Bishop Kevin Vann announced in a decree on June 28, 2018, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, a Holy Year of Preparation for Christ Cathedral. A Mass was celebrated in the Arboretum on the campus of Christ Cathedral.
Following is the official decree:
DECREE
PROCLAIMING A HOLY YEAR OF PREPARATION OF CHRIST CATHEDRAL
“A place for Christ forever … The dedication of Christ Cathedral”
I, Bishop Kevin William Vann, fourth Bishop of Orange in California, by the grace of God and the Apostolic See:
Whereas, after years of planning, prayer and Faith, and due to the hard work, diligence and dedication of many, we find ourselves, by the Providence of God, rapidly approaching the completion of the renovation of Christ Cathedral (formerly called the “Crystal Cathedral”);
Whereas, with profound gratitude to God—as the one who “builds His House”—to the planners and workers who continue to labor that the building project is on schedule, I have set the date when I will dedicate Christ Cathedral as 17 July 2019;
Whereas, I recognize the essential involvement of many people of good will in the Diocese of Orange to make this campus a center for evangelization so that as many people as possible may be helped to know, love and praise God in this life so that we might spend eternity with him in the next;
Whereas, no one should be denied an opportunity to participate in this historic endeavor in a tangible way;
Whereas, I desire that all people of good will enter into a spirit of prayer 1) to continue to pray for the workers who do not cease to give of themselves in order to bring this project to completion; 2) for others involved in the completion of the cathedral renovation, that they may make informed and wise choices; 3) that the project may stay within budget; 4) that more generous benefactors present themselves; and 5) that this entire campus may be welcoming, bringing the visitor to an encounter with Christ or at least planting the seeds for an eventual encounter with the Risen Lord;
Whereas, I would be most pleased if the faithful were on fire for Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that his Holy Name be always on our lips as we prepare this place for Christ forever;
Whereas, I exhort the faithful to avail themselves of the many opportunities made available at various parishes in the Diocese of Orange to spend time in Eucharistic adoration, keeping in mind that Our Lord Jesus Christ is eager to hear from his sons and daughters and that praying before the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance or in the tabernacle fosters closeness with Jesus Christ;
Whereas, I invite the faithful to pray to our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, our Diocesan Patroness, that she might drape her mantle around her sons and daughters in Christ, just as she comforted Saint Juan Diego.
Whereas, I ask the faithful not to overlook or undervalue the pious, but nowadays set aside and often forgotten practice, of the offering up of one’s sufferings for the souls in purgatory or for grown children who, for whatever reason(s), no longer practice the true faith nor avail themselves regularly of the sacrament of reconciliation so as to help prepare their hearts most fully for the spiritual blessings of the new cathedral;
Whereas, the undertaking of pious works, including attending Holy Mass on weekdays as well as the offering up of their prayers, sacrifices and sufferings for the success of the Cathedral’s evangelization efforts are most efficacious;
Whereas, one may qualify to gain a plenary indulgence who visits the Blessed Sacrament for adoration and spends at least thirty minutes in adoration or who prays the rosary devoutly in a church or oratory or in a family or who reads or listens to sacred scripture with due reverence to the divine word for at least thirty minutes as well as those who exercise of the Way of the Cross.
DECREE
That, in accord with canons 35 and 48 of the Code of Canon Law, a Holy Year of Preparation for the Opening of Christ Cathedral is to begin today, the Solemnity of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul and will continue through the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on 28 June 2019.
Given in Garden Grove, from the halls of the Pastoral Center on this 29th day of June in the year of Our Lord 2018, the liturgical solemnity of the Princes of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul and the sixth year of my episcopacy of the Diocese of Orange in California.
Most Reverend Kevin William Vann, J.C.D., D.D.
Bishop of Orange in California
Doctor Pia Francesca de Solenni, S.Th.D.
Chancellor