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.
Sounds like schism.
I don't feel building a Cathedral is a venture that warrants sparing any expense. We are, after all, called to give God our best; why not go all-out with the architecture dedicated to the worship of Him?
That said, we are also called upon to be good stewards of what God has entrusted us with, and the Cathedral as designed is a tacky waste of money. Those responsible ought to be ashamed to have such a deliberately and purposelessly ugly object consecrated unto God. I'm pretty sure they can build something MUCH nicer-looking with the same or less money.
And all this time I was thinking there was no way anyone would pay me $137 million for taking a dump in the middle of a big city.
It's amazing what you learn every day...
http://www.stjosephsmen.com/brochures/cummins/Attachment00097855/Cummins25%20Years.pdf
At the end of this brochure, it says, "Beg the Holy Father to appoint a strong, orthodox, and holy bishop to replace John Cummins in the Diocese of Oakland. Tell the Holy Father and Cardinal Prefects of the abuse and heresy we suffer here and why they cannot risk appointing another renegade bishop." Apparently, that prayer has been answered... but Cummins' influence still lives on, unfortunately.
ACK! Make that Bishop Cummins.
Helping the poor is a venture that warrants sparing no expense.
Worship of God is an activity that can take place in a tent or under the open sky.
God already built his Cathedrals -- the Universe and the planets.
Worship of God is an activity that can take place in a tent or under the open sky.
God already built his Cathedrals -- the Universe and the planets.
Yes, certainly. But God also gave us the gifts of creativity and artisticism. Why not make something beautiful to consecrate unto Him? And besides, a Cathedral can (and should) be used to serve the poor. That's not its PRIMARY purpose, but it is one of the incidental purposes.
Met Michael in February at Latin Mass conference in Monterey and own two of his books. Highly recommended!
Have a Blessed Sabbath Day.
This whole thing reminds me of an observation in Parkinson's Law (First law: "The amount of work expands to fill the time available.") It was in regard to companies, not churches, but he says that it's the overcrowded, messy offices that indicate a growing company; it's when they move into the sleek new office building, with huge executive offices, glass desk tops, etc., that you can figure the company is on a downward course. They don't have enough of their real work to do, so they concentrate on status symbols, etc.
That's a cathedral? It looks more like a nuclear plant.
Hmmm... so, its like this giant white albetros hanging around his neck, so to speak?
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