Cathedral Tour
On Ash Wednesday I went to the noon mass at the new Cathedral of Christ the Light next to Lake Merritt. As the cathedral is in downtown Oakland, the pews were packed with people stopping in during their lunch hour. The administrative offices, meeting rooms and free health and legal clinics are housed in a building next door forming a two block complex. I'm glad to see it's a popular place, the plaza around the building is a nice sitting area with views of the Lake.
Immediately after mass I joined the one o'clock Cathedral tour to learn more about the building. The building is based on the idea of the Pisces Viscus two circles (the worlds of the divine and of matter) intersecting to form the symbol of a fish. This motif is seen in the building plan as a whole and many architectural details such as the pattern on the front door. Water is also a theme, the cathedral faces lake Merritt, water was brought from all over the world to form the original font of holy water, and a wall of water flows peacefully in the mausoleum. The large font in the front entryway allows for people to dip their fingers in the holy water together as opposed to the small fonts placed in the doorways of most churches.
On the tour I learned many new things that I had wondered about on a previous visit. The small vials stored in a wall form the ambry for the Cathedral. The ambry holds sacred oils for the parishes to use in various sacraments. The cozy confessional area is now called the Chapel of Reconciliation. You can sit either talking with the priest directly or with a customary screen separating you. In an earthquake the building can move 15 inches in any direction, and the glass panels are designed to fall into the ribs of the building protecting the people inside and out from falling panes. One of the many chapels built into the wall is a Chapel of the Seasons which changes according to the time of the year. Other chapels are only minimally adorned with the intention that they will evolve over time.
The tour guide led us down to the mausoleum, where I had not been before. Many panels of stained glass from the original Oakland cathedral have been installed here. The mausoleum is beautifully lit with a warm yellow lighting which matches the marble walls. Not many of the nooks have been sold yet, and even fewer are occupied. One bishop is interred in the mausoleum. Christ the light is one of only two cathedrals in the US in which the mausoleum is in the cathedral. One man who was not on our tour asked the guide which way the body was placed, head or feet first? The guide wasn't sure which way the bishop lay but told the man you could choose either way, which seemed to please him very much.
The tour concluded with a walk through a hall where some artifacts from the old cathedral were on display. Also a wall inscribed with the names of the major donors to the new cathedral. One foundation alone gave $65 million. Of course at the end a plug for the gift shop and cafe. The gift shop I have been in and it is quite nice, the cafe will have to wait for my next visit. And if you go to mass the parking is free!
Immediately after mass I joined the one o'clock Cathedral tour to learn more about the building. The building is based on the idea of the Pisces Viscus two circles (the worlds of the divine and of matter) intersecting to form the symbol of a fish. This motif is seen in the building plan as a whole and many architectural details such as the pattern on the front door. Water is also a theme, the cathedral faces lake Merritt, water was brought from all over the world to form the original font of holy water, and a wall of water flows peacefully in the mausoleum. The large font in the front entryway allows for people to dip their fingers in the holy water together as opposed to the small fonts placed in the doorways of most churches.
On the tour I learned many new things that I had wondered about on a previous visit. The small vials stored in a wall form the ambry for the Cathedral. The ambry holds sacred oils for the parishes to use in various sacraments. The cozy confessional area is now called the Chapel of Reconciliation. You can sit either talking with the priest directly or with a customary screen separating you. In an earthquake the building can move 15 inches in any direction, and the glass panels are designed to fall into the ribs of the building protecting the people inside and out from falling panes. One of the many chapels built into the wall is a Chapel of the Seasons which changes according to the time of the year. Other chapels are only minimally adorned with the intention that they will evolve over time.
The tour guide led us down to the mausoleum, where I had not been before. Many panels of stained glass from the original Oakland cathedral have been installed here. The mausoleum is beautifully lit with a warm yellow lighting which matches the marble walls. Not many of the nooks have been sold yet, and even fewer are occupied. One bishop is interred in the mausoleum. Christ the light is one of only two cathedrals in the US in which the mausoleum is in the cathedral. One man who was not on our tour asked the guide which way the body was placed, head or feet first? The guide wasn't sure which way the bishop lay but told the man you could choose either way, which seemed to please him very much.
The tour concluded with a walk through a hall where some artifacts from the old cathedral were on display. Also a wall inscribed with the names of the major donors to the new cathedral. One foundation alone gave $65 million. Of course at the end a plug for the gift shop and cafe. The gift shop I have been in and it is quite nice, the cafe will have to wait for my next visit. And if you go to mass the parking is free!
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