Crystal Cathedral board endorses offer from Diocese of Orange

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Marybeloved said:
So is that the intended new name for the church, then? “Christ Our Savior, Catholic Church”
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Well, Christ Our Savior Cathedral Parish was the name of the site in Santa Ana, California where there were plans to build a new Cathedral. That community will probably become a regular parish in light of recent events.

I don’t think they have chosen a name for the newly-acquired Crystal Cathedral, but nevertheless, people have already updated the Wikipedia page.

“Christ Our Savior” may be a fitting name reflecting the ecumenical nature of the Cathedral.
 
JPUSC said:
“Christ Our Savior” may be a fitting name reflecting the ecumenical nature of the Cathedral, and the diocesan patroness, Our Lady of Guadalupe could be something to consider also.
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I love Our Lady of Guadalupe! But surely that would drive a fresh batch of salt into an already gushing wound, no? 🤷
 
Marybeloved said:
I love Our Lady of Guadalupe! But surely that would drive a fresh batch of salt into an already gushing wound, no? 🤷
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I think you make a good point. Although there are many good possibilities (St. Emydius, patron of protection against earthquakes?), choosing a name which focuses on Christ may help soothe the feelings of those who are upset that the Crystal Cathedral will become Catholic. Why not point to our shared understanding and unity in Christ?
 
Something I missed earlier, when I read SonCatcher’s article announcing the news of the decision, is that Chapman University will not appeal the judge’s ruling.
James Doti, president of Chapman University, said the university accepts the judge’s decision and does not plan to appeal.
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“Well, we lost, we’re going to look at what’s next,” he said. “I always believe things work out for the best. Sometimes, what is perceived as a setback turns out to be a favor.”
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ocregister.com/news/chapman-327576-cathedral-board.html
 
By far the best name for the coming new Orange County Catholic cathedral would be the “Crystal Cathedral” if that would be legally possible. Might even be the Crystal Cathedral on the grounds of the Holy Cross Catholic Center (or whatever.)

My second choice would be the Cathedral of Saint John of Capistrano. The oldest (by far) Catholic church in what is now Orange County is Old Mission San Juan Capistrano. It would be nice to link the two.
 
For $57.5M the Diocese of Orange will get:

41 acres of prime land with a ton of parking
the Crystal Cathedral
the Bell Spire with a full carillon of expensive bronze bells and chapel
the Tower of Hope that houses offices, a gift shop and a chapel
the Arboretum which was the original 1,200 seat Garden Grove Community Church
the Family Lounge and the Art Gallery (the parish halls.)
a cemetery
the Welcoming Center (offices and conferencing center)
and the Family Life Center (a full k-12 school.)

For about $210M Los Angeles got about 6 acres, a cathedral, a mausoleum, a chapel, a parking structure with a gifts shop and a cafeteria, some conference rooms, a commercial kitchen and clergy residence (the offices are off-site on Wilshire Blvd.)

For about $200M Oakland got about 3 acres, a cathedral, a chapel, a gift shop, a cafeteria, some offices and conference rooms, a commercial kitchen and clergy quarters.

The Crystal Cathedral is a remarkable bargain!
 
I am deeply afraid that the Diocese of Orange is going to do a poor job of renovating the interior of the Crystal Cathedral. It actually scares me. I look at the renovations of cathedrals in places like Milwaukee, Seattle and Rochester and I wonder why such horrid things happen? Perhaps Bp. Brown should allow his successor to lead the renovation process?
 
Aeolian said:
By far the best name for the coming new Orange County Catholic cathedral would be the “Crystal Cathedral” if that would be legally possible. Might even be the Crystal Cathedral on the grounds of the Holy Cross Catholic Center (or whatever.)
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Really? Personally, when it comes to naming churches (or any religious/worship centers, for that matter), I really don’t fancy names that are focused on the architectural or scenic beauty of the place, rather than announce the faith or point to the spiritual heritage of the people. The former strikes me as a modernist encroachment on religion that should not be given any light of day. It may be perfectly suitable for cultural cites and centers, I believe. But **not **churches, certainly not Catholic churches ;).
 
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When God provides, He really does provide. The Diocese went from having an insufficiently-sized converted parish as a Cathedral for the 1,044,191 Catholics in this county of 2,760,948 people to currently having 3 ‘cathedrals’ in its disposition (Holy Family Cathedral, Christ Our Savior Cathedral Parish, and finally our likely diocesan home the Crystal Cathedral, in which Dr. Robert H. Schuller made a special trip to Rome to ask the Pope’s blessing on the building plans).

It is touching to know that the Crystal Cathedral Board, at the last minute, decided to fight for the Catholic Church’s offer with “[Judge] Kwan urging the church to justify its reason for choosing a lower bid and one that went against the wishes and recommendations of many of its congregants,” in order to preserve the campus as irrevocably dedicated to religious purposes (AP: Crystal Cathedral to be sold to Catholic diocese).

“I’m really pleased to know that this campus is likely for at least decades, if not centuries, to be kept as a sacred place of worship,” Carol Milner, daughter of church founder Rev. Robert H. Schuller, said after the hearing.

Let us thank the Lord and our Christian brethren for this wonderful gift of a Cathedral that will be able to serve the people of Orange County and hope that it will be a sanctuary where we can be united in One Body and One Spirit in Christ.
It’s time for Protestants to go to the shepherd [Pope] and say 'what do we have to do to come home?'
Dr. Robert H. Schuller, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, September 19, 1987
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I live in Santa Ana and I am happy that the bid was won but the Diosecess of Orange County, now I can wait to see how it will look and one day attend mass.

Regarding the name we already have to 2 our Lady Of Guadalupe parishes in Santa Ana, I think it would be nice to name the Crystal Cathedral in honer Pope John Paul II as he did and continues to do a lot for our faith specialy the younger generation.

God Bless

Praying for the Souls of Purgatory :crossrc:
 
Aeolian said:
I am deeply afraid that the Diocese of Orange is going to do a poor job of renovating the interior of the Crystal Cathedral. It actually scares me. I look at the renovations of cathedrals in places like Milwaukee, Seattle and Rochester and I wonder why such horrid things happen? Perhaps Bp. Brown should allow his successor to lead the renovation process?
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They can’t possibly do a worse job than whoever designed it. I just saw a picture of it today… that building is hideous. It is a monument to excess to the nth degree!
 
Aeolian said:
I am deeply afraid that the Diocese of Orange is going to do a poor job of renovating the interior of the Crystal Cathedral. It actually scares me. I look at the renovations of cathedrals in places like Milwaukee, Seattle and Rochester and I wonder why such horrid things happen? Perhaps Bp. Brown should allow his successor to lead the renovation process?
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My guess is that since the diocese had apparently already contracted an architect for building a complete structure (as I mentioned previously), they will probably just modify that into a renovation contract on the Crystal Cathedral. I’m sure the architect is already giddy at the opportunity and wouldn’t mind shelving their plans for Orange to pawn on the next diocese that comes looking for a cathedral design.
 
Marybeloved said:
Really? Personally, when it comes to naming churches (or any religious/worship centers, for that matter), I really don’t fancy names that are focused on the architectural or scenic beauty of the place, rather than announce the faith or point to the spiritual heritage of the people. The former strikes me as a modernist encroachment on religion that should not be given any light of day. It may be perfectly suitable for cultural cites and centers, I believe. But not churches, certainly not Catholic churches ;).
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It’s about attracting people to the church, NOT giving glory to a saint.
 
eddy714 said:
I live in Santa Ana and I am happy that the bid was won but the Diosecess of Orange County, now I can wait to see how it will look and one day attend mass.

Regarding the name we already have to 2 our Lady Of Guadalupe parishes in Santa Ana, I think it would be nice to name the Crystal Cathedral in honer Pope John Paul II as he did and continues to do a lot for our faith specialy the younger generation.

God Bless

Praying for the Souls of Purgatory :crossrc:
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NOT a bad idea! “Cathedral of Bl. John Paul II” Yes, that would work well. Very fresh, very relevant…
 
Aeolian said:
It’s about attracting people to the church, NOT giving glory to a saint.
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It will likely always be called “Crystal Cathedral” due to its history regardless of what its name is. It’s name should definitely give glory to God, however.
 
SouthCatholic said:
They can’t possibly do a worse job than whoever designed it. I just saw a picture of it today… that building is hideous. It is a monument to excess to the nth degree!
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I honestly feel sorry for people like you. Those who make public statements based on so little information (a “picture”) and knowledge.

Like it or not Philip Johnson was a genius when it came to architecture. In many ways his designs were also very traditional. The Crystal Cathedral is a cruciform for a reason. The Crystal Cathedral is hardly excessive. In fact it borders on the utilitarian. You might realize that if you ever toured the facility. A tour might also help you to realize that not all churches need to be Gothic. To be quite candid I personally believe it is your public opinion that is “hideous.”

Thank God for His latest gift to His Church!
 
SonCatcher said:
It will likely always be called “Crystal Cathedral” due to its history regardless of what its name is. It’s name should definitely give glory to God, however.
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The name “Crystal Cathedral” does give glory to God by attracting His people to it. Name it anything else and it will get lost in the great ocean of other Catholic cathedrals.
 
Aeolian said:
The name “Crystal Cathedral” does give glory to God by attracting His people to it. Name it anything else and it will get lost in the great ocean of other Catholic cathedrals.
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Its fame already rivals St. Peter’s Basilica and Notre Dame and people will always know where to find it (unlikely it’s going to move out of Garden Grove) - even by its former name.
 
Aeolian said:
It’s about attracting people to the church, NOT giving glory to a saint.
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No, it’s not about giving glory to a Saint, but proclaiming the true faith, which is that of the Saints whose names glorify many Catholic Churches. A church’s name should announce it’s faith and message and/or its spiritual heritage, not it’s architectural marvels. That approach to naming places should be left to cultural, artistic and other secular centers.

I fail to see how the name Crystal Cathedral will bring people to the church…? Aren’t they in trouble precisely because no new members were coming in? 🤷

Crystal Cathedral is the celebration of an architectural masterpiece rather than the faith that inspired it, or that which now inspires its purchase by the Orange Diocese. Our churches should not be named to celebrate Art, but Catholic faith. And only the faith will bring people in, not the beautiful building. Just ask the Schullers 🤷.

Also *“Christ, Our Savior Catholic Cathedral” * can in no way be said to be about giving Glory to a Saint.
 
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