Cathedral of Christ the Light

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Construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Light

The Cathedral of Christ the Light is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, currently under construction in the City of Oakland, California, near Lake Merritt. It will be the first Cathedral of the twenty-first century, world-wide.

When completed, it will be the mother church and seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Oakland. It replaces the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales, which was damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989.

The effort to build the new Cathedral began in February 2000 when representatives from all parishes in the diocese reached a consensus to go forward with the planning of a new Cathedral. The Cathedral construction is funded through private donations to the Cathedral Campaign, a non-profit corporation that is separate from the chancery.

The diocese held a design competition for the new Cathedral, which was won by the architect Santiago Calatrava. However, there was no site chosen at the time, and by the time one was found (a parking lot which had been the planned site of Oakland's tallest skyscraper), Calatrava had been replaced by runner-up Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

The Cathedral design adapts traditional elements into a wholly contemporary structure, reflecting the most current engineering and materials. Such a building has never before been constructed. Its innovations are making it a case study at engineering schools.

The cathedral is very controversial, due to its modern design and its very high cost. Many members of the diocese feel that the estimated $131 million being spent on its construction could be better used to help the poor or other projects in the diocese.