Out of an abundance of caution – owing to our recessed economy locally as well as a lack of confidence among the lay faithful in Church governance surfacing nationally in the wake of the release of names of priests who had been accused of sexual abuse in the past – we have made the decision NOT to move forward with the renovations at this time. Since my request for donations was for money to be spent NOW and NOT for money to be invested for the future and since your intention was for the money to spent, we must offer each of you your donations back. Any donation you wish to leave on deposit for renovations at a future date will be deposited in a restricted account which can only be used for Renovations to the Cathedral. The deposit is made through the Catholic Foundation because it yields a higher rate of interest than Central Finance does. In time, as the economy recovers and the confidence in church governance is restored, the necessary moneys will be raised and the renovations will indeed take place.