I SUPPORT St. George Cathedral

I SUPPORT St. George Cathedral Campaign

It is with tremendous pride and enthusiasm that Bishop Iakovos of Zenoupolis announces the launch of the I SUPPORT St. George Cathedral fundraising campaign, providing much needed financial support for our beloved St. George Cathedral.

What is the I SUPPORT Campaign?
With operating costs for St. George Cathedral of about $300,000 per year, and with desperately needed renovation and repair work for our beloved Cathedral estimated at over $2 million, the I SUPPORT Campaign is an ambitious initiative to raise $1 million over each of the next 4 years, a total of $ 4 million, to ensure the future of St. George Cathedral and, by extension, the vibrancy of our Greek Orthodox community in Montreal.

We have been moving forward. Between 2017 and 2020, supporters of St. George Cathedral have raised $1 million. Our beloved Cathedral has a new bridge and walkway, a new parking lot, and new landscaping. Going forward, restoration and repair work to the building structure, replacement and repairs of the mechanical, HVAC and electrical systems, and renovations and upgrades to the interior of the Cathedral are desperately needed.

Why now?
The pandemic has been tremendously difficult for our community on multiple fronts; St. George Cathedral has not been spared. However, with God’s blessing and the support of its constituents, Bishop Iakovos mobilized the Philoptochos Ladies of St. George Cathedral and created a new Fundraising Committee, with the view of ensuring that our beloved Cathedral has the needed resources to sustain its operations throughout the pandemic and launch this fundraising initiative.

Oversight on the Progress

As always, funds raised will be held in a segregated bank account with continued oversight by the St. George Cathedral Fundraising Committee and the Bishop. Amounts raised will be reported through the I SUPPORT donation platform. In addition, global accounting firm EY will continue to provide an independent audit, through the annual audit of the HCGM.

The HCGM and St. George Cathedral have engaged Le Groupe Gesfor, Poirier, Pinchin Inc., a leading real estate consulting firm, to prepare a building inspection report to review the budgets previously established for the required work. The detailed report, along with the breakdown of required work with corresponding budgets, will be publicly available.

We wish to thank Le Groupe Gesfor, Poirier, Pinchin Inc. for having agreed to donate its services in connection with the preparation of such report in support of the St. George Cathedral, a wonderful gesture reflective of the spirit of giving that has inspired us all.

How do I SUPPORT?
If you wish to be part of our blessed story, you have the option of a recurring monthly donation or an annual, one-time donation. Additionally, using the matching gift lookup tool, Double the Donation, you can access all the information you need to verify if, and then, engage your employer to match your donation.

As a community, we must come together to ensure that the St. George Cathedral remains a beacon of our Greek Orthodox community for years to come. This initiative is one of the most important efforts towards this goal.

God bless you all.

The St. George Cathedral Fundraising Committee.