Budget Telan Rp24.08 Billion, Ministry Of PUPR Completes Cathedral Church Construction In Kupang NTT

The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has completed the construction of the Kupang Archdiocese Cathedral, in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), which was damaged by Hurricane Seroja in 2021.

The construction of the Kupang Archdiocese Cathedral Church is carried out through the NTT Regional Settlement Infrastructure Center (BPPW) of the Directorate General of Human Settlements since March 2022 and has been completed in December 2022.

Head of the NTT Regional Settlement Infrastructure Center (BPPW) Normansjah Wartabone said the construction of the Kupang Archdiocese Cathedral Church was carried out with a budget of Rp. 24.08 billion.

"The scope of work includes construction of church buildings, parish secretariat buildings, bell towers, panel rooms and generators, cave maria, tomb buildings, fences, yard arrangement, electrical mechanics, and landscapes," Normansjah said in his official statement, quoted Monday, April 3.

Normansjah added, with the completion of the construction of the Kupang Archdiocese Cathedral, it is hoped that it will later be able to provide benefits for Christians in Kupang.

"With the availability of the Kupang Archdiocese Cathedral Church, the Ministry of PUPR hopes to increase the capacity of worship services for Christians in Kupang, which initially only accommodated 400 congregations to 800 congregations," he said.

The Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese of Kupang which is located on Jl. Ir. Soekarno No. 1, Bonipoi, Kupang, NTT was founded on August 15, 1967. So far, the church building has never been rehabilitated and in 1995 there was an addition to the side with the construction of a balcony.

Apart from being a place of worship, the Cathedral Church of the Kupang Archdiocese is also one of the religious tourism objects as well as history in Kupang City, especially since there is a Maria cave next to a church building.

The church construction is in line with the priority program launched by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin regarding the strengthening of superior human resources (HR) through the development of religious infrastructure.