Calif. megachurch Crystal Cathedral gets new name

[n2doc]

The Associated Press

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — Southern California's landmark Crystal Cathedral has been given a new name as the evangelical church transforms into a Catholic church.

The iconic, glass-paned megachurch founded by "Hour of Power" televangelist Robert Schuller was sold to the The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange last year. On Saturday, Bishop Tod Brown renamed it Christ Cathedral during a priest ordination and named Christopher H. Smith to the top post of the new church.

The Garden Grove cathedral's name came after more than 4,100 submissions from Catholics all over the world.

Schuller retired in 2006 after seeing his ministry that began at a drive-in movie theater evolve into a global televangelist empire. But after a botched leadership transition to his son, donations began to plummet and in 2010, the Crystal Cathedral sought bankruptcy protection.

The diocese bought the 2,900-seat cathedral and its grounds for $57.7 million. It will have to renovate the cathedral for Catholic worship before services can begin.

more

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/calif-megachurch-crystal-cathedral-1455265.html

[MADem]

1. I always thought it was kind of a creepy building--like Superman's Lair

plunked down in CA, or something...very...cartoon-y!

It also reminds me of a severely truncated John Hancock bldg (in Boston)...

[LiberalFighter]

2. They couldn't had gotten a better deal by starting from scratch?

57 million seems too much

And why a name for the building be open to all catholics in the world? Would think that the catholics in the area would be the ones.

[CanonRay]

3. A place sorely in need of a major hailstorm

IMHO

[coalition_unwilling]

4. How does a denomination that propagated years of pedophilia have

$57 million to buy anything? Shouldn't any funds or assets be attached to provide financial compensation for the victims of the Catholic Church's pedophila and subsequent criminal cover-up?