An article written by a person with apparently little knowledge of the situation in the Diocese of Orange. I lived in this diocese for 24 years. It was spun off from the LA Archdiocese, and one of its existing larger Catholic parish churches, was turned into a cathedral. It was totally inadequate.
An opportunity to secure an existing house of worship that is 4 times the capacity, plus office and meeting space which will meet the diocese needs for a long time was a near miracle, especially considering the price.
The location is central to the entire diocese. I am confident the diocese has the ability to convert this facility into a beautiful Catholic cathedral. Certainly, it will be a far more fitting cathedral than the one built in LA by Cardinal Mahoney.
As to the Rev. Schuller, I wonder how many Catholic priests could have accomplished what he did building-wise. Plus, fill it to capacity every Sunday.
He’s speaking above and beyond the situation in Orange. He is disregarding the pragmatism of the decision, which is central to your defense of this atrium. His concern is for the faith, for how it shapes our churches, how it influences the future. Pragmatism solves a practical problem right now in the most efficient way. To hell with pragmatism, I say! It rears its ugly head everywhere in the life of our Church, and we should resist it at every turn.
thanks for your insights. It’s always good to hear from someone on the ground