During the handing over of the Cathedral to the Diocese after 15 years of renovation in 2020, Bishop Sambou said that the process inspired not just understanding but also collaboration among the people of God in the West African nation.
“The renovation of our Cathedral inspires understanding, collaboration, unity among Senegalese and the desire for us to work together for the growth of the Church,” the Bishop said on 8 October 2020.
He added in reference to works that started after the roof of the Cathedral caved in, “The renovation of this Church was a very long process that started in 2005. We are very happy and we thank God that our Church is once again open for worship.”
Consecrated and opened to the public in 1828, Saint-Louis Cathedral, which is a heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is known to be the oldest church building in West Africa. With the passage of time, the structure weakened, posing a threat to worshippers and local residents.
The Diocese of Saint-Louis partnered with the Senegalese government and the French Development Agency (AFD) to renovate the Cathedral at a cost of about 1 billion FCFA (US$1,799,135.00).
Saint-Louis Diocese was erected in 1763 as Prefecture Apostolic of Senegal before being elevated to a Diocese in February 1966.
The 73,315 square-kilometer Diocese has a population of 6,952 Catholics, according to 2020 statistics, and is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Dakar.
Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.
