Why do we need to repair the ceiling of St. Ninian’s Cathedral?

Around the turn of the millennium the walls of the Cathedral were in bad shape with paint flaking off the sidewalls and falling down. This was traced back to a steam leak of the heating system. A parish meeting decided to restore the existing Leduc paintings on the side walls after it was found to be feasible. This work took 12 years and lots of donations. During the restoration it was noticed that the ceiling in the main nave was sagging. It was decided that we hire a company to assess the state of the ceiling. HPCS an Ottawa company specializing in Historic Plaster Conservation Services was hired and produced a report. View report

As St. Ninian’s is one of the youngest Cathedrals in eastern Canada, the problem we encountered has been found in older churches before. The plaster has aged in 150 years and is separating from its wood lathe backing. HPCS assessed the state of the ceiling, and they filed a report that roughly half of the ceiling was compromised and other parts were worse. The nave ceiling is big (60x120 feet). In some cases, there are 2-inch gaps between the plaster and the wood, which according to their judgment could result in parts of the ceiling falling down.

This is a very critical moment for St. Ninian's because it seriously threatens its existence. It could fall and injure parishioners; some are already feeling uncomfortable with knowing that there is a possible threat. If the ceiling or parts of it would come down it would be more expensive to fix it and we would lose the major parts of the Leduc frescoes.

It is possible that the church may have to be shut down due to safety concerns. The Foundation has accepted the challenge to raise the money to keep the ceiling where it is and should be. It is a serious matter, and the Board of the Foundation has been very active in trying to raise the necessary funds.

The HPSC proposal to fix it consists of pushing the ceiling back into place, gluing, and repairing the defective keys that hold the plaster. Manual inspection of all the keys is necessary and there are 12 miles of them.

The work is to be carried out in the attic. The existing ceiling insulation must be removed, scaffolding must be erected to push the ceiling back to its original location, and then the keys must be glued and repaired. The work should take about six weeks and must be carried out in the spring or fall because of the temperatures in the attic. Insulation must be reinstalled and walkways must be improved.

The estimate for fixing the ceiling is about $750,000 and is likely to be cheaper than lawsuits that may follow if parts of the ceiling fall. It must be pointed out that this work only repairs the ceiling. HPCS has 35 years of experience and has fixed other churches such as St. Michael's in Toronto, the Library of parliament and others. We are confident that we have a qualified company to do the work. It should also be noted that more than half of the cost benefits local suppliers. The parishioners will have to suffer through six weeks of chaos in the church, but it will be worth it, knowing the ceiling will stay up.

The St. Ninan Parish Foundation is trying very hard to find the money to carry out the work, but we cannot do it without you. Please donate using our website, cheque mailed to the foundation or through e-transfer to stninianparishfoundation@gmail.com. We accept three-year pledges and tax receipts will be issued for donations over $25. Pledge cards have been printed and are being sent out. Thank you to everyone who has already generously donated. Your donations have gone directly to our ceiling fund which passed the halfway mark.