Allan picked me up Saturday morning and gave me the royal tour of the Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral near Garden Grove, California. The Catholic Diocese of Orange County recently purchased the 31 acre site for $57.5 million. The challenge now will be to change the theater-style church into a liturgical appropriate building where priests can celebrate Mass.
The church can seat 2800 people. It's a sweet deal because the diocese, 10th largest in the US, faced construction costs over $200 million on property half the size of the Garden Grove property. The Schuller empire filed for bankruptcy and apparently Robert is happy the cathedral will be used by another church rather than just another building on the Chapman College campus.
Next, we drove to Newport Beach and enjoyed a sandwich at Ruby's on the Pier where people were fishing for mackerel and otherwise just enjoying the warm day.
We walked around Newport Beach, purchased salt water taffy, then took a ferry to Balboa Island. Allan is such a great storyteller and gave me the history of Lisa's college days renting beach houses!
Later, we drove by the Newport Country Club where Allan and Lisa had their wedding reception 27 years ago. Then Allan picked up Peggy's (his mother in law) mail and we picked these wonderful, sweet oranges from a tree in her backyard.
Sunday we enjoyed a great breakfast after attending mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ladera Ranch. It's a new parish and they have mass in temporary structures and coffee and donuts in an outdoor courtyard. Lisa said the parish began, humbly, with Mass in the Grass. It's just my opinion, but I believe God is edified by his people celebrating in a park, in a school, or a portable building. We might need the crystal and glass, but He surely is content with all aspects of His creation.
No comments:
Post a Comment