600 Churches, 25 Schools, US$400 Million: Puerto Rico Launches a Seven-Year Plan to Rebuild Its Catholic Buildings

• An interdiocesan project will repair more than 600 Catholic churches and 25 schools
• Funding of more than US$400 million comes from FEMA, HUD and private donors
• The work is expected to take five to seven years and generate about 7,000 jobs
• The launch was held in San Juan’s cathedral, first built in 1521

Puerto Rico’s five Catholic dioceses have launched a joint project to rebuild and renew more than 600 churches, over 25 schools and other church buildings across the island, OSV News reported in April 2025. The plan runs for five to seven years.

Funding of more than US$400 million is coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and private donations. The project is expected to generate about 7,000 jobs.

The unveiling took place on 31 March 2025 at the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of St John the Baptist in Old San Juan, first built in 1521 and the oldest Catholic church on US territory. Archbishop Roberto González Nieves of San Juan said: “If it were not for the devotion of our people to the Eucharist, to the Virgin Mary and to the successor of St. Peter, it would not be possible for us to be sitting here today in this five-century-old cathedral.”

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, chancellor of Catholic Extension, which is supporting the project, recalled the fund’s long ties to the island: “We have supported the church on the island for at least 120 years.” Progress reports have been sent to Pope Francis.

Puerto Rico’s approach, pooling all five dioceses into one programme with public and private money, offers a model for Jamaica as churches work through damage from Hurricane Melissa. Rebuilding hundreds of buildings one parish at a time is slow and uneven. A coordinated plan, with a shared list of properties, standard designs and a single channel for grants, can move faster, spread work fairly and create local jobs at the same time. Jamaican denominations and ecumenical bodies may find it worth pursuing something similar.

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