Bishop gets earful on new Cathedral

Oakland Tribune ^ | 08 May 2004 | Peggy Stinnett

[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.

[MegaSilver]

While $131 million does seem a tad high, I can't think that making the Church more visible in the Bay Area would be a bad idea.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

The design for the new cathedral is hideous.

The new cathedral in SF and planned one in Oakland could accurately be described as the abomination and the desolation.

[MegaSilver]

The new cathedral in SF and planned one in Oakland could accurately be described as the abomination and the desolation.

A doctor does not come for the well, but for the sick...

[MegaSilver]

The design for the new cathedral is hideous.

Though I must agree with this statement. Architecture isn't what it used to be nowadays.

[The Great RJ]

Perhaps it is time we have a married Catholic clergy. If the good Bishop had about 6 or 8 kids(maybe 10-12 as a real good Catholic)to support he would have a better sense of money and know what the poor schmucks sitting in the pews would have to sacrifice for this monstrosity.

My sainted Mother, a convert to Catholicism, always said the priests were very good at spending other people's money.

[mcenedo]

a "tad" high? $131 million - probably end up costing $250mm. A lot of sexual abuse cases could be settled with that money.

[madprof98]

Catholicism as a living faith is just about dead in all of California, and especially in the Bay Area. This sounds like a very expensive tombstone for it. Perhaps the bishop could include space for a pricey restaurant to serve the post-Christians who prefer to spend their Sunday mornings having brunch.

[Carry_Okie]

St. Mary's reminds me of a washing machine agitator.

[ishabibble]

Catholicsm isn't the only Christian faith on the critical list. Anyone can say what they will, but when you see a picture in the paper of a "priest" homosexual/pedophile these days, he's in shackles or a body bag. Not the golden robes of Gay Gene. It is very much like the article said, the people are no longer willing to remain silent. If they really need a new church out there, they should just buy one from the Boston Archdiocese. They're holding a fire sale on parish churches.

As far as the schools go, that's the new threat for Catholics. Bring back Catholic education before children forget how to read and write without spellcheck.

[stop_fascism]

Catholicism as a living faith is just about dead in all of California

And your evidence for that statment is?

[VOA]

Catholicism as a living faith is just about dead in all of California, and especially
in the Bay Area.

As a fly-over country Protestant re-located to Southern California, it doesn't
seem that way here.

While the sex scandals have revealed obvious lack of institutional control by
Mahoney and the sad fruits of seminaries actually becoming a conduit for
future gay priests going after underage children...
it sounds like a fair number of the parishoners are "standing fast" and
pushing for fixing problems...not heading for the exits.

I know my comments are naive as I'm not Catholic...but I get the feeling that
there will be a strong Catholic presence here...as long as there is a California.
And there will be ups and downs, just like for any chruch body.

Oh, and a side-note. The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine actually wrote a fairly
respectful article about "traditional" (Pre-Vatican II) Catholics in Southern Cal.
It appears that sector, while small, is growing.

[hgro]

The bay area needs to build an edifice to bring religion to all of the perverts there and to accommodate the Catholic church pedophile priests too.

[Cicero]

I have to agree with you. I've been to the Cathedral in San Francisco, and it is an atrocity. So is this new Oakland cathedral:

Yet another liberal bishop surrounded by trendy liturgist and trendy advisers, completely without taste, seeking to be remembered as the great founder of a great building.

When the dust settles, he will be remembered as a pig on an ego trip who left a hugely expensive abomination behind him. Maybe with good luck it will collapse in an earthquake (preferably not on Sunday) and the diocese will be able to replace it.

[VOA]

Thanks for the voice of reason.

Not a problem.
I've lived through the pain and confusion of church upsets, having grown up
in the mainstream Churches of Christ while the splinter group International Church
of Christ (ICOC) broke off.
The ICOC thought it had a cure to the somewhat sterile legalism of the mainstream group,
but the ICOC has finally started to crumble due to the overzealous push for near-maniacal
discipleship, bordering on mind-control. Some reconciliation between the sane
minds of both groups are now underway.
But all this created about 25 years of confusion and sadness for many people.

Thus you can see...even if Catholocism isn't my religional "cup of tea",
I feel your pain.

And following 9-11 and an increased exposure of the histories of Christianity
and Islam...I just have to thank the Roman Church for the fact that I'm
alive and not writing in Arabic and saving up to make a pilgrimage to Mecca!

[MegaSilver]

It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

[Paul_B]

$1200/ sq. ft. Wow.

[breakem]

Religious sisters from India, for example, are already coming to America and working with the poor and despised...........

I look for them when the despised get together in Boston this summer.

[tet68]

It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Oh well, add a minaret and it will make a fine mosque.