St. Vibiana's Cathedral
Plans for a Cathedral in Los Angles began as early as 1859. Eventually, the Cathedral on Main and Second Streets was built and dedicated to St. Vibiana in 1876 by Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany of San Francisco, and completed four years and $80,000 later....
The plans announced in January, 1995 were to remain at the historic site of St. Vibiana's Cathedral. The old Cathedral, ravaged by earthquakes over the years, and closed since May, 1995 because of damage sustained during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, was to be torn down, and a new Cathedral Church was to be built on that general site....
The Archdiocese's engineers and contractors estimated that it would cost a minimum of eighteen to twenty million to save the old structure.
That's right -- because Cardinal Mahony refused to spend $18 - 20 million to restore the beautiful old earthquake-damaged cathedral, he instead spent $200 million of Los Angeles parishoners' money to build the "Taj Mahony" and this "Vibiana Place" will become a performing arts center, library, etc.
Old St. Vibiana Cathedral, 1876
Main and 2nd
Hold the holy water
Reader Michael Z. writes he isn't sure whether to laugh or get a headache over this TCR apologia for the Taj Mahony.
Still, even Oceania had to have a re-write department in the Ministry of Truth, for this little piece of anti-INGSOC thinking gets into the article: The writer is disappointed that there are no Holy Water fonts for people to bless themselves with as they enter But no bad thoughts allowed :
"But I've decided to give the Cardinal a pass on this one, for now, because it's obvious that they are still doing a lot of work, so maybe those will be installed later."
I've been directing people to your blog for the LA Times quote that Mahony was taking credit for every single detail of the Cathedral, even the light bulbs on the freight elevator ! But OOPS ! The whole idea of HOLY WATER slipped his mind. I guess the freight elevator chewed up so much of his time, that he hasn't gotten around to the Holy Water yet ...
The whole Holy Water font issue shouldn't trouble us, because, TCR assures us, ROME WILL TAKE CARE OF IT IN GOOD TIME (i.e., as Fr. McCloskey says, "check back in a thousand years" )
There you have it -- The Voice of Orthodox Catholicism at the Dawn of the 21st Century: "So what if there are no Holy Water fonts?"
Instead of taking any action, we are supposed to wait around for Vatican III...
An interesting -- and quite telling -- detail to leave out of a micro-managed $195-million cathedral. So now worshipers entering the church have taken to blessing themselves from the Jacuzzi baptismal font.
A question: To what does one genuflect upon entering the pew when the Blessed Sacrament is over in a corner somewhere?
Each other, one supposes, in the new Church of Me.
9/6/02 3:58 PM
(Someone please post)
This cathedral could have been restored with $18-20 million!
This was written in 12/00. I wonder if any of these were ever located, or did Mahony sell them on eBay.
Anyone wish to conjecture a guess as to which (if any) liturgical change he was referring to? I do recall reading somewhere that a mad rush by several bishops occurred during that time frame, to "renovate" or "build" cathedrals. Here in Albany, NY, the bishop raised monies to "restore" the cathedral.
Banshee attack! What a jerk Mahony is! (And I really want to use other words!)
If only it all could have ended there and the St. Vibiana Cathedral be rebuilt.