Christ Cathedral (Garden Grove, California)
Christ Cathedral (Latin: Cathedralis Christi; Spanish: Catedral de Cristo; Vietnamese: Nhà Thờ Chính Tòa Chúa Kitô), formerly and informally known as the Crystal Cathedral, is an American church building and the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, located in Garden Grove, California. The reflective glass building, by the firm of Philip Johnson/John Burgee Architects, seats 2,248 people.[1][2] The church was touted as "the largest glass building in the world" when it was completed in 1981.[3] The building has one of the largest musical instruments in the world, the Hazel Wright Organ.[4][5]
"Crystal Cathedral" redirects here. For the church organization previously headquartered there, see Shepherd's Grove.Christ Cathedral
United States
Reformed Church in America (1980–2013)
1955
Robert H. Schuller
(as Crystal Cathedral)
1980 (as Crystal Cathedral)
2019 (as Christ Cathedral)
1980 (as Reformed Church in America)
2019 (as Catholic Church)
1977
1980
$18 million
Most Rev. Kevin Vann
Very Rev. Bảo Quốc Thái
From its opening in 1981 to 2013, the building was the principal place of worship for Crystal Cathedral Ministries (now Shepherd's Grove), a congregation of the Reformed Church in America, founded in 1955 by Robert H. Schuller. The ministry's weekly television program Hour of Power was formerly produced from the building. Crystal Cathedral Ministries filed for bankruptcy in October 2010 and in February 2012 sold the building and its adjacent campus to the Diocese of Orange for use as the diocese's new cathedral. The building, especially the interior, was renovated by Johnson Fain to accommodate the Catholic liturgy.
Following the completion of construction, the building was consecrated and formally renamed "Christ Cathedral", the seat of the Diocese of Orange,[6][7] on July 17, 2019.[8]
Organ[edit]
The church's Hazel Wright Organ is the fifth largest pipe organ in the world, with 273 ranks and five manuals.[5] Constructed by Fratelli Ruffatti based on specifications by Virgil Fox and expanded by Frederick Swann, the instrument incorporates the large Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ built in 1962 for New York's Philharmonic Hall (now David Geffen Hall), and the Ruffatti organ which had been installed in the church's previous sanctuary. Swann was organist at the Crystal Cathedral from 1982 to 1998. Following the Crystal Cathedral's final Hour of Power in June 2013, the organ was dismantled for a $2 million refurbishing led by Ruffatti.[50][6][31] Re-installation of the renovated organ was completed in early 2020. Re-voicing was put on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed at the end of 2021 and the organ's restoration was completed on February 7, 2022. The organ is now regularly used during weekend Masses. A re-dedication concert featuring Hector Olivera was held September 30, 2022.[51]