Christ Cathedral

About Christ Cathedral · Garden Grove, California

Christ Cathedral (Latin: Cathedralis Christi; formerly the Crystal Cathedral) is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, located on a 37-acre campus at 13280 Chapman Avenue in Garden Grove, California. The striking Modern-style reflective glass building, designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee and completed in 1981, seats 2,248 people and houses the Hazel Wright Organ — the fifth largest pipe organ in the world. Originally built as the worship home of Robert H. Schuller's Crystal Cathedral Ministries (Reformed Church in America) and the broadcast studio of the 'Hour of Power' television program, the building was purchased by the Diocese of Orange in 2012 for $57.5 million and, after a multi-year renovation for the Catholic liturgy, was consecrated and rededicated as Christ Cathedral on July 17, 2019.

Established: 2019
Patron: Christ the King (dedicatory title of the cathedral building)
Rector: Very Reverend Bao Thai (Rector, since July 2022)
Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange (in California, USA)

Why belong here

Christ Cathedral offers a rare combination of resources for a parish: ten or more Sunday Masses in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese; daily and 24-hour monthly Eucharistic Adoration in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and St. Callistus Chapel; the fifth-largest pipe organ in the world (the Hazel Wright) anchoring one of the most ambitious Catholic music programs on the West Coast; and a 37-acre campus that includes the Tower of Hope, Arboretum, cultural center, Christ Cathedral Academy school, and the outdoor Our Lady of La Vang Shrine. As the mother church of the Diocese of Orange, it connects the faithful directly to the Bishop's teaching and liturgical presence while remaining a welcoming, multilingual parish home for the diverse Catholic communities of Orange County.

Mass times at Christ Cathedral

Weekly Mass schedule

Sunday6:30 a.m. (Vietnamese)8:00 a.m. (Spanish)10:00 a.m. (English (in-person and livestreamed))10:30 a.m. (Chinese (St. Callistus Chapel))12:00 p.m. (Spanish (in-person and livestreamed))2:00 p.m. (Vietnamese (in-person and livestreamed))4:00 p.m. (Vietnamese)5:45 p.m.7:30 p.m. (Spanish)

Monday6:30 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel, in-person and livestreamed))8:00 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel))5:30 p.m. (Vietnamese (in-person and livestreamed))

Tuesday6:30 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel, in-person and livestreamed))8:00 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel))5:30 p.m. (Vietnamese (in-person and livestreamed))

Wednesday6:30 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel, in-person and livestreamed))8:00 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel))5:30 p.m. (Vietnamese (in-person and livestreamed))

Thursday6:30 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel, in-person and livestreamed))8:00 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel))5:30 p.m. (Vietnamese (in-person and livestreamed))7:15 p.m. (Spanish)

Friday6:30 a.m. (English (St. Callistus Chapel, in-person and livestreamed))8:15 a.m. (English (Cathedral))5:30 p.m. (Vietnamese (in-person and livestreamed))7:15 p.m. (Spanish)

Saturday8:00 a.m.9:00 a.m. (Vietnamese (in-person and livestreamed; 1st Saturday of month is Our Lady of La Vang Mass at the OLLV Shrine))

Saturday Vigil4:30 p.m.6:30 p.m. (Vietnamese)

Confession times

Wednesday 7:05 a.m. – 7:50 a.m. (English and Español)
Wednesday 6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (English and Vietnamese)
Friday 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (English, Español, and Vietnamese)
Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. (English, Español, and Vietnamese)
Confession booths located inside the Cathedral

Adoration times

Monday–Friday 6:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (Blessed Sacrament Chapel)
Monday–Friday 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (St. Callistus Chapel)
Monday–Friday 5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Cathedral)
Thursday 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Cathedral)
24-Hour Adoration every Second Tuesday of the month

Heritage and History

Christ Cathedral's history is the history of one of the most remarkable building conversions in modern American Christianity. Originally designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee as the Crystal Cathedral — the home of Rev. Robert H. Schuller's 'Hour of Power' broadcast — the 10,000-pane reflective glass sanctuary opened in 1980 at a cost of $18 million. After Crystal Cathedral Ministries filed for bankruptcy in 2010, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange acquired the 37-acre Garden Grove campus for $57.5 million in 2012, then invested in a multi-year renovation by Johnson Fain and Snyder Langston that adapted the structure for Catholic worship while preserving its iconic glass architecture. Bishop Kevin Vann formally rededicated the building as Christ Cathedral on July 17, 2019; in 2021 the outdoor Our Lady of La Vang Shrine was dedicated, and on October 14, 2024 Bishop Vann dedicated the St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts in the cathedral's undercroft, completing the renovation project.

Original Garden Grove Community Church founded 1955 by Robert H. Schuller and Arvella Schuller
Crystal Cathedral designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee; constructed 1977–1980; opened 1981
$57.5 million Diocese of Orange purchase completed February 3, 2012; building renamed June 9, 2012
Multi-year renovation began November 2013 under architect Johnson Fain; contractor Snyder Langston; liturgical consultant William J. Woeger (De La Salle Brothers)
Rededicated as Christ Cathedral on July 17, 2019
Our Lady of La Vang Shrine dedicated July 2021
St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts in the undercroft dedicated October 14, 2024

Architecture and Sacred Spaces

The 1981-era building rises 128 feet on a 415 by 215 foot footprint and is clad in 10,000 glass panes — reflective on the exterior, transparent on the interior — held in a steel frame by silicone-based glue so the structure flexes under earthquakes up to magnitude 8.0. The 2019 Catholic renovation introduced angled quatrefoil 'petals' that shade the interior and create a luminous 'box of stars' exterior at night, plus bronze replacement doors, seismic retrofitting, and a new sanctuary, ciborium and altar.

Seating capacity: 2,248 worshipers
Named in 1981 as 'the largest glass building in the world'
52-bell carillon and stainless-steel prayer spire (added 1991)
Underground chapel with revolving crystal cross (original structure)
Hazel Wright Organ — fifth largest pipe organ in the world
St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts (undercroft, dedicated 2024)
Outdoor Our Lady of La Vang Shrine (2021) with 12-foot statue of Mary and spiraling canopy

The Hazel Wright Organ

Affectionately called 'Hazel,' the Christ Cathedral organ is the fifth largest pipe organ in the world with more than 17,000 pipes, more than 300 stops and nearly 300 ranks, and is played from all four corners of the cathedral for a true 'surround sound' experience. Originally built by Fratelli Ruffatti in Padova, Italy under the inspiration of organist Virgil Fox and using a 1962 Aeolian-Skinner organ from Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall, Hazel was named for Chicago-area donor Hazel C. Wright. After the Diocese of Orange's 2012 acquisition she was sent back to Fratelli Ruffatti's Italian workshop for a $3 million restoration completed in early 2022, and was solemnly blessed on June 10, 2022 by Bishop Kevin Vann in a ceremony that included Josep Solé Coll, Pope Francis's principal organist at St. Peter's Basilica. Hazel is sustained by an endowment administered through the Orange Catholic Foundation, and remains one of the most widely heard organs in the world thanks to decades of Hour of Power broadcasts.

273 ranks, five manuals
More than 17,000 pipes, 300+ stops, nearly 300 ranks
Builder: Fratelli Ruffatti (Padova, Italy)
Restored 2019–2022 and blessed June 10, 2022
Endowed through Orange Catholic Foundation

Clergy and Cathedral Leadership

The cathedral is led by Very Reverend Bao Thai, the second priest to serve as rector, supported by three parochial vicars, six deacons, a business manager (Gemma Thomsen) and a liturgical administrator (Ana Guardado-Chavez). Fr. Bao, appointed by Bishop Kevin Vann in February 2022, succeeded Very Rev. Christopher Smith, who oversaw the cathedral's transformation from Crystal Cathedral to Christ Cathedral and now holds the title of Rector Emeritus while continuing as Episcopal Vicar of Special Projects.

Rector: Very Rev. Bao Thai (since July 2022)
Parochial Vicars: Rev. Juan Navarro, Rev. Ian Gaston, Rev. Khoi Phan
Deacons: Modesto Cordero, Joseph Khiet Nguyen, Huy Nguyen, Louis Liu, Manuel Espitia, Jose Chavez
Business Manager: Gemma Thomsen
Liturgical Administrator: Ana Guardado-Chavez
Past Rector: Very Rev. Christopher Smith (2012–2022; Rector Emeritus)

Music and Liturgical Art

Christ Cathedral's music program is led by Cathedral Organist and Head of Music Ministry David La'O Ball (Juilliard-trained under Paul Jacobs), with Anna Betancourt heading the Hispanic Music Ministry and Lauren McCaul serving as Music Administrator. The program supports the Diocesan, Cathedral and Children's Choirs, the Cathedral Schola, the Hispanic Music Ministry and an organ-scholar pipeline that trains the next generation of liturgical organists on the Hazel Wright.

Diocesan Choir and Children's Choir
Cathedral Choir and Cathedral Schola
Hispanic Music Ministry (Anna Betancourt)
Cathedral Organ Scholars (Ethan Chow, André Lombardi, Alyce Reynaud, Hubert Tran)
Sub-Organists and Music Interns

Our Lady of La Vang Shrine

Dedicated in July 2021, the contemporary outdoor Our Lady of La Vang Shrine honors the Blessed Virgin Mary's traditional 1798 apparition to persecuted Vietnamese Catholics hiding in the rainforest of La Vang in central Vietnam. Fr. Bao Thai was an advisory-board member during the shrine's dedication. The shrine features a 12-foot statue of the Virgin Mary capped by a spiraling canopy and serves as an outdoor pilgrimage site, with the Vietnamese monthly Mass celebrated at the shrine on the first Saturday of each month.

Outdoor Marian shrine dedicated July 2021
12-foot statue of the Virgin Mary with spiraling canopy
Commemorates the 1798 apparition at La Vang, Vietnam
Monthly Vietnamese Mass at the shrine on the first Saturday of each month (Rosary at 8:30 a.m.)

Faith Formation, School and Outreach

Beyond its worship life Christ Cathedral sustains a full Catholic formation program: parish faith formation for children and youth, RCIA for adults, and Christ Cathedral Academy, the parish school formed when St. Callistus Catholic School moved into the former Crystal Cathedral Academy facility in September 2013. Outreach is being re-established from the cathedral campus under the oversight of Fr. Christopher Smith as Rector Emeritus, including relocation of the parish outreach center.

Christ Cathedral Academy (parish school)
Faith Formation / Religious Education programs
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Parish outreach center (under relocation)
Sacraments: Baptism, Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick

Visiting and Tours

Visitors are welcome at Christ Cathedral throughout the week; the St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts in the cathedral undercroft is open to the public, and the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine is open daily from dawn to dusk. Group tours of the cathedral and the Hazel Wright Organ can be arranged via the parish office. The parish office (Tower of Hope lobby) is open Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Parish Office: Mon–Fri 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sat 8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Address: 13280 Chapman Avenue, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Mailing Address: 12141 S. Lewis St, Garden Grove, CA 92840
Phone: (714) 971-2141 — Anointing line: (714) 532-9489
Email: [email protected]