Christ Cathedral Begins Active Construction with Historic Floor Signing Ceremony
Cathedral contributors and others are invited to become part of diocesan history by inscribing Christ Cathedral’s terrazzo marble floor.
Garden Grove, Calif., (Feb. 6, 2017) – The Most Reverend Kevin Vann, Bishop of Orange, will lead a ceremony and blessing of the soaring edifice of Christ Cathedral, marking the start of active construction within the sanctuary space. Hundreds of contributors, architects, clergy, and parishioners will join Bishop Vann in this celebration.
Event Details
- What: Ceremony, Blessing, and Ceremonial Floor Signing
- When: Saturday, February 11, 2017, at 3:15 p.m.
- Where: Christ Cathedral
- Activities: The event will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the campus acquisition and will include a performance by the Diocesan Children’s Choir.
“We are blessed as a community of faith to have reached this much anticipated milestone… Our sanctuary will be readied for the hard work of the many tradespeople, contractors, artists, and laborers by the prayers and blessings of our community of faith. Only through the grace of God and the prayerful commitment of our loving community will Christ Cathedral truly become the beacon of Christ’s mercy and love in our world,” said Bishop Vann.
Adding Blessings to the Building
On February 11, Christ Cathedral’s 44,000-square-foot concrete floor will be etched with the prayerful inscriptions of hundreds of cathedral contributors and other members of the Diocese of Orange. Bishop Vann and the Orange Catholic Foundation have invited those associated with the campaign to literally ‘add their blessing to the building’ by inscribing a personal memento on the floor before construction covers it.
Taken as a whole, the inscriptions will serve as a time capsule, recording those who have helped the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange acquire and transform the campus into a place that supports the needs of Catholic worship for over 1.5 million area Catholics.
“The Christ Cathedral is a timeless structure and the life of the Church immemorial. Each name and prayerful intention inscribed within the building will be a time-capsule in itself and a reminder of those who helped make Christ Cathedral possible,” Bishop Vann concluded.
Project Background
The start of construction marks the five-year anniversary of the Diocese of Orange’s acquisition of the Christ Cathedral campus. It follows several years of deliberative design work with liturgical experts and architects from Johnson Fain and Rios Clementi Hale Studios.
- Phase One Cost: The transformation of the sanctuary is estimated to cost $72.3 million.
- Dedication: The project will culminate in the dedication of America’s newest Catholic Cathedral in 2019.
Pastoral Center: Communications Department
13280 Chapman Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92840
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