You have heard that the Diocese of Orange (in California) acquired for their new cathedral the well-known “Crystal Cathedral” which was a protestant mega-church.
Think what you want about the building, it’s done now. It may be that some surprisingly good fruits could come from this new tree. Time will tell.
In any event, you can offer names for the new cathedral. It needs a real name, after all.
The Diocese of Orange has a page where you can make suggestions. If you do go, please make a serious suggestion.
Go HERE.
UPDATE:
Even in their jesting, people are showing how effected they have been by the trend to name parishes after some concept or doctrine rather than a saint. Yes, in yesteryear we named parishes “Transfiguration” and “Incarnation”, etc.
Perhaps the new Cathedral could be given a pro-life symbol as patroness: St. Gianna Beretta Molla? Read about the 2nd miracle for her cause here.
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Cathedral of St. Luke
(patron saint of glass workers)
Our Lady of Unheeded Counsel
Christ Our Light
Our Lady of Perpendicular Lines.
I was thinking Christ the Light too. But then I remembered they already have one of those in Oakland up the road.
Cathedral of the Co-Redemptrix :)
Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lord
(since He was born “as light passes through glass”)
Sort of echoing threej and eulogos, I suggested to his Excellency “Our Lady of Light.”
Three reasons:
1. Christ is the Light of the world, and given there is the “Cathedral of Christ the Light” in Oakland, the parallel would be to invoke our Lady, and there would be all sorts of inter-diocesan motifs and inspirations that can come from it.
2. Invoking the help of Our Lady in this time of need.
3. The light let into the physical structure provides a whole range of devotions to the Lord and our Lady as salt and light, Lumen Gentium, light of the Gentiles, light of men’s darkened souls, etc. Plus, since it is an approved apparition, you could also foster devotion to the Vision at Zeitoun, where Mary is invoked as Our Lady of Light.
New Church of the Presumptuous Assumption
(Seriously)
Sigh…
Church of the Transfiguration.
Our Lady Queen of Skyscrapers. ^_^
Cathedral of Saints Nunilo & Alodia! :o)
While I’m tempted to suggest The Cathedral of Babel, I will go with Cathedral of the Transfiguration.
Our Lady of Waterford
(when they made Irish crystal in that Irish city).
The property there, though, encompasses much more than the cathedral–in the picture you can see a highrise office building and more modern educational building and there is the former church that is multipurpose. There is tremendous amount of land for parking, there is a beautiful cemetery (although those there are probably turning in their grace) and very beautiful and some what Catholic looking outdoor bronze sculptures, huge ones great for outdoor meditation. I believe all diocesan offices will be there as well as a Catholic school. I think it has great potential and would love to see an artist’s dream of how it would look when the interior is configured for Holy Mass and other Cathedral liturgies.
As I heard someone else describe his town’s ecclesiastical architecture recently, it’s like UFO’s attacking the junior college.
Cathedral of Jesus, Light of the World
Sankt Nikolas, Patron of Schuelers Cathedral?
St. Dorothy of Casesarea.
The reason: she is the patron saint of fruit.
Diocese of Orange.
Orange is a fruit.
Cathedrals are often named for patrons.
Cathedrals are often named for fruit.
Oranges are a patron.
Valid. Sound. St. Dorothy of Caesarea. Patron saint of fruit.
WoOt!!!
jasoncpetty, Mike Morrow, LOL!! These people are MUCH too serious here. Be serious on the Orange diocesan site, not here, everybody. We need an afternoon laugh.
Our Lady of Oz.
Cathedral of St. Symeon (for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, a light of revelation to the Gentiles…)
Do NOT Cast The First Stone Cathedral.
St. Bill Gates Basilica (patron saint of “Windows”)
The Sham-Wow Cathedral
If I am ready the news reports correctly, the sellers of the Crystal Cathedral asked that the new name be Christocentric – and not Marian or a saint. I believe we are bound to respect their wishes.
St. Peter Canisius, Hammer of Protestantism. I like the idea of a hammer close to a (now former) protestant mega-church glass building.
Since Schuller’s ministry started with a drive-in church, and since freeways are such an essential part of Southern California, it is only natural that it should be called “Cathedral of St. Christopher of the Free Way”
Can churches have a bit of Latin in their names? “Lumen Christi Cathedral”.
Cathedral of St. Stephen.
For those of you who are a little slow, remember the method by which St. Stephen was martyred…
@ MarkJ: Didn’t they remove Christopher from the OF calendar…if I am remembering correctly, I doubt they would use his patronage.
In all seriousness, I suggested “Cathedral of Divine Mercy”.
Cathedral of Ineffable Refulgence
Mary, Mirror of Justice
The ‘Lemon’ ?
Sorry, i just couldn’t resist it. ‘Christ the Light of the World’ is probably the most appropriate but too strong a linking between earthly light and the light of Christ makes me uncomfortable. Imagine all that glass eventually replaced with stained glass – not in some abstract pattern but in an iconographic order. Well one can dream…
I suggested ‘Lumen Christi’ although whatever its official name it will probably end up with a nickname like Liverpool Cathedral which soon became known as Paddy’s Wigwam for obvious reasons.
If the sellers wished to restrict the title to something Christological, surely the “best” way to respect that is with one of the more Cartholic mysteries of our Lord, like Corpus Christi, or the Most Precious Blood, or the Sacred Heart.
pelerin – as far as a popular nickname, surely it’s most likely to just keep the one it’s already got.
I’ll make the same suggestion I made on Deacon Greg Kandra’s blog. Since they specifically want a Christ-related name, and since it is being transformed from a Protestant church to a Catholic one, I suggest Cathedral of the Transfiguration.
PS — as for “light” references, isn’t the Transfiguration one of the Luminous Mysteries?
Let’s just change a couple of letters: Christ-El Cathedral
I was going to suggest Our Lady of Wisdom, but then saw that “Bishop Brown has asked that any suggested name have a “Christological” relevance, that is, the name must refer to the nature and person of Christ or to his activities as illustrated by the gospels.”
My real suggestion was Cathedral of the Lamb of God…non serious suggestion Glass Pitcher Cathedral
Our Lady, Hammer of Heretics probably wouldn’t be too ecumenical, would it? Holy Martyrs of the Counter-Reformation? oops, not that either.
How about St. Humility of Faenza
If the name should be Christocentric, then you can’t get more Christocentric than calling it Corpus Christi Cathedral.
Of course it would thoroughly confuse most Protestants and the secular world:-)
The Big and Shiny, Happy Clappy, Wing Ding Space for Jesus Christ or the Object of Reverence of Other People of Faith
While I have always had a bit of respect for the Rev. Schuller, I cannot but help find it troubling that we would even entertain such a request to limit the name of a “Catholic” cathedral.
The Spaniards after the Reconquista never acceded to such demands, I do not think. And certainly the Turks were not so gracious when Constantinople fell.
So I would recommend the following names:
– Our Lady of Victory
– The Most Blessed Sacrament
– English Martyrs
– St. Anthony of Padua, hammer of heretics
– St. Pius X
– St. Francis de Sales
Kiwiinamerica – hysterical!
More Serious: Agnus Dei Cathedral, Cathedral of Our Lord Scourged at the Pillar, Cathedral of the Holy Name, Cathedral Via Dolorosa, Cathedral Ut Unum Sint;
Less Serious: Cathedral of the Lost Sheep, Cathedral of the Prodigal Son, Pearl of Great Price Cathedral, Cathedral Shrine of the Holy Whapping.
Which of those Buildings in the Church, again?
Area 51
CatholicCaliGirl – the bluish structure between the two towers is the church building proper.
Santo Formo secundum Munum
(Our genial host is welcome to correct my Latin, if it’s not too awful to parse.)
Where is Christo when we need him?
Just a couple more:
– Cathedral of the Divine Office (Park),
– Fortress of Solitude,
– (since it’s in the municipality of Garden Grove) Cathedral of the Divine Agony
Many good suggestions here. But I was also thinking of “The Most Blessed Sacrament”
how about: Our Lady of Windextrics
Cathedral of the Transfiguration is the name that sounds best to me; Christ Our Light Cathedral is also nice.
I personally LOVE the massive amount of light in this building and think it will become a stunningly beautiful Catholic Church with the right art. I’d love to see all the statues inside done in Bronze. An Artist in Kerrville TX did a stunning life size of Jesus washing Peter’s feet that I thought was one of the best modern pieces of religious art I have ever seen– easily as lovely as anything I saw in Paris museums. Although if the statues were done in white marble that could be lovely as well.
I think this has potential to be something truly beautiful that will inspire the person who enters to be reverent and awed by the Glory of God.
I just put in Christ the Pantocrator
Lumen Christi
Cathedral of Pope St. Pius V
The ideas are limited the Christological titles.
St. Logan the Runner
It needs an enormous, opulent Roman altar, and copious amounts of traditional art, especially life-like statues with vivid color, detail. Lots of Angels. Then it could hope to feel Catholic…. I’m not holding my breath though.
I would name it after Saint Mary Magdalene; I think she’s a saint oft overlooked and very much needed today.
Castellum Solitudo
I think a church should have a patron saint and this one needs serious protection, so I would say St Michael the Archangel, a simple and powerful name. Much needed if so many people go there.
It is plain glassy!
Is Orange County Shopping Mall already taken?
In the diocese newsletter it says, “Bishop Brown has determined that the name will be Christological and not in use by another U.S. cathedral”.
Seems that Bishop Brown is very liberal so the whacky names for the cathedral stand a good chance of being picked.
Is there any Catholic cathedral which does not have a ‘Christological’ name? Would naming it after Our Lady or the Saints make it not ‘Christological’ ?
How about:
1. Hagia Sophia (we’ve missed that name for too long) ….or….
2. St Robert Bellarmine (the hammer of heretics) ;-)
kiwiinamerica says:
9 February 2012 at 2:14 pm
Do NOT Cast The First Stone Cathedral.
St. Bill Gates Basilica (patron saint of “Windows”)
The Sham-Wow Cathedral
FOR kiwiinamerica: You win for the most witty and funniest suggestions hands down!
As for me,
Silly suggestions : Crystal Lite Cathedral
Let the Son Shine In Cathedral
Hot House Heaven
St. Transparency
Cathedral of the Visible and Invisible
Seriously: Lumen Christo Rey
Vista Clara
Transfiguration
Resurrection
If the diocese wants a name not used by another Church or Cathedral, how about a name after a Vatican Document—Dominus Iesus? Might encourage diocesan workers and members to read it. And, it is Christological….
The Cube and the Cathedral
The Spirit of Vatican XXIX
As a building it is already better than the new Cathedral in Los Angeles. It does have a very fine organ, but really terrible acoustics — witnessed by the loudspeakers built into each of the original chairs in the building. The architect is going to have to do something to improve the acoustics, as well as producing a practically usable sanctuary for Roman Catholic Liturgy.
There should be a way of establishing a ‘iconostasis’ (using a similar ‘order and arrangement’ as found in Greek Catholic and Orthodox Churches) behind the sanctuary area to focus attention and define the space. This would provide sites for ‘private devotions’ too both in the sanctuary and in other ‘corners and spaces’ for private prayer. The present sight lines are excellent for the assembled congregation.
As a witness to the New Evangelism proposed by the present Pope, and the rest of the Church, perhaps “Christ Church Cathedral” (which is a classical way of speaking of Churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity) would be an appropriate title.
I am a bit surprised at all the jesting suggestions being given here. As Fr Z said, “It may be that some surprisingly good fruits could come from this new tree. Time will tell.” I agree.
Whatever name it gets and space-age that it is, the place was a steal compared to the multi-millions it would have cost to build a new cathedral, it is well recognized, and easy to get to with easy freeway access.
The more I look at it the more I’m reminded of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude.
pjsandstrom, since all the surfaces are reflective, good luck with the acoustics. The building was designed to have terrible acoustics. The available techniques are a) turn the sound level down to reduce reflections and rely on the local speakers, b) introduce “clouds” such as in Lincoln Center to absorb sound, reducing reflections, or c) raze the structure and start over.
Who is the patron of the Diocese?
What is the name of the current Cathedral?
I suggested Emanuel Cathedral.
And yes, good could come of it. Will anyone miss the annual Crystal Cathedral Nativity event with ‘angels’ swinging from the rafters?
As someone who lives in a diocese in which Catholic churches are being sold off or demolished at an alarming rate, it feels mighty fine to see a move in the opposite direction.
Wrath of God… would be a stellar name! But, seriously…
Holy Mary, Throne of God.
(Rev. 22:1. Ostendit mihi fluvium aquæ vitæ, splendidum tamquam crystallum, procedentem de Sede Dei et Agni.)
Former Altar Boy says:
Whatever name it gets and space-age that it is, the place was a steal compared to the multi-millions it would have cost to build a new cathedral, it is well recognized, and easy to get to with easy freeway access.
There’s probably good reason that the price was low.
Charivari Rob –
The current Cathedral is called Holy Name. Don’t know who the patron saint is, though I lived in the Orange Diocese for 30+ years.
As for the name of the new Cathedral, my choice would be Lumen Christi.
I’m going to suggest “St Pius X” :-P
I suggested Cathedral of the Precious Blood.
In the spirit of combining the jesting suggestions with a more traditional moniker, may I suggest “St. Clare’s”?
“Via Crucis Cathedral”
It is Christocentric, and Google didn’t come up with another cathedral with that name.
On a slightly lighter note: “Stella Galaxia,” because we love Our Lady, and we appreciate the architecture.
I see the hesitation to use a name that makes such obvious reference to the physical attributes of the building, but I like “Lumen Christi.” I like it better than the English, “Christ Our Light,” since Latin = the Catholic Church and the physical attribute reference is a bit muted if the name is in Latin, I think.
Agreed that the sellers’ wishes should of course be honored, but there’s a important teaching point to be made here too to those who wish to understand better what the Church teaches, ie, that naming a church in honor of the Blessed Mother in no way diminishes its “Christocentricity.”
I’ve only seen photos of these buildings, but I cannot help but remember the first time I saw St Mary Cathedral in San Francisco. It looked like a giant washing machine agitator. Later, I found out that SF was the home of Maytag. I have wondered whether the design was an early, much more subtle form of the contemporary practice of selling naming rights for sports arenas, e.g., Staples Center, Sprint Center, or Enron Field.
puteus aquarium viventium
ecclesia reflectitur peccatores
Epiphany
I suggested Father of Mercies – it’s a reference to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
I suggested a jesting answer because all the good serious ones were taken.
St. Michael (after Michael Rose, author of Ugly as Sin).
Maybe something from the litany of the Holy Name:
Jesus, sun of justice
Jesus, pure light
Jesus, lover of Chastity
Jesus, purity of virgins
Name of the Cathedral is Holy Family, not Holy Name Cathedral
“Christological and not in use by another US Cathedral”. In other words, he insists on inventing some new title that supports the liberal agenda.
I love supertradmum’s name! Mirror should be in the title
Did anyone already suggest St Isidore, Patron of the Internet? It is very techno-slick in design, in the same state as Silicon Valley and would provide a rallying place for Fr. Z and the other Catholic bloggers. That is probably the last building that you would want to be “linked” to, Father, but as a sacrifice to the broader Church, who is supposed to put more effort into communications media…
I enjoyed:
Parish the Thought
I do like ‘Cathedral of the Transfiguration’.
And some of the other suggestions are rather funny, too….
Hope they have a good AC unit in that building-I wouldn’t want to be in there in the summer, with all the sunlight coming in and making the interior like a hothouse!
I’m with eulogos. It’s going to be “Christ our Light.” A bland Christian name that wouldn’t offend Protestants.
There’s already a “Christ the Light” in Oakland, which I think is so close that Bp. Brown would consider it disqualified.
Even in their jesting, people are showing how effected they have been by the trend to name parishes after some concept or doctrine rather than a saint. Yes, in yesteryear we named parishes “Transfiguration” and “Incarnation”, etc.
Perhaps the new Cathedral could be given a pro-life symbol as patroness: St. Gianna Beretta Molla? Read about the 2nd miracle for her cause here.
But the diocese has specifically stated that they want a Christ-related name. I agree that there are many saints’ names that would be excellent suggestions; but the diocese has clearly said that a saint’s name is not what they are looking for.
Being in Orange I suppose “St. William” wouldn’t work.
Is there a “Saint Crystal”?