Inside, fluorescent lamps left over from the days when the factory was in production still light the way. A few chandeliers purchased from a nearby lighting factory outlet hang from exposed steel beams and ductwork. What may have once been a utility closet is now the Holy of Holies.

But there is nothing “converted” about the faith and passion that fills each service, celebrated in Ge’ez or Amharic. Recently, that joy has been mixed with excitement and pride at the construction of the congregation’s purpose-built cathedral.

Samuel Getachew first introduced me to St. Mary’s several months ago. Born in Addis Ababa and arriving as a child in Canada via Zambia, his eyes lit up as he described how, after so many years, the Ethiopian community had grown to the stage where it could begin to build such a structure.

After years of planning and fundraising, ground was broken in April 2010 and over the past year the new cathedral has steadily risen.

St. Mary’s is scheduled to open at the end of May. The congregation has so far raised two-thirds of the $4.2-million construction cost and fundraising continues to close the shortfall.

The headquarters for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the cathedral will be a multi-function building to serve the spiritual, educational, cultural and community needs of the Ethiopian Orthodox community. There will be space for a nursery school and educational facilities for primary and secondary students.

A library and church museum is planned that will focus on Ethiopian history. There will also be banquet facilities and meeting rooms.

The story is one that has been repeated with each wave of immigration to Toronto. As communities grow, the desire to build larger, more awe-inspiring places to worship to accommodate growing numbers and to signal the deepening of their roots in their new home also grow.

St. Mary’s Cathedral won’t be as large as some other new places of worship, but for its congregation it will be a place of pride.

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