November 27, 2016

People worldwide invited to ‘digitally dedicate’ cathedral’s glass panels

NATIONAL
By Catholic News Service

In this 2013 file photo, people pray for immigration reform against the backdrop of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., in the Diocese of Orange. People all over the world are being invited to “digitally dedicate” one of the cathedral’s 11,236 glass window panes. (CNS photo/Tim Rue) 

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (CNS) — A Catholic foundation based in the Diocese of Orange is inviting people all over the world to “digitally dedicate” one of the 11,236 glass window panes in the Diocese of Orange’s Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove.

Christ Cathedral is the former Crystal Cathedral, a landmark church established in 1981 by the late Rev. Robert Schuller, the famed televangelist. The Orange Diocese finalized its purchase of the cathedral and the surrounding campus in 2012 and took possession of the cathedral property in September 2013.

Renamed Christ Cathedral, the church building has been undergoing extensive interior renovation to make it suitable for Catholic worship. Upgrades and renovations to the campus itself also are ongoing.

To raise funds to help with those costs and establish an endowment for ongoing maintenance of the cathedral and campus, the Orange Catholic Foundation has launched the dedication of glass panels project, calling it Heavenly Lights. For a donation, people can “virtually” dedicate a panel. Information about the various donation levels is available at www.heavenlylights.org.

“These gifts of Heavenly Lights enable people to be a part of the transformation of Christ Cathedral,” said Cynthia Bobruk, the foundation’s executive director, said in a news release about the fundraising effort. “We see them as a beautiful way to honor loved ones and milestone events with a permanent place in our worship space.”

Donors can choose a glass panel from among the various sections of the cathedral, which have been named in honor of these saints: Michael the Archangel, Teresa of Kolkata, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius, Patrick, Augustine, Teresa of Avila, Anthony of Padua, Therese of Lisieux and Thomas More.

Donation amounts range from $40 to $10,000. Donors will receive a certificate of authenticity, a letter of thanks from Orange Bishop Kevin W. Vann and a prayer intention, to be offered at the Epiphany Mass Jan. 8. Those giving $100 or more also receive a Christmas season holiday ornament, the foundation said.

In addition to renovations to the cathedral, ongoing work is being done on the 34-acre campus and its seven buildings, which have had to be upgraded to meet modern earthquake and energy efficiency standards. The diocesan pastoral center, a Catholic school and a worship site called the Arboretum are now located on the site. The site also is now home to the West Coast studios of the Eternal Word Television Network.