It was a historic day for the Catholic faithful in Santa Ana as Diocese of Orange Bishop Kevin Vann officiated the dedication of Christ Our Savior Catholic Parish on Saturday, Sept. 11.
The newest church of the diocese is a striking modern edifice of 18,500 square feet that was architecturally inspired by Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa. It seats 1,200 parishioners, 50 musicians and is specially designed to accommodate Masses in American Sign Language. Located near South Coast Plaza at 2000 Alton Ave., the $12-million church will serve a diverse parish encompassing parts of both Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. It has about 1,600 registered families.
Christ Our Savior’s dedication has been anticipated for several years. Under Bishop Tod Brown, the diocese took possession of the property in November 2002 after buying it from the Segerstrom family, founders of South Coast Plaza. The site was originally slated to be the home of the diocese’s first cathedral.
However, those plans changed when the Rev. Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral property in Garden Grove became available in 2012. The diocese acquired it and has since renovated much of it, a process that included changing the name of Crystal Cathedral to Christ Cathedral in 2012.
Christ Our Savior, established in 2005, celebrated its first Mass on Sept. 19, 2005, under founding Pastor Monsignor Michael McKiernan. It was held at a nearby elementary school….
Principal architect David Pfeifer, principal of San Diego-based Domus Studio, described the new Christ Our Savior church as a contemporary design with a clean, open and bright interior.
“We build churches for today and tomorrow,” he said. “Christ Our Savior has a unique, vibrant and iconic civic presence.”
The exterior of the building has three rooflines to express the Holy Trinity, Pfeifer explained, with glass between the rooflines “so that one can see, feel and sense the light that is the presence of God. We have the Father, Son and Holy Spirit connected by light.”
At some points, the church is 54 feet tall and has an 85-foot-high tower. In addition, the church was designed with specialized acoustics to accommodate an existing pipe organ, with the installation of the organ to follow once funds are raised.
At present, Christ Our Savior’s nearly 8-acre property also has parish meeting rooms, offices and a choir room. A parish hall is planned, with fundraising for it underway….
“People are very excited and hopeful for this church, which has gone through a number of versions,” said Fr. Joe Robillard, pastor of Christ Our Savior. “It was going to be a cathedral and there is disappointment about that, but our parish is made up of a small, intimate group of parishioners who’ve come to know each other well and have overcome big challenges to build this worship space.”
Fr. Joe said he is most impressed with the internal architecture, which is modern with lots of windows and light, and with everything directed toward the altar, where the crucifix and its background emphasizes the hopefulness of the Resurrection. The artwork was designed by Poli, based in Verona, Italy. A baptismal fountain is planned to be installed by the fall.
Deacon Modesto Cordero, director of the Diocese’s Office for Worship, agreed that the architecture of Christ Our Savior is liturgically significant.
“The narthex, or entry of the church, which will feature a beautiful baptistry, is symbolic of how everything in our worship begins with baptism,” Cordero said. “The parish is at the crossroads of three freeways and will provide the space necessary for worship in these communities,” he added. “It’s a beautiful church, and the people of that area will be pleased with it. It has been in the works for many years. Finally, the community will have a beautiful place to worship together.”
The above comes from a Sept. 21 story in OC Catholic.
That’s a church?
not a church…a warehouse…no beauty..no glorifying God…HORRIBLE
“In addition, the church was designed with specialized acoustics to accommodate an existing pipe organ, with the installation of the organ to follow once funds are raised.”
Wha huh?
Very sad. Nothing “religious” nor “inspiring” about this modern, secular-looking, non-traditional “church.” Centuries ago, Catholics knew well that a church is holy, set apart for worship of God, and does not reflect the secular world at all. A church is supposed to be beautiful and reflect the Glory of God in Heaven, and inspire people with lots of beautiful religious themes in the architecture, statuary, and artwork. It should be a holy place for Mass, religious prayer and devotion, and to adore Christ in the Blessed Sacranent.
You beat me to it … that’s a church?
That’s no church. Who is designing these things? I thought Vann was conservative.
Kinda look like a warehouse for
Amazon or Walmart
This building illustrates the Spirit of Vatican II. Awful.
I have seen better looking Walmart buildings.
Love this beautiful Catholic Church! Perhaps this parish did not want a Romanesque or gothic church building! After all…the parishioners are paying for the church building.
“Love this beautiful Catholic Church!” ba ha ha ha ha ha ha ha it is ugly as sin..
Looks like my research lab . . . in Wuhan.
You so win with that comment! Thanks for the laugh, double thumbs up!
This is the kind of building you don’t take children into every Sunday and expect them to be grow up to be believing, practicing Catholics. This is a soul-crushing edifice.
Worldly and sensual.
Hon. Dr Gua Noh
i wish I had said that!
i appreciate your slant on this subject
I think that building is a ride at Disneyland, isn’t it?
I’m guessing that none of the above critics are actual parishioners here. Why don’t we just trust that the Holy Spirit will work in spite of the”horrible” design.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange bid farewell to one of their own, Sr. Jeannette Black, CSJ, who went home to God on September 1, at the age of 86.
Sister Jeannette Black was born on June 1, 1935, in Sioux City, Iowa, to Audrey and Herbert Black. In 1939 she and her family, which included her sister Barbara, moved to San Diego, CA. Sr. Jeannette was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange from elementary school through high school. Following her graduation from high school, Jeannette entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange in 1953. Sr. Jeannette’s primary ministry was in the field of education. She taught in schools in San Francisco, Eureka and San Diego. In 1980 Sr. Jeannette received a master’s degree in Educational Counseling from the University of San Diego. After this, she worked as an elementary school counselor in San Diego, at both Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School and St. Patrick’s School.
So we must ask ourselves, what is a church, and what should it look like. Imagine how horrified people must have been when they moved from Mass in the home to Mass in a large building. How horrible it is for lovers of Romanesque to see a Gothic church. Design changes with the times. We don’t live in the age of gothic anymore. This building sure doesn’t look like the churches of my generation, but so what. A church is not a building, it is a congregation that prays together once or twice a week. It is a place where hospitality abounds, where children are educated, and where suffering souls are soothed. The inside pictures of this church are amazing – focused on the cross and the altar, the two most important things in any worship space. Stained glass is pretty, but not necessary. The Sacrifice on the altar is what the building is all about.
I’ve got better looking shoe boxes.