Catholic Bishop Calls Crystal Cathedral a “Gift from God”

Roman Catholic Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange in Southern California told General Synod delegates that he considers the 2011 acquisition of the former Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove to be “a gift from God and a gift to our church.”

Roman Catholic Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange in Southern California told General Synod delegates that he considers the 2011 acquisition of the former Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove to be “a gift from God and a gift to our church.”

The RCA-affiliated Crystal Cathedral Ministries—led for decades by the late Robert H. Schuller—declared bankruptcy in 2010, and the following year the 34-acre campus was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Orange for $57.5 million.

“When it first became apparent that the Crystal Cathedral was in financial difficulty, the Diocese of Orange at that time was exploring plans to build a new cathedral,” Brown told synod delegates Friday evening. “My first impression of this potential acquisition was negative. I did not want to complicate my relationship with Dr. Schuller or give the appearance of wanting to grab property. But when it became apparent that the financial difficulties were leading to bankruptcy, we decided to pursue the purchase.”

Within a year of the Vatican’s approval of the purchase, Brown retired, so the ongoing renovation (for Roman Catholic liturgical purposes) of the newly named Christ Cathedral has fallen to Brown’s successor, Bishop Kevin Vann. Completion is scheduled for 2016.

“The transition is going well and the cooperation has been wonderful,” Brown said. “The Crystal Cathedral congregation has moved to Shepherd’s Grove, one of our former churches, and under Bobby Schuller’s leadership that congregation is doing well.

“We have experienced all of this as a blessing from God.”

Brown’s comments were made during this year’s ecumenical focus on listening to voices from the Catholic, Orthodox, and Pentecostal traditions—members of the Christian family that historically and theologically have been more distant from the Reformed tradition. Joining Brown on a panel moderated by former RCA general secretary Wesley Granberg-Michaelson were the Very Rev. Fr. Aren Jebejian of the Armenian Church of America and Dr. David Sang-Ehil Han, dean of Pentecostal Theological Seminary, part of the Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee.