Point church in need of donations

THE parish of St Peter’s Church on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Durban’s Point area, built in 1938, belongs to the Catholic Archdiocese of Durban. The heritage church has been a pillar in the community it serves. The church celebrates 85 years of existence on the grounds it stands on, and the cracks of being one of the oldest churches in Durban are beginning to show.

The church is in dire need of donations to renovate the building’s walls which look damp and have paint peeling off. The devastating sight is an eyesore, and the church members try relentlessly to raise funds to bring the building back to its former glory. One of the church’s longest-serving members and PRO Cecile Kathan says that the church has been a significant part of her life, and it is upsetting to see it in its current state. “Many people have walked through these doors over the last 24 years that I’ve been here, and over the years, our church has lost the halo it once had. Our benches need to be fixed, and there’s dampness over the walls that won’t go away. We need help in fixing our church,” said Kathan.

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Despite the church’s desperate need for donations, they still run a soup kitchen four days a week and hand out sandwiches and food hampers to the needy. Reverend Father Richard Njanje, the resident priest at the church, says that although he has only been stationed at the church for the past five months, he knows the church has served the people of Durban, and that many people don’t stay for too long as they soon relocate from the area, but he urges those who were once a part of the church to contribute to making a place that was once dear to them better.

“We have looked at our church as some sort of a pilgrimage as many people pass through the doors for a while and soon relocate for greener pastures. With the current state that the church is in, we are appealing to everyone who was once a part of us to extend a helping hand so we can restore the dignity of the church,” said Rev Njanje.

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To help raise funds, the church leases out the hall for weddings, events, baptisms and anniversaries. But, even so, the hall also needs renovations so it can attract more visitors and people who can use it on a rental basis. The church is appealing for paint, benches, food and monetary donations. For more information or donations, contact Cecile Kathan on 082 781 6699 or Father Richard Njanje on 083 428 3038.

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