The Roman Catholic Crystal Cathedral? Really?

Apparently it could happen, according to Spero News:

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange (Calif.) has made an offer to purchase the iconic Crystal Cathedral, built by evangelical personality Rev. Robert H. Schuller.  The $50 million offer could pull the megachurch out of bankruptcy by the end of 2011.  ...

Calling it a "pragmatic alternative to construction of a new cathedral, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange has submitted a formal bid for the Crystal Cathedral, adjacent campus property, buildings and memorial grounds,” said Catholic Bishop Tod D. Brown of Orange in a July 22 statement. After the Crystal Cathedral Ministries Board of Directors reviews the offer, the diocesan plan would be presented to the Committee of Creditors and the Bankruptcy Court, the statement said. The Crystal Cathedral filed for bankruptcy in October 2010.  Some members of the congregation are circulating a petition in hopes of 'saving' the church.

“The offer is straightforward and would provide creditors maximum relief in the shortest possible time,” Bishop Brown declared.  “If the proposal is accepted, creditors could see resolution within the year and possibly sooner.”

It's a bit surreal, if you ask me. My initial reaction—from afar, with no special insight into matters of money and such—is quite negative. But consider:

The Catholic diocese, which is looking for a less expensive alternative to building a new cathedral for its 1.2 million parishioners, said its proposal would allow the Crystal Cathedral to lease portions of the property for three years at below market rates. Under the departed Cardinal Archbishop Roger Mahony, the nearby Archdiocese of Los Angeles built a huge block-like structure, derided by conservatively-minded Catholics and architecture buffs.  The Crystal Cathedral, however, is widely regarded as one of the architectural marvels of the U.S.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the two buildings. On the left, an architectural marvel; on the right, an, um, uhhh, boxlike structure. Hmmmm...

For more about modern church architecture—the goofy, the bad, and the ugly—see:

• A Great Building Disaster | Moyra Doorly | From No Place For God: The Denial of the Transcendent in Modern Church Architecture
• Why Are There So Many Ugly Churches? | An interview with Moyra Doorly, author of No Place For God

Comments

[M. Jordan Lichens]

Can I just say how much it amuses me that power-of-positive-thinking-guy is bankruptcy?

[beng]

That Crystal Cathedral doesn't really have a "Catholic" taste either (architecture wise). But it's more pleasant in the eye than, as one person say, the temple of Baal that is The Lady of Angels.

[stevenr.f.]

Architecture contains theology in it, no? And how is it that Mr. Schuller, as non-Catholic as they can possibly come, managed to have something built that was so intrinsically Catholic that we could step into it when he stepped out? Oh. . .wait.. .he didn't. So why throw fifty mil down the tubes for a fantastic piece of non-Catholic architecture? I can't believe we couldn't build something for the glory of God that would be thoroughly Catholic at that same price tag.

[Randy]

Bishop Brown is turning 75 in November. He could not build a new Cathedral in that time. But he can buy one. What happens when Bishop Aquila from Fargo ND moves into town and has to figure out what to do with it?

[Achilles]

Hi Carl, thanks for this. I ran across spero news the other day, can you tell me anything about it? Is it a credible Orthodox Catholic source? Thanks, Achilles