Originally published at National Catholic Register
The Diocese of Orange in California has officially finished its renovation of Christ Cathedral, a onetime-Protestant megachurch, after more than a decade of work that brings to completion what the diocese calls a “major center of Catholic worship.”
The cathedral has been fully operational for five years and currently hosts nearly a dozen Masses in multiple languages every weekend, serving upward of 12,000 Catholics.
The diocese in 2011 purchased the massive glass-faced building, previously the center of the Presbyterian Shepherd’s Grove congregation, for $57.5 million. The diocese had long been planning to build a new cathedral in nearby Santa Ana before the building, then known as the Crystal Cathedral, went up for auction.
The sun sets through the distinctive quatrefoils of Christ Cathedral as construction and renovation continue inside the space formerly known as the Crystal Cathedral on Feb. 7, 2019. Credit: Challenge Roddie / Diocese of Orange
Shortly after its purchase, the diocese launched a total renovation project to “redesign the main building to comply [with] Catholic liturgical tradition and needs.” The diocese ultimately dedicated the cathedral in 2019 after a seven-year, $77-million renovation process.
The diocese announced earlier this month that it had finally completed the renovation of the building, heralding a “milestone moment in the history of
