St Joseph welcomed representatives of St Chad's Cathedral and the Archdiocese of Birmingham to a blessing of its Snow Hill Wharf development earlier this month.
The ceremony, which was held on Friday 8 March, marked the completion of groundworks and celebrated the growing collaboration between the site team and the Cathedral next door.
Both parties are committed to working together over the long-term to ensure the local community can take full advantage of the area's on-going regeneration.
The event opened with Sister Margaret Walsh IJ reading Psalm 127 "If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labour". Monsignor Timothy Menezes then carried out the ceremony, blessing those involved in the development, with a host of St Joseph staff in attendance.
When completed, Snow Hill Wharf is expected to create a new community of more than 700 people.
Monsignor Timothy Menezes, Vicar General and Acting Cathedral Dean at St Chad's Cathedral, said:
"As a parish community, we are linked closely to the business district - an area that historically has not been residential. Through its Snow Hill Wharf development, St Joseph is contributing towards the transformation of the city centre into a place where people can live and grow together."
"Every day, St Chads welcomes new visitors. It was a privilege to be part of this blessing and we look forward to greeting our neighbours at Snow Hill Wharf in the years to come."
Jamie Cooper, Project Director at St Joseph, said:
"St Joseph is committed to Birmingham and its diverse communities. St Chad's Cathedral is an important partner and we thank Monsignor Timothy Menezes for blessing the development."
"Our vision for Snow Hill Wharf is to regenerate an underutilised piece of land to create a beautiful new canal-side community with high quality new homes. We are proud to be playing a role in attracting more people to this great city that has been so welcoming of our business and staff since we arrived."
The new neighbours have been meeting regularly since construction began and St Joseph has tailored its construction programme to avoid disruption to the Cathedral's routine.
This neighbourly relationship has already seen the Snow Hill Wharf site office being helpfully relocated onto the Cathedral's grounds, while St Joseph has upgraded St Chad's car park and landscaping.
Snow Hill Wharf was announced in 2018. The canal-side development will feature a mix of one, two and three bedroom homes, along with landscaped podium gardens.
Outside the site boundary, St Joseph is repairing the crumbling canal wall and will be investing in the towpath on the opposite bank, including new lighting and an ongoing management regime to restore it as a tidy, safe and well-used walking route.
Snow Hill Wharf is closely located to St Chad's Cathedral, which was built in 1841 and is renowned for being the first Catholic cathedral to be built in the UK since the Reformation.
St Chad's Cathedral is currently fundraising to support the restoration of its organ. To support the project please visit here.