Posted on 05/08/2004 11:44:19 AM PDT by MegaSilver
BISHOP ALLEN VIGNERON, shepherd of the Roman Catholic Diocese, heard something he didn't like from his flock about Diocesan plans for the 17-story Christ the Light Cathedral last week at a community meeting.
These were not sheep-like Catholics, and they knew the scriptures.
What the bishop heard was a respectful bleating. "Baaaaa ..."
Several who spoke said the $131 million price tag for building the cathedral complex should instead be spent on the poor and homeless as taught by Jesus Christ and the Bible.
The proposed soaring edifice would be a "symbol of wealth and the pride of man," said one critic, asserting he knew of no one who had been asked for an opinion about the building.
Another speaker said, "I will be ashamed to enter the Cathedral if $131 million is spent to build it. That's money that should help the poor and
homeless. Our priorities are wrong."
Vigneron seemed dismayed but not discouraged, and launched a defense that there's a need for a stronger Catholic presence in downtown Oakland to "sanctify, educate and serve."
Cost of the 110,000-square-foot site, previously approved by the city for an office building, was $30 million. The cathedral design calls for a glass veil to reflect sunlight and glow in the dark. Thirty-three existing trees on the vacant site will be removed and replaced with new ones.
An unusual use of the ground under the cathedral will be a mausoleum where deceased Catholics could be interred for $1,600. For those who prefer cremation -- permissible under new rules of the Vatican -- there will be 6,000 spaces for urns of ashes. The money will be used to offset cathedral expenses,
Underground mausoleums are common in Europe and in some older U.S. churches such as the California missions. But none has such large spaces reserved for the dead as this sizable underground cemetery.
The bishop said there is a need to establish a "strong identity and sense of unity" in the Diocese, which covers Alameda and Contra Costa counties with extremely diverse populations.
He maintained the cathedral will be a parish, as well as a gathering place for the 500,000 Catholics in the diocese. Vigneron said the cathedral will be completed in 2006, and the entire complex of buildings could be completed by 2007. Of the $131 million, $80 million is for the sanctuary building.
The complex will include a new rectory, chancery offices, a conference center, a 200-seat chapel, cafe and bookstore and a 200-car parking garage expected to create revenue of $300,000 a year. The present chancery office on Lakeshore Drive and the rectory on 21st Street will be sold.
After Vigneron left the session midway to prepare for a trip to Rome, John McDonnell, Oakland attorney and choir director of the celebrated St. Francis de Sales choir, answered questions. He was assisted by Lee Nordlund, both volunteers with the project. The two men are leaders of 150 select Catholics who have participated in the Holy Names committee, previously known under former Bishop John Cummins as the Cathedral Project.
As for the anticipated core congregation, Vigneron said members of St. Mary's/St. Francis Church on Jefferson Street will move to the cathedral and become the new parish. With such a spectacular building, many Catholic and non-Catholic visitors are also expected.
But an active parishioner of St. Mary's said most people who attend are poor Vietnamese who say they would feel uncomfortable worshipping in a grand building like Christ the Light. They prefer the old St. Mary's.
A woman who lives three blocks from Grand Avenue and Harrison Street declared she would never become a member of the parish, preferring to remain in her present parish, Our Lady of Lourdes on Lakeshore Drive, where the meeting was held. About 60 people attended.
Vigneron spoke of the Forest City uptown development of 1,000 residences yet to be started that will generate new members for the cathedral parish.
Anticipating questions about his decision to close three Catholic schools, Vigneron said the Christ the Light Cathedral is not being built at the expense of the schools. They are being closed because of the quality of education, changes in the community, low enrollment and financial instability, said the bishop. The two issues are completely separate financially, he said.
The project is on its way with $65 million already pledged by a foundation whose name the bishop said would not be made public until a future date.
On May 23 at 3 p.m., Bishop Vigneron will bless the ground at the Grand and Harrison site. Everyone is invited to attend.
E-mail Peggy Stinnett at pstinnett@angnewspapers.com.
The self-same man.
Even though this is my diocese I will try never to enter this building!
That's contrary to Canon Law. Vigneron could simply overrule him, if he chose, and Cummins wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Such a waste of funds! There are so many parishes like yours and mine that could benefit from only 1% of the estimated cost of this construction, to turn out a lovely refurbished church. And one, that would be filled with dignity, reverence and total respect for the Holy Eucharist!
What an atrocious and unnecessary waste of money!
Would you mind pinging me when you post it?
There are many problems for Bishop Vigneron in that diocese, and it's going to be very hard for him to fix them. Some parishes have cut off all contact with the diocese. Some employees of the diocese basically pretend the bishop is not there.
Yes, my wife was raised in a convent in Bombay for which I am eternally grateful. They taught her English and Latin, gave her a decent education, and instilled in her the true charitable meaning of Catholicism. Growing up here, I missed the Latin, and she had to translate the phrase at the end of your post for me.
Regarding the Temple to Materialism, I am appalled, but then we live in a mobile home and flamboyance always shocks us. I find myself secretly hoping that they are skimping on the earthquake reinforcements. They could save a lot of money by importing a plastic version of the Cathedral from China without diminishing the overall tawdriness of the presentation.
I know the Vatican wasn't built in a day or for a dollar, but it seems the magnificence and permanence of the seat of the Religion makes it a very special architectural case.
Call the Maytag repairman!
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