For the first time since Fidel Castros rebel army overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Cuba will see the construction of a new Catholic church.

In the ambitious project slated to start in the eastern Cuban city of Santiago, 25 tons of scrap metal used to construct the stage for Pope Benedict XVIs 2012 visit to the island will be recycled and used to build the new church.

"Reusing the metal means keeping alive the memory of something good for us Catholics. It gives it new life, so it can serve future generations," Fausto Vlez, the engineer in charge of the project told the BBC.

While the church hopes to start raising the metal beams soon to start construction, it first must raise the money needed to fund the project. So far the church's main backer is Tampa's St. Lawrence parish, which consists mostly of the members who are either descendants of Cuban exiles or exiles themselves.

Though once-atheist Cuba has loosened its law against religion secret baptisms are gone and even some Communist party members worship freely the now secular state still has a dearth of churches. The Catholic Church has only been able to renovate existing structures or rebuild ones that had collapsed.

With only one more building permit pending, Catholics in Santiago are hopeful that their new church will soon herald more construction in the city, badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Along with leaving 11 people dead, the hurricane destroyed Santiagos wooden church of San Pedrito. The 93-year-old church is now little more than a concrete floor and an outline of its foundation, with whatever surviving remains candlesticks, a wooden lectern and two chipped figurines from the nativity scene stored at an elderly womans house across the street.

The rest [of artifacts] were carried off by thieves," said Marta Prez, who gathers with other parishioners in the Churchs ruins whenever a priest visits the area. "We really need our church back."

While parishioners of the San Pedrito Church hope to have their place of worship rebuilt, not far from there, in a neighborhood built after the revolution, the site of the new church is already lined up. It will take the space of a former parking lot, and according to the architectural drawing, the metal beams from 2102's stage will feature prominently in the new house of worship.

The permit still needs to be issued and $250,000 to finance the project most from parishes abroad like Tampa's St. Lawrence still needs to be raised, but Church officials are optimistic about the future of their new home and about the warming of relations between church and the Cuban state.

Excerpt from:
Cubans await construction of 1st new Catholic church since 1959 revolution

AP

Pope Benedict XVI and Cuban President Raul Castro walk outside the Revolution palace at the end of their meeting in Havana on 27 March 2012.

A team of Cuban workers are only one permit away from beginning construction on the communist country's first Catholic church since 1959.

The engineers plan to use scrap metal from a stage built for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's 2012 visit in the church's construction.

The head engineer, Fausto Veloz, described the magnitude of using pieces of the historical stage.

"Reusing the metal means keeping alive the memory of something good for us Catholics," he told BBC News. "It gives it new life, so it can serve future generations."

Cuba is officially a secular statethey removed their atheist classification in 1992although an estimated60 per cent of their population is Catholic. No new churches have been sanctioned by the government, and church leaders were only allowed to renovate existing buildings. Other buildings received no renovations, and the country is dotted with former sanctuaries that are now mostly wreckage. Theft from churches is reportedly common.

"We really need our church back," Maria Perez told BBC. Her former church, San Predito, was looted and destroyed. Perez said that former congregants gather in the streets for mass whenever a travelling priest visits.

Cuban Christians without a church home also gather in each other's homes for service, but they look forward to the day they can worship inside a sanctuary.

"The Catholic community is big here but they've never had a church," Veloz said.

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Cuba to build its first Catholic church in over 50 years

It cost a mere 120 to buy from Harrods and arrived on a truck as a flat-pack kit more than a century ago.

Maesbury tin tabernacle church with the memorial to the fallen in the First World War

But Maesburys iconic tin tabernacle church has stood the test of time and is still a much-loved building in the community.

The 108-year-old parish church shows few signs of wear and tear at first glance, and is believed to be one of only two examples of its kind in Shropshire, the other being Knowle Mission Room near Clee Hill in the south of the county.

Assistant churchwarden Maureen Ross said the tiny church is still well used by villagers, with a steady attendance at Sunday services and outreach activities held throughout the year.

It is also popular with visitors, including users of the nearby canal who occasionally pop in to join in with Sunday services.

Weve been opening every day since June and weve had some lovely comments from people saying theyve always wanted to come in, she said.

The interior wood panels are still in lovely condition I understand its the same as it was when it opened.

The churchs exterior is striking, with its small bell house, arched windows and clean white walls making it stand out from the neighbouring houses.

It was built as a result of demand in the village, which at the time had no Anglican building and just a Welsh chapel.

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Shropshire flat-pack church is a county treasure

KENSINGTON An iconic Unitarian church is finding itself at odds with a group of its neighbors upset about a church plan to sell six acres of open space on its property for development.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley is considering subdividing part of its hillside land into as many as 11 parcels which would be developed for single-family homes to raise money for repairs to its 53-year-old church building and the surrounding landscaping and patio areas.

The parcels, located on Lawson Road and Highland Boulevard in Kensington and Craft Avenue in El Cerrito, will be worth an estimated $350,000 to $400,000 apiece, according to Linda Laskowski, chairwoman of the church's land use task force.

Laskowski said the church needs a new roof, its kitchen and bathrooms need to be remodeled and handicapped access needs to be improved, along with other work, and the congregation currently has no other means to pay for it.

"It's a lot of stuff that normally happens to a building after 50 years," she said.

However, a group that calls itself UUCB Neighbors has expressed concerns about development, saying that they don't want to lose the views of San Francisco Bay and the "parklike feel" of the land, which the neighbors use for hiking, dog walking and other outdoor activities.

UUCB Neighbors spokeswoman Pansy Kwong, who lives on Craft Avenue, said her group is looking for alternatives to help the church do the repairs, but they haven't come up with any specific ideas so far.

Kwong said that, besides concerns about the loss of use of the open space, neighbors are also worried about increased traffic if homes are built on the property.

She said she has 43 Kensington and El Cerrito residents on her e-mail list.

"It's a very special little spot, with views of the Bay," Kwong said. "Eleven houses would change the environment and give us years of construction."

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Kensington church considers subdividing land

DENHAM SPRINGS, LA (WAFB) -

A church that sits on the corner in Denham Springs has a short time left standing. Eden Baptist Church, on the corner of Florida Boulevard and Eden Church Road, will be demolished by the state to make room for traffic improvements.

Eden Baptist Church is 141 years old, one of the oldest churches in Livingston Parish.

Three years ago, the church closed its doors and Pastor Willis Easley and Christ's Community Church moved into the building. Prior to that, Easley said his members met at Denham Springs Junior High on Sunday's.

Eighteen months after moving, Easley says they started hearing talk about a roundabout that was going to be built on Eden Church Road and Florida Boulevard.

The state's Department of Transportation and Development held a public hearing, Easley went. He says there he saw pictures of a red line through his sanctuary, when he asked what the line was he says he was told it was the state's right-of-way.

DOTD says the intersection where Eden Baptist sits is too congested. According to the state agency, 23,600 cars travel there each day. A roundabout, or traffic circle, is planned for the intersection to help with congestion and safety. Doing so means the church, which the state now owns, will be demolished.

"In just a few years, kids won't know why they call that Eden Church Road," Easley said.

Easely says he was told his church needed to be out of the building by August 1, 2014.

They started construction on a more permanent location for the church April 1, 2014. It's located on Juban Road, south of I-12.

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141-year-old church to be demolished for traffic roundabout

Members of Abiding Word Church in Sterling, Illinois are doing what they can to give back to a local soldier who was injured in Afghanistan by building him and his family a home in Harmon, Illinois.

Michael Shoemaker was badly injured while serving in Afghanistan two years ago. After plans fell through for Abiding Word Church to build a home in Joplin, Missouri, they reached out to a local veterans organization to find a veteran they could help. Shoemaker paid for the lot and foundation for the home, but the church is covering the cost of everything else.

Monday, August 11, 2014 the framing on the house was up and crews were working on the roof portion of the house.

Ya know, I see soldiers and I think, Wow! This is somebody who is willing to go and make the ultimate sacrifice for us so that we can be free,' said Steve Aurand, owner of S & D Construction in Dixon, Illinois and member of Abiding Word Church, who is offering services for free.

When I found out they were going to build it here in town, then I said, Ill bring my whole crew and Ill help you do the rough framing,' said Aurand.

I volunteered to do the heating and cooling and the plumbing, said Mitchell McNinch, owner of Heat-Co Mechanical in Sterling, Illinois and member of Abiding Word Church.

McNinch estimates that at least 100 people will have helped with the home by the time its all said and done.

He served the country, he helped us out, wed like to return the favor, he said.

Those working on the home hope to have it completed by Christmas 2014.

The church is still looking for help covering the cost of shingles, insulation, drywall and siding. To donate, contact Abiding Word Church in Sterling at 815-626-1827.

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Construction starts on donated home for injured veteran

The Church Road Bridge carrying traffic over Interstate 88 in Aurora is scheduled to close the week of Aug. 18 for reconstruction.

Electronic message signs and construction signs will be put in place to alert drivers in advance of the closure and detour.

The Illinois Tollway is removing the existing Church Road Bridge and replacing it with a new bridge featuring a reinforced concrete deck on precast concrete beams. The new bridge will be widened and the height increased to meet current design standards. Bridge reconstruction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Beginning the week of Aug. 18, Church Road will be closed to through traffic between Corporate Boulevard and Molitor Road and the bridge will be closed to all traffic. A signed detour will be put in place directing traffic to use Indian Trail Road, Farnsworth Avenue and Butterfield Road.

On I-88, shoulder closures will be in place for bridge reconstruction and intermittent traffic stops during off-peak hours will be scheduled for the removal and placement of bridge beams.

Work also includes improving portions of Church Road on either side of the bridge. Up to 7,300 vehicles use this stretch of roadway daily.

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Church Road Bridge in Aurora to close

MANILA - A Catholic church leader said the church cant reveal yet the details of Pope Francis visit in Yolanda-devastated areas.

Palo Archbishop John Du said they cant reveal yet his itinerary and the places he will visit due to security reasons.

Ang instruction sa amin, huwag muna i-public ang mga lugar kasi for security reasons din, he said.

Radio Veritas reported province of Leyte is now undergoing massive reconstruction, specifically in areas where the pope will visit and stay.

Du said they are also focusing on the construction of the Pope Francis Center, which will house children and old people in need of shelter.

He said the leader of the Roman Catholic church is expected to bless the center.

100 percent preparation na kami talaga. They are all preparing. Ang target, matapos by December, Du told Radio Veritas.

He noted workers from the Department of Public Works and Highways are also involved in efforts to finish construction of the project.

The church leaders earlier announced Pope Francis will visit the Philippines on January 15 to 19 next year.

Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said his holiness Pope Francis will make his apostolic visit to Sri Lanka on January 12 to 15 and to the Philippines on January 15 to 19, 2015.

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Pope Francis Center being rushed for Pope's visit

Mother and sister of Hanover girl who died in March help open a new indoor playground

By Brandon Stoneburg

bstoneburg@eveningsun.com @b_stoneburg on Twitter

Liliana's mother and sister cut the ribbon for indoor playground in Mount Joy Township on Saturday afternoon. (Shane Dunlap - The Evening Sun )

With a snip of a ribbon, Christina and Autumn Lunsford, the mother and sister of a Hanover baby girl who died in March, opened a Mount Joy Township indoor playground on Saturday.

Roughly 30 kids, including Autumn, sprinted through the ribbon and into the new Street Playground at Intersection Church. They laughed, smiled and played under a street sign that read "Liliana's Way" and next to a mural of a little girl sitting on a stump with a butterfly two little tokens that represent Liliana Lunsford's presence at the playground, said pastor Jeremiah Herbert.

Part of the playground honors the memory of 1-year-old Liliana, who police said died after ingesting alcohol at a York home.

The dedication ceremony came a day after a York man was taken into custody in connection with the death.

"The timing of that news mixed with what we're doing here brought everything back," Herbert said. "It opened up a lot of the pain that our church family felt."

The Lunsfords have been members of the church family for years and Liliana was even blessed and dedicated there.

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Church, community remember Liliana, help with healing

Published: Sunday, 8/10/2014 - Updated: 36 seconds ago

BY NATALIE TRUSSO CAFARELLO BLADE STAFF WRITER

A little rain and no consumable water did not stop Jacob Long from building a labyrinth in Sylvania.

Its not ideal but its better than being 95 degrees out, he said.

The 17-year-old Sylvania resident, along with friends and family, kept focused on finishing the labyrinth at the Sylvania United Church of Christ grounds on Erie Street.

Coordinating the construction of the labyrinth is part of his Eagle Scout project, which requires planning and carrying out a service project for a charitable organization.

I asked my pastor Luke (Lindon) what could I do and he said how about a labyrinth, Jacob said.

I always thought it interesting how their roots are in ancient Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, a labyrinth was built with confusing passages to capture the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull.

Jacob was careful to point out that they are not mazes and described a labyrinths circular (or square) path as a spaghetti noodle wound around itself.

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Sylvania church has a labyrinth