In this Dec. 1, 2014, a guard walks inside the chapel of the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Since late 2009, President Raul Castro's government has been quietly returning some church property that was confiscated in the years after the Cuban revolution, including this chapel. The rest of the university property was not returned. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)(The Associated Press)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, graffiti covers a wall next to an altar and debris inside the chapel of the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. The church is planning to restore the building to its former glory, along with more a dozen more churches, parish houses and other buildings, as part of a quiet reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government that has brought relations to a historic high point this Christmas. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)(The Associated Press)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, debris decorated with crosses lays inside a chapel at the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Since late 2009, President Raul Castro's government has been quietly returning some church property, including this chapel. The church and the Cuban government were in a state of open hostility in the years immediately after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power, a time when some anti-Castro military used churches to store weapons. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)(The Associated Press)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, a damaged statue of Saint Tomas stands outside the chapel of the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. The church is planning to restore the building to its former glory, along with more a dozen more churches, parish houses and other buildings, as part of a quiet reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government that has brought relations to a historic high point this Christmas. Authorities have also given permission for the construction of the first two new churches in more than five decades. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)(The Associated Press)

In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, electrical switches hang on a cross inside the chapel at the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Since late 2009, President Raul Castro's government has been quietly returning some church property that was confiscated by the government, including this chapel. The church and the Cuban government were in a state of open hostility in the years immediately after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power, a time when some anti-Castro military used churches to store weapons. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)(The Associated Press)

HAVANA Golden rays of tropical sunlight slant through the caved-in roof of Saint Thomas de Villanueva chapel, illuminating tiles graced by the faces of saints. Vandals shattered the stained-glass windows and scrawled their names on the thick walls during decades of frigid relations between the Roman Catholic Church and Cuba's communist government.

But a new chain-link fence surrounds the building, protecting it for a future that once seemed unimaginable.

The church is planning to restore the building to its former glory, along with more a dozen more churches, parish houses and other buildings, as part of a quiet reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government that has brought relations to a historic high point this Christmas. Authorities have also given permission for the construction of the first two new churches in more than five decades.

After years of bridge-building behind closed doors, the Cuba-Vatican rapprochement burst into the headlines last week when the U.S. government credited Pope Francis with helping facilitate the secret reconciliation talks between the U.S. and Cuba. Francis wrote the leaders of both countries to invite them to resolve their differences.

Church officials and experts said the mediation and the renovation and construction of churches were essential parts of a fundamental shift in the dealings between the church and the communist state, which has been hostile toward religion for decades.

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Cuba's relations with Catholic Church hit a high point after decades of hostility

December 24, 2014, 4:50 PM Last updated: Wednesday, December 24, 2014, 4:54 PM

HAVANA Golden rays of tropical sunlight slant through the caved-in roof of Saint Thomas de Villanueva chapel, illuminating tiles graced by the faces of saints. Vandals shattered the stained-glass windows and scrawled their names on the thick walls during decades of frigid relations between the Roman Catholic Church and Cuba's communist government.

Ramon Espinosa/AP

In this Dec. 1, 2014, a guard walks inside the chapel of the former University of Santo Thomas of Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. Since late 2009, President Raul Castro's government has been quietly returning some church property that was confiscated in the years after the Cuban revolution, including this chapel. The rest of the university property was not returned. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

But a new chain-link fence surrounds the building, protecting it for a future that once seemed unimaginable.

The church is planning to restore the building to its former glory, along with more a dozen more churches, parish houses and other buildings, as part of a quiet reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government that has brought relations to a historic high point this Christmas. Authorities have also given permission for the construction of the first two new churches in more than five decades.

After years of bridge-building behind closed doors, the Cuba-Vatican rapprochement burst into the headlines last week when the U.S. government credited Pope Francis with helping facilitate the secret reconciliation talks between the U.S. and Cuba. Francis wrote the leaders of both countries to invite them to resolve their differences.

Church officials and experts said the mediation and the renovation and construction of churches were essential parts of a fundamental shift in the dealings between the church and the communist state, which has been hostile toward religion for decades.

Developments "are heading in the same direction: a new chapter in the general and economic history of Cuba, and also church-state relations," said Enrique Lopez Oliva, a religious historian at the University of Havana.

The church and the Cuban government were in a state of open hostility in the years immediately after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power, a time when some anti-Castro military used churches to store weapons.

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Cuba's relations with Catholic Church hit high point

The congregation of University City Church will be celebrating Christmas Eve under the stars in the parking lot of the historic downtown church this evening.

An electrical fire in the churchs attic a year ago in November has led to an $8million renovation project. The sanctuary with a state-of-the-art video and audio sound system is targeted for completion in February, said lead pastor Andy Tracy.

Meanwhile, the 400-member congregation has had Sunday services at several locations during the year the latest at Tucson High Schools auditorium.

But since the school district is closed for the holidays, the congregation will gather for Christmas Eve services in the churchs parking lot, 604 N. Sixth Ave., at 5 p.m.

It will be a simple service with beautiful music, and the celebration of the baby Jesus who was born 2,000 years ago. His birth is a message of hope, said Tracy, explaining that members of the nondenominational church have been studying the different characters in the Christmas story.

The congregation made up of University of Arizona students and families from across the city has remained strong and united during the rebuilding.

Elder Don Pooley, 63, a mostly retired professional golfer who is an elder in the church, will be at the Christmas Eve service with his wife, Margaret, and their two daughters, a son-in-law and two grandchildren.

It has been quite a wild ride from the fire to holding service in the church parking lot, then under a tent and in other locations until the reconstruction is finished, Pooley said.

We are seeing how God is taking care of us through the whole thing, said Pooley, explaining that the church was built in 1925 and had issues when the congregation bought it in 2013.

The small attic fire caused extensive smoke and water damage that ruined the interior building with wooden pews, flooring and ornate woodwork.

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Burned Tucson church holding service in parking lot

CAPE CORAL, FL -

Churchgoers are calling on the head of the Diocese of Venice for answers to why unlawful construction work was being done at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Cape Coral.

The church went ahead with renovation projects without permits, which is also against diocesan policy.

All year, the NBC2 Investigators have uncovered allegations of financial misuse within the diocese.

Monday, we learned back on December 2, 2014 Cape Coral inspectors halted work on a construction project after finding out the church was doing major renovations without a single permit.

Tina Cohen is a concerned parishioner and says the work was going on for several months.

Cohen says it appears to be a safety issue, the building currently under construction has a leaky roof which leads to mold issues.

Cohen says this is another example of mistrust after allegations came out earlier this year about a lack of financial transparency in the church.

We don't know where the funds are coming from in order to do all this work and that has not been made clear to the parish as a whole Cohen says.

Parishioners say they're also in the dark as to who approved the unlawful work and exactly what is being done.

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Cape Coral halts construction at Catholic church

Bethlehem: It's Christmas season and the little town of Bethlehem is jammed with a big-city problem: Traffic snarling streets everywhere, including around the church marking the spot where tradition says Jesus was born. The city is considering a dramatic solution to the problem - digging a tunnel under Manger Square.

Traffic is a mess year-round. It may be the biblical town of grottos and shepherds' fields in the minds of many around the world, but Bethlehem is a modern densely populated town of 28,000 with a dizzying weave of small streets that practically guarantee traffic jams.

"Bethlehem is going through a crisis," said Anton Salman, a city councilor. "We think that the solution to this traffic is to build an underground passage between the two sides of the square."

Bethlehem's municipality hopes to eventually build several tunnels around the Palestinian city, where the urban development problems are myriad. Bethlehem is sandwiched on three sides by other towns. From the north and southeast, it is hemmed in by Israel's separation barrier and Jewish settlements, leaving it little choice but to build vertically.

It is also a main transit point for drivers between the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, compounding its congestion.

The area around the Nativity Church, built atop the site where Christians believe Jesus was born, is particularly busy, with a mix of tourists swarming the area and cars squeezing across the central Manger Square. Streets all around face a constant backlog because of traffic in the square, where beeping horns are heard as much as clanging church bells.

Even worse, during the holidays, the square is closed for annual events like the Christmas tree lighting and Christmas Eve celebrations, when it is thronged with revelers. That plunges traffic nearby deeper into chaos.

The plan proposes an 80-meter-long (260-foot long) tunnel passing under a narrow two-lane street that crosses Manger Square in front of the Nativity Church. The project would take about two years to complete and would cost $4 million to $5 million, with the Palestinian Authority pledging to foot the bill. If the plan is approved, construction could start next fall.

With the tunnel ensuring the flow of traffic, Manger Square would be closed to cars entirely under the plan and turned into a pedestrian expanse.

But the tunnel project could run aground before even breaking ground. The municipality would need to get a stamp of approval from the U.N.'s cultural agency UNESCO, which has listed the Nativity Church as a world heritage site and would want to ensure its protection. Junaid Sorosh-Wali, an official at UNESCO's Ramallah office, said the agency would study the plan once approached by Palestinian officials and then determine its position.

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Traffic Jam Woes At Jesus's Birthplace

Church Construction in Hyderabad - TRS Leader Rajeswara Rao admires CM KCR
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Venerable and aged though it appeared, the Dewey Avenue Presbyterian Church was still relatively new when this photograph was snapped on a cold winters day in 1930. The house of worship, located at 1261 Dewey Ave., had been dedicated only 11 years earlier on Sept. 9, 1919.

The history of the church traces back further still. The original congregation, consisting of 13 founding families all residents of Dewey Avenue organized themselves in 1911. They petitioned for the erection of a neighborhood church, and convinced the Rev. George Fickes, then a minister at Grace Presbyterian Church, to splinter off with them as their first pastor.

It was Fickes who selected the site for the church, choosing a picturesque spot near the intersection of Dewey Avenue and Seneca Park Way that he favored from his daily bicycle rides through the city. A small wooden church, built with volunteer labor, opened its doors on this property in 1912. Even then, however, plans were afoot for something larger.

Construction for the current Dewey Avenue Presbyterian Church took place between 1917 and 1919. Amid delays caused by American entry into the First World War, a grand structure slowly rose into place.

The finished product, which cost around $80,000, combined an artful Byzantine architecture style with utilitarian design. Its exterior included a large dome above a square base, accented by elegant columns. The spacious interior of the church featured an auditorium, a gymnasium and a three-story educational facility.

Church membership grew along with the physical capacity of the building, which could hold 600 people for Sunday service. The size of the congregation, indeed, already surpassed 550 by the day of the churchs dedication ceremony.

When the mortgage taken to finance the church was paid off in 1947, congregants gathered to celebrate in an unusual way: by burning the document. Flames spurted two feet into the air, one eyewitness recounted, and as the mortgage melted into nothingness, the organ boomed and the people sang the jubilant Great is Jehovah.

Members of the Dewey Avenue Presbyterian Church also had a emblazed passion for social justice. Throughout its history, church leaders took strong moral stands on a number of national and local issues, with pastors advocating political positions from the pulpit on matters like Cold War ideology and urban policy.

Of note on the Rochester level, in the early 1960s, Dewey Avenue Presbyterian spearheaded the creation of the Maplewood Neighborhood Association. The church played an instrumental grass-roots role in hosting and orchestrating community festivals and meetings.

This legacy of outreach endures. Now known as the St. Luke Tabernacle Community Church, the institution remains a stronghold of faith and community activism. In February, 2014, St. Lukes opened the JoAnn McDonald Health and Wellness Center to offer free walk-in medical service and counseling for those in need.

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Retrofitting Rochester: Dewey Avenue Presbyterian

The 162-year-old Church of South India Garrison Wesley Church, which was meant only for British Army officers before Independence, has been restored to its original shape nd is all set to regain its glory.

The cornerstone for the heritage church, believed to be the oldest situated at Trimulgherry next to the post office in the Cantonment area, was laid in 1853 and completed in 1881. During last monsoon, the rafters of the church gave way prompting repairs.

The church built with lime and mortar has a hoary past and its construction was taken up only after Rev. William Burgess came from Madras in 1878. A Kanyakumari-based firm that specialises in conservation architecture and worked on heritage sites was assigned the task of restoring the church to its original shape. According to Mr. Thomas, who represents the firm, a mixture of eggs, jaggery, herbs, aloe vera leaves, fine lime powder and lime mortar were ground with jute to prepare the concentrate that was used for the finishing job. An amount of Rs 1 crore was spent on restoration work.

D. Sudesh Kumar, secretary of Pastorate Committee, told The Hindu on Saturday that there is a tragic tale to its construction. Lillian Burgess and Arthur Burgess, wife and son of Rev William Burgess had set sail from London with the bell to be fixed in the newly constructed church. But the ship they were travelling sank in the sea and the bell was never installed. Even today, there is no bell in the Church, which now has over 250 families worshipping every Sunday.

Rev William Burgess was assisted by Rev Charless Walker Posnett, who later went on to oversee construction of the imposing Medak church, according to Rev Jyothy Sunder, Presbyter in charge of CSI Garrison Wesley Church. The renovated church is being re-dedicated at a ceremony on Sunday by the Moderator of Church of South India Rev Dyvaashirvadam.

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SOUTH WINDSOR The clergy and congregation of St. Peters Episcopal Church will be celebrating their 50th anniversary at the current location during services Sunday.

Weve had a good focus of sharing Christs love with each other and the community around us, Rector Thomas White said. I think thats important to continue to do.

Services are held at 8 and 10 a.m. every Sunday. White said that the most special time Sunday would be when members of the parish speak about what St. Peters has meant to them over the years.

The special anniversary service will take place during the 10 a.m. service Dec. 21.

The building, at 109 Sand Hill Road, was built in 1964 after the church was organized at Wapping Elementary School two years prior.

The parish hall was added in 1967, and is used to host various community organizations, including Boy Scout meetings, suppers, and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Organizations are not charged a fee for use of the space, but they often make donations, White said.

The education wing was built in 1987 and the parking lot was redone about 20 years ago, White said. Prior to that, parishioners parked on an unpaved lot, which often would get muddy in the rain.

The pews in the sanctuary are original, but the altar has been replaced to match the churchs architecture. Likewise, the original pipe organ was replaced with an electric organ about 15 years ago.

Included on the roughly 10-acre lot is a memorial garden, where 14 people have their ashes interred.

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St. Peters Church marking 50th year in South Windsor