 2558 square feet.  The entrance is not included in this because this is the only section that is still covered.   The roof can be reconstructed with timber trusses or a steel framed structure. Both options are feasible once the columns are properly fixed and strengthened. 

The repair works comprising of roof structure, roofing, concrete works, block work, electrical works, tiling and painting work should cost about EC $ 175,000.00 or US$65,500.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady.

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Grand Roy - Parish Church of Christ the King

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Grand Roy Parish

Christ the King is situated on the West coast of in the village of Grand Roy.The population of the parish is about 2000 with about 60% Catholic. As in most of Grenada the terrain is hilly..  The local sources of livelihood are fishing on a small scale, farming (all by hand), shops, trades, teaching in schools and the other services mentioned. About half of those working commute to St. George’s, the capital, a 30-minute bus ride to various types of employment. There are a lot of people unemployed in the area and hurricane Ivan has added to the economic difficulties. Fishing has been poor since Ivan. Most of the nutmeg, breadfruit, cocoa and fruit trees were destroyed and people are still trying to find a way to clear their lands. It is laborious work, as vehicles cannot go up the narrow steep hill paths. The church is one of the largest buildings in the area and serves as a focal point for the community. It was built in the late 1930’s and can comfortably seat about 300 people. It is about 60% full on ordinary Sundays for Mass.  The church roof was covered with asbestos tiles. Flying debris damaged some of the tiles and water was damaging the close boarding, rafters and the interior. Since it is not possible to replace asbestos tiles the only course open to the Parish Council was to decide to replace them with galvanised iron sheets.  The sacristy is a separate building but adjoins the church and was used as a shelter during the hurricane. The roof, constructed since 1937, remained in place but with some damage. Work has already begun on renovating the church and sacristy. The cost of the renovations is estimated at EC$212,000.00 or US$79,000.00 

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Grenville - St. Andrew’s Parish Church

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Grenville Parish
Grenville is the second largest town in Grenada. Situated on the east coast it has a port where boats from Barbados and Trinidad come in and bolocal fishing boats go out.  It is a major market centre for the north and east of the island of Grenada and all major business houses have branches there. The first church in the civil parish of St. Andrew’s was built close to the coast around the middle of the Nineteenth Century but because of the prevalence of malaria in the area it was abandoned and the present church was built in a more healthy location above the town. St. Andrew’s Parish Church is one of the biggest in the diocese and since the destruction of the cathedral it has been used for many major funerals and important liturgies such as the Chrism Mass. Since the hurricane it has also been used as a venue for appropriate cultural events. About three hundred people regularly attend Sunday Mass and an excellent music ministry enlivens the liturgy. Flying debris during Hurricane Ivan damaged some of the roofing sheets over the apse and some of the ridging was blown off. The presbytery close to the church was completely demolished and presently the parish priest is living in the sacristy adjoining the apse. The roof is leaking and temporary repairs are a constant necessity. It will cost approximately EC$20,000.00 or US$7,500.00 

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Battle Hill - National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Munich Parish

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Battle Hill, St. Andrew’s, was damaged by the passage of Hurricane Ivan. The clay tiles on the roof were damaged by flying debris and the heavy rains of November – December 2003 caused water damage to the ceiling boards and rafters. It is important to repair the roof before further damage is caused in the rainy season, which is expected to begin around June 2005. The Shrine serves as the place of Sunday worship for the Catholics of the surrounding area. It is a place of pilgrimage on the Sunday nearest to the fifteenth of each of the months from May to October and on other days of special devotion. Between one and two thousand people attend Mass at the Shrine on pilgrimage Sundays having walked in pilgrimage from the Old Church at Grenville. The shrine is also used by groups from various parts of Grenada sometimes on weekdays for retreats, days of prayer, special devotions etc. The estimated cost of repairing the Shrine is EC$ 76,176.75 or US$28,300.00

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Perdmontemps - St. Dominic’s Parish

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Perdmontemps Parish

Perdmontemps is a rural area in the civil Parish of St. David. In addition to the parish church there are two outstation churches in the parish, the Church of the Good Shepherd, Petite Bercaile and St. Theresa’s Church, Vincennes.  While some of the people of St. Dominic’s commute to St. George’s to work most earn their living from the land. The destruction of the nutmeg, cocoa and banana trees left the farming community in serious financial difficulties. Unemployment has risen sharply since the hurricane and is a serious problem in Perdmontemps.  Perdmontemps has a Catholic Primary School and a newly built parish centre which is utilised by the many groups that are active in the parish. St. Dominic’s Parish Church is on of a number that were built in the 1950s. Hurricane Ivan caused the roof to collapse down into the church, destroying the pews and other furniture. It also left the walls and supporting columns in a dangerous condition with serious structural cracks.  We propose to re-build the church using a steel frame. We do not yet have an estimate of the cost of this but, along with other necessary work (preparation of footings, transportation of materials and basic electrical fitting) it will be in the region of EC$270,000.00   or US$100,000.00.  

Vincennes - St. Theresa’s Church

 St. Theresa’s, Vincennes is one of the biggest outstations in the diocese. Catholics are a majority in the area and there is a large Catholic Primary School in the village. The community is a vibrant and has all of the usual pastoral ministries, (to the poor, the elderly and housebound, youth, etc).  The building has lost its roof covering and timber roof    structure completely.  The gable walls are in good condition. The building is a rectangular building constructed with concrete blocks and a reinforced concrete structure. The interior width is 33'-9"1/2 and the length is 70'-0".The tower roof needs some repairs. The windows need to be replaced.  A galvanized steel roof structure, fixed with expanding bolts or chemical equivalent is the obvious choice for this building. Heavy gauge galvanized sheeting should be used as covering. The gable walls will need minor adaptations.  

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The phase I works comprising of a steel roof structure, heavy gauge roofing sheets, window replacement and electrical works will cost about EC$ 185,000.00 US$70,000.00) if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady. 

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Roxborough - Parish Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Roxborough Parish

Situated on the Eastern main Road between St. George’s and St. Dominic’s, in an area known as “St. Paul’s,” is the village of Roxborough and the Parish Church of the Holy Rosary.  In the early nineteen fifties the present church was built by the Dominican Friars to replace the horse stable which, before that, was being used for worship.  There are two outstation churches in the parish, Mount Parnassus, which escaped serious damage and La Borie, which lost most of its roofing sheets in the hurricane. Adjacent to the Parish Church (usually referred to as “St. Paul’s” or simply “Roxborough”) is the Rosary Priory, headquarters of the Dominican Friars in Grenada. One of the ministries of the Dominicans is the promotion of study days and courses for clergy and laity. Over the past number of years the Parish Church has been the venue for many lectures and days of study and prayer. 

The Holy Rosary Parish Church at St. Paul’s was almost totally demolished by Hurricane Ivan. The roof collapsed and one wall was blown down. The walls that remain standing are dangerous and will have to be demolished.

 The Parish Priest and Parish Pastoral Council are planning to build a new church. The plans have not yet been finalised and so it is not possible to give an estimate of the cost of the new building. However the demolition and removal of the destroyed building will cost about EC$30,000.00 or U.S.$11,200.00. 

La Borie Chapel

 In 1996 a Chapel was built at the village of La Borie, St. Paul’s, to accommodate the many people who had migrated into the St. Paul’s area. Most of these commute to St. George’s to work every day.  The chapel lost its roof covering sheets. The greenheart    rafters and close boarding are in good condition and can be re-used. The main-roof of the buildings needs new purlins and new roof covering.  This is a simple operation and can be done quickly.Some work will need to be done on the fascia boards and they need a coat of wood primer and two coats of oil paint. 

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The repair works comprising of purlins, roofing and painting work should not cost more than EC $ 15,000.00 or US$5,700.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady. 

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Sauteurs - St. Patrick’s Church

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Sauteurs Parish

 St. Patrick’s Church, Sauteurs, is one of three churches that were built in the Nineteenth Century and are still in use. It is the only one that still has the original tiles and roof structure. While repairs have been done from time to time over the years it became clear a few years ago that major repairs were needed to the roof. Some of the trusses were under strain and needed strengthening. The roof does not have eaves and, with damage to some of the tiles at lowest parts of the roof, rainwater was doing damage to the walls.  Phase One of the present set of repairs was to cast concrete with reinforcing iron bars along the top of the walls to protect them from water damage and to act as a ring beam to stabilise them. Two of the wooden trusses were strengthened win greenheart timber. This work was partially complete in September when Hurricane Ivan struck. The tiled roof was damaged by flying debris in Hurricane Ivan but did not collapse. However, before fitting the new tiles (which had already been bought) it was considered necessary to strengthen the remaining trusses and other parts of the roof structure to make sure it can support the weight of the new tiles. This is what is being done in Phase Two of the project.  In Phase Three the windows and doors will be refurbished and other interior work carried out. The estimated cost of re-furbishing the roof of St. Patrick’s Parish Church is EC$317,000.00 or US$133,755.00.

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St. David’s - The Parish of the Immaculate Conception

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in St. David's Parish

 The ecclesiastical Parish of the Immaculate Conception, St. David’s, comprises about half the area of the civil parish of St. David’s.  There are about 3000 people in the church parish and approximately half are Catholic. The average Sunday Mass attendance is about 350. In the villages within the parish ‘Prayer Groups’ meet regularly, not just for prayer but to discuss and take action on social needs. Outdoor services are held in the evenings, especially during Lent and groups in the parish, such as St. Vincent DePaul Society and Legion of Mary visit homes.  The parish has one major outstation church at Corinth. This lost its roof covering in Hurricane Ivan. There are two Catholic schools in the parish, one primary and one secondary. The church was built in the mid-Nineteenth Century and has been in constant use ever since. In recent years the tower had begun to subside and major work was undertaken to prevent this. Extensive renovations were done to the church. The parishioners themselves did much of the work voluntarily and many donated transport and other services. Working together in cooperation became a feature of life in the parish, binding the community together and strengthening the parishioners’ sense of ownership of the church. Hurricane Ivan stripped all of the galvanised sheets covering the roof and some of the close boarding. Tarpaulins have been used as a temporary cover but some water damage has been done in the months since September.  We propose to replace the damaged close boarding and re-cover the roof with stronger gauge (22g) galvanised sheets. This will cost an estimated EC$80,000.00 or US$30,000.00.  

CorinthThis chapel or outstation is located in the Parish of St. David.  The roof covering has lost some of its roof covering sheets and timber. The building is a one story rectangular building built with concrete blocks and a reinforced concrete structure. The building has a total area of 1880 square feet (60'-10"x30'-10").  The reinforced columns are evenly spaced at 14'-10" intervals. The 30 feet long timber trusses are too weak and are sagging. The ring beam has a vertical crack in one area above the column. There are termites in the building. The roof structure can be repaired with timber "as was", but his can only be a short-term solution. A steel framed roof structure with 24-22 gauge galvanised sheeting is recommended for a more permanent solution. Five steel trusses could be positioned and bolted right where the columns are located. This would divert loads from the weak ring beams. A span of 15 feet for steel purlins is no problem. In case timber is to be used, then stronger trusses should be constructed spaced every 30". To support these, a heavy wall- plate will be fixed to the reconstructed ring beams. 

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE :The repair works comprising of roof structure, roofing, concrete work, electrical works and painting work should cost about EC $ 108,000.00 or US$40,500.00 if present rates of labour and cost of materials remain steady.

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Woburn - St. Michael's Parish Church

Link to Pre-Ivan pictures of churches in Woburn Parish
Woburn is located on the South coast of Grenada in the civil Parish of St. George’s. What was originally a fishing village is now almost a suburb of St. George’s with many new houses built by people who commute to work every day in the capital.  Traditionally the area was predominantly Methodist but in recent years other churches have been making serious inroads into both the Methodist and Catholic communities.  St. Michael’s, Woburn, is one of the smaller parishes in the diocese with only one church. The average attendance at Sunday Mass prior to Hurricane Ivan was about 150. The parish has a thriving youth group and music ministry and most of the Catholic organisations active in other parishes are functioning here too. Our Church, (35ft. X 60 ft.) built of cement blocks, was totally demolished by the passage of the hurricane as the enclosed photographs show. Since then the Woburn community have been worshipping on Sundays in a restaurant, one of the few buildings in the area that was not seriously damaged by the hurricane. What we propose to do in Phase One of our Reconstruction Project is to order a steel frame (hot-dipped, galvanised finish) with roof covering from a supplier in French St. Martin. We will then build up the walls between the columns and arrange the layout of the interior. Having considered other options with regards reconstructing our church this seems to be the one which can be completed most quickly (A team will come from St. Martin to erect the frame) and which will provide a secure structure that is resistant to natural disasters. The cost also compares very favourably with the cost of building with re-enforced concrete and a wooden roof structure. 

The cost of the steel frame and roofing sheets is EC$168610.00 or US$63,150.00 Contact:           Woburn Parish Priest                       

C/O Rosary Priory                       

Roxborough,  St. Paul’s                       

St. George’s                       

GrenadaTelephone: (473) 440-3238 or 440-9047

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