Our Story
The Cathedral Basilica Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador (CBFNL) is a non-religious registered charity and non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and bringing new life to one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most recognized landmarks: the Basilica Block in the heart of St. John’s.
The Basilica Block includes the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Palace Commons, the Annex offices, and the Episcopal Library, now also home to the L.G. Ronalda Hutton Recital Hall. Together, these spaces have shaped the cultural, architectural, spiritual, and community life of this province for generations.
Founded in 1998 as the Basilica Heritage Foundation, the organization was created to support the care and conservation of the Cathedral Basilica and its collections. Over the years, that work has included significant restoration and preservation projects involving stained glass, sculpture, artwork, and other irreplaceable elements of the site.
In 2024, the Foundation entered a new chapter with the purchase of the Basilica Block campus. This was not simply a change in ownership. It was a commitment to the long-term future of a place that means so much to so many.
Today, the Foundation stewards the Basilica Block as a living landmark for everyone, where heritage, worship, culture, learning, and community continue side by side. We care for these extraordinary buildings and collections while ensuring they remain welcoming, active, and relevant in the life of the province. Through concerts, exhibitions, partnerships, education, tours, rentals, and public programming, we are working to keep the site vibrant and accessible for generations to come.
We believe heritage matters most when it is lived in, shared, and experienced.
Our work is guided by respect for the past, responsibility in the present, and confidence in the future.
We are caring for what cannot be replaced, while helping shape what comes next.
Our Mission
Our mission is to protect, restore, and interpret the Basilica Block as one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most significant historic and sacred places. We steward its buildings, collections, and stories; support its role as an active Cathedral; and engage communities through culture, learning, community and worship.
Strategic Plan
Our work is about more than maintaining stone and stained glass. It is about safeguarding a place that tells the story of our people, our city, and our shared heritage.
Explore our Strategic Plan to learn how we are honouring heritage, strengthening stewardship, and inspiring generations.