Anonymous donor gives $150K to cathedral roof project

In 1904, Great Fall's first Catholic bishop, Matthias Lenihan, commissioned the building of a new cathedral for the rapidly growing Electric City. The instructions to architect John Kent were to design a church equal in style and beauty to those found in Europe.

With its pointed arches, soaring interior vault and a steeple that rises 110 feet into the Montana sky, St. Ann's Cathedral rivals many of the 13th century English churches that Kent drew his inspiration from. These same features, however, make the replacement of St. Ann's roof a very costly proposition.

For roughly eight years now, the cathedral's roof has been in need of replacement. The roof was last replaced more than 35 years ago, and hail storms in 2007 and 2009 seriously compromised the already aging structure.

Rainwater leaking into the church's interior has already begun peeling away portions of the ceiling's paint and threatens to damage interior restorations that were completed 10 years ago. The estimated cost to replace the roof and stop any further damage is $342,000; that's more than three times what it originally cost to build St. Ann's in 1906.

The expense far exceeds the diocese's immediate ability to pay for the construction of a new roof. Parishioners have been actively trying to raise the funds, but even the most optimistic projections did not foresee work on a new roof beginning before 2016.

On Wednesday, workmen from Maddox Roofing were already fastened in to the steep pitch of St. Ann's roof, tearing away the damaged shingles. The ability to move ahead with the project was made possible by an anonymous donor who gifted $150,000 toward replacing the roof of St. Ann's Cathedral.

"This is a huge blessing — that's an understatement," said the Rev. Oliver Doyle, pastor of St. Ann's. "Given that we had invested so much time and energy into the restoration of the interior of the cathedral and getting all those bits right (a project that cost $2.1 million and was completed in 2004) the last thing we would want would be to leave a roof that ruins all that's already been accomplished."

The benefactor who made that blessing possible will likely remain a mystery.

"The donor absolutely wants to remain anonymous," said Riley Meredith, communications director for the Montana Community Foundation. "But St. Ann's is an important need in the community to them, so they decided to step up and make that donation. It's pretty amazing."

According to Jan Carter, chairman of St. Ann's restoration committee, even inspecting or making temporary repairs on the cathedral's roof has been a challenge. Construction on such a complex structure requires a very specialized set of skills, not held by every construction company.

"We tried to hire several people who would come down, climb up there and say 'Oh sure, we'll do it,' — but then they would never come back," Carter said with a laugh. "There are only two contractors in Montana that are capable of doing it."

The $150,000 donation was made through the Montana Community Foundation, a statewide philanthropic organization that works with local charities to fund community organizations and projects. Meredith said MCF does not typically see grants as large as the one given to St. Ann's.

"A grant this size is very rare in Montana," he said. "Large grants for us generally range from $25,000 to $50,000."

"This grant to St. Ann's represents tremendous generosity," said Mary Rutherford, MCF president and CEO. "Our mission is to create a culture of giving so Montana communities can flourish. St. Ann's is an incredibly important part of the Great Falls community and this grant certainly supports that mission. While the donor will remain anonymous, I can tell you their hope for this gift is to inspire others to recognize the resources they have and in turn give to worthy causes in need."

Work on the cathedral's roof will continue throughout the summer, and is expected to be completed sometime around Labor Day.

Montana Community Foundation

Founded in 1988, the Montana Community Foundation is a statewide philanthropic organization that works with donors, community foundations and nonprofit organizations to identify and support local charitable causes.

Over the last 27 years, MCF has reinvested $33 million into projects both large and small, distributed among 43 communities statewide. Charitable causes range from support for volunteer fire departments and community food banks to grants to women's shelters, senior centers, museums and churches.

In 2014, MCF awarded more than $2.3 million in charitable contributions, including nearly $325,000 in academic scholarships to roughly 200 Montana students. According to communications director Riley Meredith, MCF works closely with donors to identify charitable opportunities that meet their philanthropic goals and make the greatest impact.

For more information about the Montana Community Foundation and the philanthropic opportunities it enables, contact its Helena office at 406-443-8313 or visit the foundation's website at www.mtcf.org.