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CURRENT ISSUE: March 7,
2005
VOL. 43,
NO. 5Oakland,
CA
Date set for cathedral groundbreaking event
Groundbreaking festivities for the Oakland Diocese’s
new Cathedral of Christ the Light are scheduled for May 21, starting at
noon. Open to the public, the event will begin in the bandstand area of
Lake Merritt’s Lakeside Park, where there will be food and music
provided by various groups in the diocese.
The actual groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a procession
to the construction site at Harrison and Grand. Musicians and bands will
be scattered along the 10-minute walk. Bishop Allen Vigneron will preside
over the groundbreaking, assisted by Bishop Emeritus John Cummins.
Construction is expected to start within days of the groundbreaking, said
Lee Nordlund, cathedral spokesperson. So far, $84 million in gifts and
pledges has been raised toward the $131 million cost. These funds do not
include proceeds from any property that might be sold due to buildings
being replaced by the cathedral, Nordlund pointed out.
The Cathedral of Christ the Light takes the place of St. Francis de Sales
Cathedral, a former parish church, lost in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Oakland will be the fourth diocese in California to design and build a
new cathedral.
