A letter from our Archbishop Buti Tlhagale

Dear Fr. Docq,

As you are aware, the process that we have followed to give the green light on commencing this exciting project has been slow, but meticulous and thorough. The professional team appointed by us and the dedicated team of Archdiocese parishioners carefully appointed from various Parishes has astounded me with their dedication and focus on achieving our objectives.

I sometimes do wonder if we have made the right decision in these difficult economic times, but feel that if it was not me then someone sometime in the future would have had to make the decision to upgrade the very old, present make-shift Chancery — temporarily housed in an old factory for over 40 years now! Through our various debates within committees and to the Archdiocese priests, all opinions carefully analysed and debated, I have felt an overwhelming support for the project which has developed into a very exciting adventure for us.

I suppose this vision is best described by our Architect, Franco Pellegrini: “What I see us creating here is not just a new Chancery but a whole uplifting of the pinnacle within The Archdiocese of Johannesburg — its Cathedral. The new Chancery has allowed me to look at the whole site and create an environment that will be something that all Catholics and all visitors will be very proud of. An environment that plays its part in uplifting the whole of Johannesburg, an environment that respects the sanctity of a place of prayer, quiet and celebration. A place to cultivate your soul. I and my team and the input from many members of the Archdiocese, have enjoyed creating a model that will be with us for hundreds of years.”

Let’s now make this model a reality. The cost of the Chancery Project is R 30 Million. One of the harsh facts however is that we need to share the load by finding the funding for this. I have approved an additional amount for upgrading the Cathedral precinct. Funds for this will be raised separately. This project needs to involve every Catholic within our Archdiocese and I hereby ask for your assistance. We are looking to each Parish to contribute four times the levy they paid in 2009 if this was below R100.000 and for the larger parishes five times. So in the first example if your parish contributed a levy of R40,000 in 2009, we are looking for your parish to raise R160.000 over the next two years. Please see the commitment statement attached, which I ask you to sign as an indication of your parish’s commitment and fax or post it back to me.

Our fund-raising team will assist with an exciting programme, pamphlets and tickets with good prizes so that your appointed fund-raising team can help us meet the target. You are not required to use these ideas and can carry out your own program or combine this with your own ideas. Note - Any fund-raising that you collect over the required amount, we will share 50/50 with your Parish.

I wish you the best in your efforts and thank you for ‘Sharing the Load’. Yours sincerely,

+Buti Tlhagale OMI
Archbishop of Johannesburg

The contribution we have been asked to raise over the next two years is R322 000.00 in addition to our normal parish levy of R80 500.00.