Cathedral of Christ the Light

This week the Diocese of Oakland opened the doors of the Cathedral of Christ the Light. Althought, not yet dedicated, the Cathedral is open for the curious to peruse this odd piece of architecture. The brainchild of Bishop John Cummins and Bishop Allen Vigneron the Cathedral's name is from taken from the Second Vatican Council's Lumen Gentium, which emphasized participation of the laity and a move of outreach to other faiths.

The Cathedral will be formally dedicated on September 25.

From an architectural perspective, this edifice is quite eye-catching. The shape, and dimesions express ingenuity, vision and ambition. Bishop Vigneron gets an A+ in this area. From a liturgical perspective, one could go in many different ways. In one respect, the building seems cold and the open space seems overbearring. Space, however, could be argued, inspires, and lifts the eyes, and the soul, toward God. The Cathedral does not follow any traditional convenience. Thomas over at AmericanPapist has already likened CCTL to LA's Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral. Although both seem to be unorthodox in style, there is something to be said in its modern style, it still stands out, it draws attention to the fact that it is a house of worship, seat of the ordinary, and I am sure there will be qualities that will be inspirational. Don't get me wrong, if it were up to me, I would much rather have a Cathedral with a prominent cathedra, high altar, and stained glass windows galore in the tradition of the older cathedrals. Alas, CCTL is a modern expression of the Church in the modern world and it will be consecrated, and people will pray in it, and Mass will be offered, and the holy exchange between heaven and earth will occur... it's not that bad.

Worth of significant note, the Cathedral will have a free clinic for people of low resources. It will be funded through donations from the Knights of Malta and sits in an 1,700 square foot area in the Cathedral complex. Estimates indicate that there are more than166, 000 people in Alameda County without medical insurance . Kudos for reaching out!

Verdict: I like what I see, I like the work, and I can't wait to make it over there to check it out.

Coat of Arms above the Cathedral

Now... with this being the latest cathedral in California to be dedicated in recent years, many ask about Tod Brown's plans for a Cathedral for Orange. It's been in the planning stages for a while and it does not seem to be moving forward any time soon. Many claim it's money, others stale-mate between the Bishop and his advisors. Many priest advisors have asked Bishop Brown to move toward building a Cathedral that reflects the history and patrimony of the diocese, i.e building a cathedral in the California Mission style. It seems that his plan is to move forward with a modern style. Perhaps he has has OLA-CCTL style envy.

With economy moving the way it is and with all the disagreeing there is, it's possible that the responsibilities of building the new seat for the Bishop of Orange will fall into the hands of the new bishop, due to arrive in a few years.