MAHONY BLESSES FUTURE SITE OF L.A. CATHEDRAL.Byline: Anne Burke Daily News Staff Writer Thousands of Roman Catholics watched Sunday as Cardinal Roger Mahony His Eminence Roger Michael Cardinal Mahony (born February 27, 1936) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the fourth Archbishop of Los Angeles, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1991. blessed the site of Los Angeles' new downtown cathedral in a ceremony marked by vivid pageantry and noisy protest. Addressing about 15,000 of the faithful under a searing sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. sun, Mahony said that the 5-1/2-acre parking lot where the cathedral will rise ``has been preserved by God precisely for this moment - the blessing of this site for the new cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is a cathedral church of the United States in the City of Los Angeles in California. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles[1] and seat of its archbishop, Roger Cardinal Mahony. . ``At long last, the people of God and the city of Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Archdiocese, with about 3.5 million Catholics from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, is the nation's largest. Mayor Richard Riordan told the crowd the cathedral will ``reach her arms out to embrace all Angelenos regardless of race, creed, color or sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. .'' Councilwoman Rita Walters praised the new cathedral as a ``beautiful jewel in the crown of downtown.'' The $50 million cathedral will replace the 121-year-old St. Vibiana's, several blocks away. The archdiocese had sought to raze raze also rase tr.v. razed also rased, raz·ing also ras·ing, raz·es also ras·es 1. To level to the ground; demolish. See Synonyms at ruin. 2. To scrape or shave off. 3. the quake-damaged church and build the new cathedral at the same site, but architectural preservationists fought to keep the old structure standing. The Our Lady of the Angels cathedral is set for dedication on Sept. 4, 2000. It will be the nation's largest Roman Catholic church Roman Catholic Church, Christian church headed by the pope, the bishop of Rome (see papacy and Peter, Saint). Its commonest title in official use is Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. , with 2,000 seats. As members of an 800-voice choir sang hymns, members of the Shoshoni Gabrielino tribe beat drums noisily across the street. Tribe members maintain that the parking lot - on Temple Street between Hill Street and Grand Avenue - lies over an Indian burial ground. ``To me, it's sacrilegious'' to build the cathedral at that site, said tribal chief Vera Rocha. Other protesters included dozens of Catholics who believe that the money for the cathedral would be better spent helping the poor. ``This is just another edifice complex,'' said actress and protester Peggy McCay. Others said Los Angeles needs a cathedral suitable to its vast size and population. ``I visited the cathedral two years ago and said my goodbyes,'' said Nancy Aguilera of Diamond Bar, who danced in an aisle as a band played mariachi music on a huge stage. ``I just feel so wonderful because we'll have this brand-new cathedral.'' ``It's a new part of our history with the Catholic Church,'' said Celeste Celeste is a woman's first name. Celeste may also refer to: in Music
The cathedral architect, Jose Rafael Moneo of Madrid, said he designed the cathedral complex to be ``accepting, opening and welcoming.'' The cathedral will sit atop a hill with a 120-foot-high bell tower and a giant crucifix over its entry. Gazing at a miniature replica of the modern-style church, Vanesa Marin, a Mexico City resident visiting Los Angeles, called it ``muy excelente.'' Lois Stone of West Los Angeles
``I would rather see more of a traditional church,'' she said. Before the ground-blessing, Mahony led a procession from the partially dismantled St. Vibiana's to the new site. Another procession included parishioners wearing costumes from all corners of the globe. There were bare-chested men in Tongan skirts, Nigerians in richly embroidered em·broi·der v. em·broi·dered, em·broi·der·ing, em·broi·ders v.tr. 1. To ornament with needlework: embroider a pillow cover. 2. tunics, Indonesians wearing gold headpieces, Vietnamese in royal blue robes, and young Poles in colorful dance costumes. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1 -- color) Clergy, altar servers and Knights of Columbus Knights of Columbus, American Roman Catholic society for men, founded (1882) at New Haven, Conn. (where its headquarters are still located), by Father Michael J. McGivney. lead a procession to the site of the archdiocese's planned cathedral on Temple Street. (2) Cardinal Roger Mahony greets the crowd during Sunday's procession to the blessing for the Our Lady of the Angels site. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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