Many “Catholics” often asked this question: “Does the Diocese of Oakland need a new cathedral?”. “Why not use an existing church building?”

        

        Unfortunately, most Catholics do not have a sense of “cathedral” other than to visualize it as an impressive church structure they might occasionally visit. For many, it is a distant facility where the Bishop presides at special ceremonies, a distant facility that they rarely, if ever, attend. There is no personal relationship to, nor understanding of, what a cathedral stands for.

 

What will the cathedral do for all of its people, those in Oakland as well as those in Discovery Bay, Newark and Point Richmond? It will be a source of admiration and pride. It will provide an aura of peace and hope; it will generate understanding and a sense of unity and purpose; it will raise the aspiration and culture of society. It will stand as a symbol of goodness and godly strength, a guiding light in a city, a society, and a world.

 

         It will be a model parish, the focal point of charitable and educational work of the diocese. It will serve everyone, St. Francis de Sales was a vibrant symbol as will be the Cathedral of Christ the Light

       In early 1999 the diocese invited more than 300 residents and clergy of the Bay Area to participate in a series of liturgy meetings to begin the dream of a new cathedral. Among its many purposes, this group clearly stated that they envision the cathedral as a spiritual and educational center that would not only promote unity among Catholics, but also to the community at large, and would act as a host to liturgical celebrations.

 

       With regard to administration, the new cathedral and eventually a new chancery will enable the diocese to work and run more effectively and efficiently. The diocese currently comprises more than half-a-million Catholics. And that number is expected to increase 25% by 2015. The diocese plans to expand and create new parishes, schools, social services and other ministries to address these growing needs.

       Oakland is one of the largest port cities on the West Coast. It is a place where East meets West, a place of religious diversity. Here the Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist religions worship alongside Catholics, Orthodox, Protestant and Jewish believers. The Oakland cathedral will strive to be a partner and host of religious dialogue.

 

         Today, September 14th for whole our diocese of Oakland it is an initial celebration of the dedication of our Cathedral Church of Christ the Light - Festival of the Light at 2.00pm.

      Together with all parishes of our diocese we, the parishioners of St. Margaret Mary like to participate in this great project.  Today we have the 2nd special collection for CATHEDRAL FUND. BE GENEROUS. Make generous check for: St. Margaret Mary with memo: for new Cathedral.  If you are not prepared to make this donation today; you can give next Sunday.

THE CATHEDRAL OF CHRIST THE LIGHT.

However, if a diocese is to truly function as a diocese a cathedral  is a necessity. From the spiritual sense, the cathedral is the first church of the diocese. The cathedral reflects the unity of the bishop with the people of the diocese. Located in the See city (the city for which the diocese is named), the cathedral brings cohesion in this case to a diocese which is spread throughout two expansive counties.  It also brings cohesion to a diocese where Mass on Sundays is celebrated in seventeen different languages. The cathedral is the mother church of all the Catholic churches within the diocese.

                From the liturgical sense, a parish cannot do all that a cathedral can do. A parish is not equipped, nor is it staffed to handle the functions typically reserved for a cathedral. This was made most evident by the loss of St. Francis De Sales Cathedral. Prior to the Loma Prieta earthquake, the Diocese of Oakland was known as a national center for liturgy and liturgical formation.    This abruptly came to an end in 1989 when the earthquake destroyed the cathedral. The former cathedral’s liturgical functions could not simply be transferred to another church building because no other church structure was capable of handling this scope of activity.

         Also, on 9/11/2001, an appeal that was made within the Catholic community for a diocesan-wide service went unanswered when it was realized that no church was equipped to handle such an event.From a cultural perspective, Catholic culture becomes part of the fabric of the See city and surrounding communities through the presence of the cathedral and the ordinary of the diocese, the Bishop. Today in Oakland, as well as throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties this sense of church culture has been lost.

 

         From the Catholic perspective, a cathedral gives great visibility to our church. And, finally, from the administrative perspective, the diocese needs a current day administrative center that is both suitable in size and technologically equipped.