The Diocese of Orange has made a $50 million cash offer for a 3,000-seat Crystal Cathedral in Southern California that faces bankruptcy.
Diocesan spokesman Stephen Bohannon that local parishioners are pleased and “supportive” of the move.
The diocese announced earlier this month that it was reviewing options to meet the needs of the 1.2 million Catholics in Orange County, the 11th largest diocese in the USA.
Although it has been planning for over 10 years to build a new, 2,500-seat cathedral in Santa Ana, the diocese has only hired an architect for the project and is now considering converting the bankrupt church in Garden Grove – The Crystal Cathedral – an architectural landmark made with over 10,000 panes of glass and designed by the late Philip Johnson – would be an instant solution to the diocese’s building needs and would cost roughly half the $100 million price tag for the planned cathedral.
“Regardless of the final outcome, this offer and its enabling process are important developments in the history of the Diocese of Orange,” Bishop Tod D. Brown said on July 22.
A statement from the diocese’s liturgist, Monsignor Arthur Holquin, who said that several changes would need to take place in order for the Crystal Cathedral to become a Catholic worship space. Along with a central altar, a tabernacle and a baptismal font, the building would need a “Cathedra” or bishop’s chair.
Msgr. Holquin said that although Crystal Cathedral “is not a highly liturgical space in the traditional sense,” the Diocese of Orange considers it a “clean palette.”
While renovations are needed, “not much deconstruction would be required and the iconic personality of the original architecture and design would, for the most part, be retained.”
Not only is the organ “one of the finest in the country,” the liturgist added, the “quality of light and its allegory is consistent with the enlightenment of Christ,” and “there is ample gathering space for worship and celebration.”
Once the renovations are finished, the transition would require a solemn dedication by the bishop. Msgr. Holquin said the ceremony includes anointing the altar and walls, burning incense to signify the sacrifice of Christ, and celebrating a first Eucharist.
The Crystal Cathedral, founded by pastor Robert H. Schuller, filed for bankruptcy last October. The church decided to file for Chapter 11 after some of its creditors sued for payment, according to church officials.
Documents from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Santa Ana show that hundreds of creditors could be owed between $50 million and $100 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Schuller has faced controversy over accusations of nepotism and not disclosing financial details to other senior church members. A new petition, which now has 273 church member signatures, has called for a “truly independent board.”
Bishop Brown has followed the news of the Crystal Cathedral bankruptcy proceedings with “concern” and is interested in the “landmark church remaining a functional part of the liturgical landscape for the region,” he said in a statement earlier this month.
“When I first heard of their financial difficulties, I was distressed,” he said last week “Crystal Cathedral Ministries has been a valued religious resource for many, many years in Orange County.”
Construction on the church building began in 1977 and was completed in 1980 at a cost of $18 million.
The diocese’s cash proposal of $50 million would also allow the Garden Grove church to lease portions of the property for 36 months, the LA Times says. At the end of the lease, each ministry would be assisted by the diocese in finding a new location.
“The vision, skills and eloquence of the many lay advisors I rely upon for counsel have resulted in a bid that respects the legacy Rev. Schuller worked so hard to establish,” Bishop Brown said.
Robert Schuller has been re-elected to the board of the bankrupt church where his daughter is the lead pastor. Whether or not recovery is possible remains to be seen.