The Crystal Cathedral,
once a symbol of America’s evangelical movement where thousands of
congregants attended services each Sunday, may be about to make a major
religious conversion: The Roman Catholic Church is looking to buy the headquarters of the bankrupt megachurch.
The Diocese of Orange
has offered $50 million to buy Crystal Cathedral’s 40-acre campus and
convert the landmark church into a Catholic cathedral, part of a plan to
allow Crystal Cathedral Ministries, which operates the church, to emerge from bankruptcy proceedings.
The diocese’s offer is one of several plans to be considered by the
Crystal Cathedral Ministries board when it meets Thursday, before
another hearing in bankruptcy court on Monday.
Other plans would convert
parts of the campus into a university health sciences center or
apartments.
The diocese would renovate the interior to create an altar and other
elements of a Catholic cathedral, but would leave the glass-paned
exterior of the church, designed by Philip Johnson, largely unaltered.
“We want to make a transition to a Catholic ministry that is appropriate
and respectful of what they have created,” said Alan Martin, a lawyer
representing the diocese.
Founded by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller in 1955, the church is considered
the nation’s first modern megachurch by many historians.
At its peak in
the 1980s, two million viewers tuned in every week to watch “Hour of
Power,” the program filmed at the Crystal Cathedral, while more than
10,000 worshipers filled the pews.
But a succession battle after Mr. Schuller retired in 2006 alienated
many worshipers, and the Spanish-language services on Sunday now draw
greater attendance than those conducted in English by Mr. Schuller’s
daughter — a reflection of the changing demographics of Orange County.
The ministry filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year and owes creditors about $46 million.
The diocese has pledged to erase Crystal Cathedral’s debt: all creditors
would be paid by the end of the year, with some cash left over for the
ministry, Mr. Martin said.
Still, it is not clear exactly how the diocese would finance a $50
million purchase.
In 2004, the diocese paid around $100 million to
settle a sexual abuse lawsuit — at the time, the largest such settlement
for any diocese in the United States, which led to layoffs and budget
cuts.
Stephen R. Bohannon, a spokesman for the diocese, wrote in an e-mail
that the diocese would amass the $50 million through a combination of
fund-raising and loans.
Chapman University,
which hopes to turn the church grounds into a health sciences satellite
campus eventually, has upped its offer to $50 million from $46 million
to match the diocese’s, and would also give Crystal Cathedral an option
to buy back its landmark glass church.
Many churchgoers at Crystal Cathedral also expressed hope that the
ministry could continue to operate at its longtime campus.
Some,
however, hoped the Catholic bid would succeed, which would at least
ensure that the church remained a house of worship.
A creditors
committee initially supported the Chapman offer, before offers from the
diocese and other institutions were made.
“I think the majority of the board and all of the members of the church
would like to see an opportunity to continue the ministry at the
location,” said John Charles, a spokesman for Crystal Cathedral
Ministries.
“But it remains to be seen how this will proceed in the
court system.”
But one thing is clear: In the short term, if Crystal Cathedral
Ministries is to continue holding services in the glass building it is
so closely identified with, it will be as a tenant.