Angelus News | August 2-9, 2019 | Vol. 4 No. 27
A nationwide trend pushing to remove tributes to certain historical figures of U.S. history has seized on a new, unlikely target: the bells lining California’s iconic El Camino Real. The reason? The belief that Spanish missionaries — among them St. Junípero Serra — were oppressors, captors, and even murderers of California’s first peoples. On Page 10, renowned historian Gregory Orfalea examines the most common critiques of the Spanish evangelization of California and makes the case for why the bells represent a legacy of love, not oppression.
A nationwide trend pushing to remove tributes to certain historical figures of U.S. history has seized on a new, unlikely target: the bells lining California’s iconic El Camino Real. The reason? The belief that Spanish missionaries — among them St. Junípero Serra — were oppressors, captors, and even murderers of California’s first peoples. On Page 10, renowned historian Gregory Orfalea examines the most common critiques of the Spanish evangelization of California and makes the case for why the bells represent a legacy of love, not oppression.
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THE CRUX<br />
BY HEATHER KING<br />
Crystal clear<br />
transcendence<br />
<strong>No</strong>tes from a pre-dedication sneak peek at<br />
Orange County’s new Catholic cathedral<br />
Let me say upfront that my idea<br />
of the ideal Catholic church<br />
is a teeny, slightly down-atthe-heels<br />
chapel, say one<br />
of the “capillas” (“chapels”) in and<br />
around Taos, New Mexico: whitewashed<br />
walls streaked with candle<br />
smoke, bloody statues of Jesus, tin<br />
retablos. On Sundays, if you’re lucky,<br />
maybe an accordion player.<br />
On July 13, as usual, God had other<br />
COURTESY DIOCESE OF ORANGE<br />
The 20-foot-long bronze entry doors.<br />
plans. That was the night I journeyed<br />
to Garden Grove for a lollapalooza<br />
event at Christ Cathedral.<br />
Formerly known as Crystal Cathedral<br />
and owned and operated by Protestant<br />
televangelist Robert “Hour of<br />
Power” Schuller, the church has been<br />
scooped up by the Diocese of Orange,<br />
subjected to a $77 million renovation,<br />
and as of July 17 is now open for<br />
weekend worship.<br />
To celebrate, the diocese (which<br />
ministers to 1.2 million faithful) threw<br />
a black-tie bash, including a cocktail<br />
reception, a program and concert,<br />
and an elegant dinner by Patina in the<br />
Cathedral Plaza.<br />
Naturally, my first consideration<br />
was what to wear. I own one dress, by<br />
a German designer partial to colors<br />
like “algae” and “grout”: the kind of<br />
sack-like garment in which prisoners<br />
were sent to the guillotine during the<br />
French Revolution.<br />
The second was who to bring. I was<br />
lucky enough to nab Dr. Michael<br />
James Sullivan (Jamie to his friends),<br />
chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology<br />
at City of Hope National<br />
Medical Center.<br />
His equally accomplished wife,<br />
Maura, was out of town and graciously<br />
agreed to lend him out. So I, too,<br />
stepped up to the plate and as Jesus<br />
would have me do, bought a fancy<br />
dress and had my nails done.<br />
Traffic was hideous so we missed<br />
cocktail hour and barely arrived in<br />
time for the concert.<br />
Partly because with its thousands<br />
of glass panes, the exterior of the<br />
120-foot church resembles an upscale<br />
medical building; partly because<br />
the approach consists of a huge but<br />
minimalist plaza; and partly because<br />
32 • ANGELUS • <strong>August</strong> 2-9, <strong>2019</strong>
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