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| Most Rev. Josephat Lebulu Archbishop of Arusha |
The Catholic Faithful of the Archdiocese of Arusha, Tanzania in collaboration with other people of good will have contributed 242 Million Tanzania shillings (equivalent of USD 151,000) in a fund raising event for St Therese of Child Jesus Cathedral.
The fund raising event which took place at the end of last week was held at Burka Parish grounds and was graced by Honorable George Mkuchika, Minister of State for Good.
Mr Mkuchika said that Arusha as a city must have a Cathedral Building that corresponds with international standards of the city. “To have this type of cathedral, everybody must contribute towards it,” he said.
Speaking at the event the Ordinary of Arusha Archdiocese, Most Rev Josaphat Lebulu said that he is grateful for the response from the people towards the contributions. He added that many people have so far donated and continue to donate money for the Church’s construction.
The Chairman of the Laity council of St Therese Parish, Mr. Anatoli Tarimo said that the growing city of Arusha necessitated the construction of the bigger Church to cope with the Catholic population of the city since the cathedral which they are using cannot accommodate the number of faithful attending Mass on Sundays.
He said that the total costs estimated for construction of the new Cathedral which will have a capacity of 3500 people is 7.2 Billion Tanzanian Shillings (equivalent to USD 4.5 Million).
Arusha city is in northern Tanzania, with a population of about 1,288,088. The city is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks. Situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha has a temperate climate. The city is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and The Arusha National Park on Mount Meru.
Arusha is a major international diplomatic hub. The city hosts and is regarded as the de facto capital of the East African Community. Since 1994, the city has also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It is a multicultural city with a majority Tanzanian population of mixed backgrounds.
Source: Doreen Aloyce, Arusha; TEC Communications Department