Bishop gets earful on new Cathedral

Oakland Tribune ^ | 08 May 2004 | Peggy Stinnett

[MegaSilver]

While $131 million does seem a tad high, I can't think that making the Church more visible in the Bay Area would be a bad idea.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

The design for the new cathedral is hideous.

The new cathedral in SF and planned one in Oakland could accurately be described as the abomination and the desolation.

[MegaSilver]

The new cathedral in SF and planned one in Oakland could accurately be described as the abomination and the desolation.

A doctor does not come for the well, but for the sick...

[MegaSilver]

The design for the new cathedral is hideous.

Though I must agree with this statement. Architecture isn't what it used to be nowadays.

[The Great RJ]

Perhaps it is time we have a married Catholic clergy. If the good Bishop had about 6 or 8 kids(maybe 10-12 as a real good Catholic)to support he would have a better sense of money and know what the poor schmucks sitting in the pews would have to sacrifice for this monstrosity.

My sainted Mother, a convert to Catholicism, always said the priests were very good at spending other people's money.

[mcenedo]

a "tad" high? $131 million - probably end up costing $250mm. A lot of sexual abuse cases could be settled with that money.

[madprof98]

Catholicism as a living faith is just about dead in all of California, and especially in the Bay Area. This sounds like a very expensive tombstone for it. Perhaps the bishop could include space for a pricey restaurant to serve the post-Christians who prefer to spend their Sunday mornings having brunch.

[Carry_Okie]

St. Mary's reminds me of a washing machine agitator.

[ishabibble]

Catholicsm isn't the only Christian faith on the critical list. Anyone can say what they will, but when you see a picture in the paper of a "priest" homosexual/pedophile these days, he's in shackles or a body bag. Not the golden robes of Gay Gene. It is very much like the article said, the people are no longer willing to remain silent. If they really need a new church out there, they should just buy one from the Boston Archdiocese. They're holding a fire sale on parish churches.

As far as the schools go, that's the new threat for Catholics. Bring back Catholic education before children forget how to read and write without spellcheck.

[stop_fascism]

Catholicism as a living faith is just about dead in all of California

And your evidence for that statment is?

[VOA]

Catholicism as a living faith is just about dead in all of California, and especially
in the Bay Area.

As a fly-over country Protestant re-located to Southern California, it doesn't
seem that way here.

While the sex scandals have revealed obvious lack of institutional control by
Mahoney and the sad fruits of seminaries actually becoming a conduit for
future gay priests going after underage children...
it sounds like a fair number of the parishoners are "standing fast" and
pushing for fixing problems...not heading for the exits.

I know my comments are naive as I'm not Catholic...but I get the feeling that
there will be a strong Catholic presence here...as long as there is a California.
And there will be ups and downs, just like for any chruch body.

Oh, and a side-note. The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine actually wrote a fairly
respectful article about "traditional" (Pre-Vatican II) Catholics in Southern Cal.
It appears that sector, while small, is growing.

[hgro]

The bay area needs to build an edifice to bring religion to all of the perverts there and to accommodate the Catholic church pedophile priests too.

[Cicero]

I have to agree with you. I've been to the Cathedral in San Francisco, and it is an atrocity. So is this new Oakland cathedral:

Yet another liberal bishop surrounded by trendy liturgist and trendy advisers, completely without taste, seeking to be remembered as the great founder of a great building.

When the dust settles, he will be remembered as a pig on an ego trip who left a hugely expensive abomination behind him. Maybe with good luck it will collapse in an earthquake (preferably not on Sunday) and the diocese will be able to replace it.

[VOA]

Thanks for the voice of reason.

Not a problem.
I've lived through the pain and confusion of church upsets, having grown up
in the mainstream Churches of Christ while the splinter group International Church
of Christ (ICOC) broke off.
The ICOC thought it had a cure to the somewhat sterile legalism of the mainstream group,
but the ICOC has finally started to crumble due to the overzealous push for near-maniacal
discipleship, bordering on mind-control. Some reconciliation between the sane
minds of both groups are now underway.
But all this created about 25 years of confusion and sadness for many people.

Thus you can see...even if Catholocism isn't my religional "cup of tea",
I feel your pain.

And following 9-11 and an increased exposure of the histories of Christianity
and Islam...I just have to thank the Roman Church for the fact that I'm
alive and not writing in Arabic and saving up to make a pilgrimage to Mecca!

[MegaSilver]

It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

[Paul_B]

$1200/ sq. ft. Wow.

[breakem]

Religious sisters from India, for example, are already coming to America and working with the poor and despised...........

I look for them when the despised get together in Boston this summer.

[tet68]

It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Oh well, add a minaret and it will make a fine mosque.