Aspects of the renovations also showcase the diversity of the Diocese of Orange, which, according to its leadership, is now one of the most diverse and fastest growing in the U.S.
The south end of the cathedral features a hand-painted mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness saint of the Diocese of Orange and the Americas.
Relics from Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican and American martyrs — as well as Pope John Paul II — are encased in the altar. And the entryway of the cathedral includes portraits of several saints, including Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church; Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first person born in the U.S. to become a saint; Lorenzo Ruiz, a 17th-century Filipino saint; and Oscar Romero, the archbishop from El Salvador who spoke out against poverty and injustice and who was assassinated in 1980 and canonized last year by Pope Francis.
The diocese is also in the process of building a 2-acre, outdoor shrine to Our Lady of La Vang, a Vietnamese Marian apparition, in a courtyard dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
“We’ve tried very hard to reflect the area we’re in,” Smith said.
On top of the physical renovations, the community underwent a transformation as well.
St. Callistus, a parish in Garden Grove, was relocated to the Christ Cathedral campus — where it held Mass at the cathedral’s Arboretum — so that it could start the process of becoming a cathedral parish, the “mother church” of the diocese.
“We’ve grown from going through a period of grief because of what was being left behind to coming to an understanding that we have been called to be the cathedral parish,” said Trudy Mazzarella, a parishioner at what is now called the Christ Cathedral Parish, “and that it’s very special to have that kind of responsibility.”
In addition to performing normal parish functions, cathedral parishes also serve the entire diocese by hosting special Masses, such as ordinations, and other events put on by the bishop.
Excitement for the cathedral’s opening has “grown exponentially,” Mazzarella said, comparing the dedication to the joy a family feels celebrating Christmas.
Since 2012, Mazzarella has also served as director of tour ministry for Christ Cathedral, organizing group and individual tours for visitors from 63 countries.
“I’m already getting phone calls and emails from people all over the United States wanting to get in there, and asking, ‘when can we book a tour?’” she said.
Designed by the post-modern architect Philip Johnson, the old Crystal Cathedral became the largest glass building in the world when it was completed 39 years ago.While the dedication marks the transformation of the cathedral’s interior — and community — one thing that wasn’t touched in the renovations was the building’s iconic exterior.
While the reflective exterior is a far cry from the traditional architectural style of most Catholic churches, Smith said the diocese wanted to preserve the legacy of Crystal Cathedral and its founder.
“We see ourselves as continuing in the footsteps of a great Christian preacher who built Christ Cathedral in the first place, ” he said.
Schuller retired in 2010 and died in 2015. Grandson Bobby Schuller, a pastor in Irvine, is continuing the “Hour of Power” broadcasts in the evangelical tradition.