Te Deum laudamus!: New Cathedral in Los Angeles and Speculation about Archbishop of Detroit

Thursday, September 25, 2008

New Cathedral in Los Angeles and Speculation about Archbishop of Detroit

Rocco Palmo who writes for the UK Tablet from America, has a piece up on his blog about the dedication today of the Oakland's new Cathedral of Christ the Light. This modern architecture has sparked considerable discussion on the web and has drawn plenty of jabs in the blogosphere. Rocco's headline for the blogpost - In Oakland, Liftoff - gave me a chuckle and I knew instinctively before reading a word that it had to do something with that cathedral.

This style of architecture is not my cup of tea, in fact, I would probably find it difficult to lift my thoughts to God in such an environment. However, there are some good and interesting things to note. At the bottom of this post you can see a video which walks you through the architecture and grounds. I highly recommend watching it through to the end.

We are reminded about the 1989 earthquake which destroyed the older, traditional cathedral named after St. Francis de Sales. The video points out that the nearly 600,000 Catholics in the diocese have been without a cathedral....until now.

I said there were some good and interesting things to note, if you can get past the architecture. They preserved original church art salvaged from the destroyed buildings and refurbished. I don't know if any of it is in the main cathedral or elsewhere on the property. There is more than just the church. The site includes a mausoleum which is available to Catholics in the diocese. It also has a kitchen they plan to use to feed the poor, and a place where the uninsured can find healthcare. I don't know if this will be a volunteer effort, or what, but I've not heard of a medical clinic housed within parish grounds before. As i said, "interesting".

I could not see the Tabernacle in the video, but it was mentioned in the context of having space for up to 75 people to pray before Our Lord. I kept waiting as I watched the video to see where the Blessed Sacrament is kept. It appears to be in a central location, not cast off to the side, but I can't be sure and have not seen any other pictures on the web. It's a sign of the times, and perhaps a sign of the work our bishops need to do to assist the faithful in understanding that the Eucharist is the Source and Summit. When we first enter a Catholic church or cathedral, the first thing we should do is to look for the Blessed Sacrament and greet our Lord. And, so it should be when such videos are produced.

SPECULATION: VIGNERON HEADED TO DETROIT?
Bishop Allen Vigneron of Oakland, formerly an auxiliary bishop of Detroit, inherited the project which got underway in 2000, when he took the helm in 2003. It is interesting to note that Rocco makes a connection between this dedication Mass and Cardinal Maida's approaching 79th birthday early next year at the very bottom of his post:

On an in-house note, with Cardinal Adam Maida approaching his 79th birthday early next year, there are those who maintain that today's rites won't just open the doors to Oakland's new mother-church, but the long-delayed appointment of a new archbishop of Detroit... since today's a day to celebrate what is, though, more on the rest later.

However, I have my doubts about Bishop Vigneron taking the helm in Detroit, but the timing would seem right. There had been rumors that an appointment would be made this fall - September/October time frame. Among others rumored have been Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark back in 2006, Archbishop Chaput (whom I personally believe will end up in New York), and Bishop Wenski of Orlando. This means it will probably be someone that no one ever heard of.

Ok - now the promised video of Oakland's new Cathedral.