From the Sun Herald:
"LOS ANGELES — The former
Crystal Cathedral will close to the public as it undergoes a
transformation from a space built as a television studio as much as a
sanctuary into the spiritual home for the Orange County Catholic
community of more than 1.2 million people.
Beginning Sunday,
the newly named Christ Cathedral will be closed for construction as
crews launch a $29 million effort to restore the more than
75,000-square-foot space.
The Diocese of Orange has been
working with liturgical consultants and architects to modify the church
built in the vision of the Rev. Robert Schuller into one that meets the
requirements of a Catholic cathedral.
"The beauty and
inspiration evoked by the cathedral grounds and its architecture are
only surpassed by the extraordinary communities of faith that now call
this campus home," Bishop Kevin Vann said in a statement. "The cathedral
will be an international center of faith and evangelization, a vessel
for the love of God, a beacon of faith, a home for neighbor and
traveler, and a sanctuary for the human spirit."
The bishop
announced in September that two architectural firms, Johnson Fain and
Rios Clementi Hale Studios, had been selected to lead the design
process.
The architects said they want to create a sense of
cohesion among a cluster of buildings on the campus, created by
different designers with varying ideas. Their intent is to make it clear
the campus is a spiritual place, welcoming to a diverse Catholic
community as well as people of other faiths.
"You need to
start those kind of experiences as you're pulling into the parking lot,"
architect Mark Rios said at the time of the announcement. "It shouldn't
feel like you're at the mall. You're on a journey to a sacred
cathedral."
Catholic scholars said the church has converted
the temples of other faiths, and even secular spaces, into cathedrals.
But in more modern times, the project stands as a rarity, as it is
believed to be the first Protestant megachurch to become a Catholic
cathedral, the primary church within a diocese."
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