California’s famed Crystal Cathedral — once the home of the late evangelical pastor Robert Schuller’s famed “Hour of Power” TV show — has been purchased by the local Catholic diocese and re-dedicated following a two-year, $72.3 million renovation, according to a new report.
The 78,000-square-foot structure, made of 11,000 panes of glass, is now known as Christ Church — the center of the Roman Catholic Church in Orange County, and the seat of Bishop Keith W. Vann, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Beginning on Saturday, the sanctuary will celebrate 11 weekend masses in four languages — English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin — rector and episcopal vicar Father Christopher Smith told the paper. More than 12,000 worshippers are expected to gather there.
“The cathedral stands as a physical sign of unity of the 62 parishes in the Diocese of Orange,” Smith said. “We’re kind of the center of town for Orange County Catholics and others.”
As part of the extensive renovation, “quatrefoils” — specially designed window shades that control sunlight — have been added to give the interior an “ethereal look,” Smith told the paper.
The cathedral also now includes many traditional markers of a Catholic church — a marble platform and altar; a 1,000-pound crucifix hanging above it; the bishop’s chair, known as a cathedra; an ambo, where the Scriptures are read aloud; a chapel where visitors can pray in front of the Eucharist; chapels where confessions are heard; and an octagonal baptistery, according to the report.
It also features a hand-painted mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known as the patroness of the Diocese of Orange and the Americas.
The old Crystal Cathedral, designed by Postmodern architect Philip Johnson, earned the title of the largest glass building in the world upon its completion 39 years ago, the Times reported.
Smith told the paper the diocese worked hard to preserve the legacy of the original cathedral — and Schuller.
“We see ourselves as continuing in the footsteps of a great Christian preacher who built Christ Cathedral in the first place,” Smith said.