Site is purchased for new cathedral for Diocese of Oakland

Published: 2003-12-15

OAKLAND, Calif.(CNS) -- The Oakland Diocese, which has been without a cathedral since St. Francis de Sales Cathedral was badly damaged in a 1989 earthquake and demolished four years later, has purchased a site for a new cathedral complex that should be completed in 2007. On Dec. 5, the diocese purchased property for $31.5 million in downtown Oakland, overlooking Lake Merritt, on which the new Cathedral of Christ the Light will be built. An independently funded, nonprofit organization overseeing the cathedral project announced the purchase and said it was continuing its efforts to raise the additional $48.5 million needed to construct the church. The total cost of the project, which will include several other buildings, is $131 million. In a statement to cathedral supporters, Oakland Bishop Allen H. Vigneron emphasized the importance of having a central worship space. "We need our cathedral for a strong diocese; a strong diocese means renewed strength for building up our community, strength for supporting our schools and strength for serving people in need," he said.

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