The next time you're concerned about a problem at your parish, think of the people at All Saints' Cathedral, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The cathedral has had no roof and no floor since Hurricane Marilyn roared across the island more than 16 months ago. If that's not enough, All Saints' has no dean, and the Virgin Islands is without a diocesan bishop.

During a recent vacation, I had a chance to see the historic building, located a few blocks from Main Street, where thousands of cruise ship passengers search for bargains seven days a week. It was a sickening sight to look through a window, straight up toward blue sky and a brilliant sun. The walls remain but the floor is gone, with pieces of the foundation protruding from the hole in the ground.

"We are working feverishly to reconstruct the building as closely as we can," said Lisle Evelyn, All Saints' senior warden. A restoration committee is in place, a fund-raising committee is being formed, and structural engineers are making recommendations. "We're not sure the walls can take a roof on them."

All Saints' was built in the 1820s and has withstood many hurricanes, including Hugo, which devastated much of the island in 1988. But when Marilyn's fury came ashore, the old building was unable to resist. The roof was torn loose and collapsed onto and through the floor.

"I thought this was the end of us," Mr. Evelyn recalled. "I was trying to take care of my home at the time. I lost my roof, too." The parish lost its organ, prayer books, Bibles, vestments and most of its appointments. Unfortunately, after moving services to its parish hall next door, it's also lost some of its members.

"Some parishioners have left," Mr. Evelyn said. "They said it didn't seem like a church anymore. We have tried to tell them a building is not a church."

Despite the defections, the mood seems positive. The 1,100-member congregation is anxious to get started on rebuilding, but leaders figure they'll need about $2 million to carry out their plan.

There has been little help from other churches in the diocese. "Most of the churches have problems themselves," Mr. Evelyn said. He added that the fund- raising committee will seek financial help from mainland churches, particularly other cathedrals.

Clergy help is on the way. After the dean retired, another former dean served as interim. Now he has retired. A full-time interim will arrive this month. And next month the Diocese of the Virgin Islands will try again to elect a bishop after the last two elections were unsuccessful.

"From the beginning we've said we can't just lie down," Mr. Evelyn said. "We're not giving up."

David Kalvelage, editor