Copper From a Cathedral Roof, Now Up for Auction to Save a Church Organ

• A Bermuda churchman is auctioning 12 napkin rings made from the old copper roof of Hamilton’s cathedral
• The proceeds will go towards $35,000 of repairs to the organ at St Mark’s Anglican Church
• The copper came from the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity’s roof, replaced in a $2 million appeal
• Sealed bids closed on 28 February 2025

A piece of Bermuda’s church building history has been put to work for a second fundraising appeal. The Royal Gazette reported on 13 February 2025 that Peter Nash, a member of St Mark’s Anglican Church for 60 years and a longtime choir member, was auctioning 12 weathered copper napkin rings to help pay for $35,000 of repairs to the church’s organ.

The napkin rings were made from copper sheets taken from the damaged roof of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton. In 2011, as part of a $2 million fundraising effort to replace the cathedral roof, copper from the old roof was turned into artisanal pieces and auctioned at an event called Raise the Roof: A Celebration in Art at Bacardi International. Nash’s son, Mark, bought the napkin rings at that time.

“I would like to let the copper work its magic one more time… all for a worthy cause,” Nash said. He invited sealed bids, with a deadline of 5pm on 28 February 2025 and a reserve price. The report also recalled Jean Motyer, who served as the church’s organist for 27 years.

The story is a small but neat example of creative fundraising for church property. Materials salvaged from one building project became collectable items that raised money then, and are now being used to raise money again for another church’s upkeep.

Organs, bells, stained glass and roofs are among the most expensive items a congregation has to maintain, and they rarely attract the grants that go to whole buildings. Imaginative, small-scale appeals can help close the gap.

Jamaica’s older churches hold plenty of salvaged material, from old roof shingles and timbers to pews and bells, that often ends up discarded after renovation. Bermuda’s experience suggests that such items, turned into keepsakes or sold with their story, can help fund future repairs. For Jamaicans overseas who want a tangible link to a home church, buying a piece of its history is one more way to give.

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