Rwf900 million has so far been spent on the construction of a modern cathedral at Gahini Dioceses headquarters, in the Eastern Province, according Alexis Birindabagabo, the Diocesan Bishop. Speaking to The New Times, Bishop Birindabagabo said that the construction works on the cathedral are on course, paving way for construction of other extra facilities. “We are very optimistic that the new cathedral will be ready for inauguration by June,” Birindabagabo said. The cathedral is known to be a “birthplace of Anglican Church in Great Lakes region.” “We got about Rwf1.2 billion from fundraising—short of Rwf800 million—and we focused on the construction of the cathedral first. We hope to have other fundraising events in order to raise enough money to enable us complete the remaining construction works on other structures around the cathedral,” the Bishop told The New Times on Thursday. A fully furnished Gahini Cathedral construction and other structures around the cathedral are budgeted to cost Rwf2 billion. The cathedral has the capacity to seat at least 2000 people, according to Birindabagabo. “The funds we have used are entirely from the fundraising; we had one fundraiser in Rwanda and another in Uganda and people gave generously towards the project. We are so grateful,” Birindabagabo said. In March 2014, the Anglican Church of Rwanda raised Rwf31 million in cash and pledges for the construction of the cathedral. The money was raised at a fundraising dinner in Kigali under the theme, “Let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and end this disgrace–Nehemaiah2:17.” Gahini is considered as origin of Pentecostal movement in the region, and has produced missionaries that moved to, Burundi, Uganda and many parts of the world. Rwanda Anglican Mission movement established its first station at Gahini hill in 1925 and grew through the revival of the 1930s and 1940s.
