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Ex Cathedra.
After work this morning, I walked five blocks up the road to attend the first parish mass of the new Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels. In doing so, I realized why the two people who were supposed to take over for me at work had not shown up. Large sections of Downtown LA had been blocked off for the Los Angeles Triathlon, making it impossible to get into the building.
On the way, I passed the still-in-progress Walt Disney Music Hall. It looks really ugly.
Of course, the cathedral looks pretty ugly from the outside too. I've heard it described as a faux-pueblo prison, and frankly, I find it hard to disagree. Outside the cathedral is a large plaza designed to hold many people during large ceremonies or gatherings. Empty, it looks pretty tacky. The tackiness is not abated by the Cathedral gift shop and cafe nor by the cheap plastic tables and umbrellas for those eating at the cafe.
Things start to get interesting when you see the Great Bronze Doors. I'm not quite clear why they already have the word "Great" as part of their name, but they are very nice. More impressive is the sculpture of Mary, which looks incredible when reflected in the morning light.
Moving into the ambulatory, there's, well, nothing really. It's dark, and you can't see anything much. As you progress, occasionally, you will be able to get a horizontal glimpse into the main body of the cathedral, but not much. There's no view of the altar, nor of the windows, just pews and some of the tapestries of the saints.
The light at the end of the ambulatory is reflected off of the gilt of the retablo. It's an altarpiece from 17th Century Spain, although I was unable to read the plaque to understand its direct significance to the present cathedral.
Finally, you turn the corner at the back of the cathedral, and suddenly, the entire cathedral is there in front of you. It's certainly very big, but the proportions were done very well, and I never felt small, or that I was very far away from anything else in the cathedral. And the alabaster windows are glorious. (The link leads to a picture of one of the lesser windows and doesn't do justice to the light the enters from behind the altar. When I entered the mass, the sun was behind cloud cover; and midway through the Mass, the sun emerged, and the cathedral lit up brighter than I would have imagined.)
The Mass itself was incredibly mundane. Cardinal Mahoney was there, but he didn't say the Mass or sit in the cathedra, he just sat on the side and performed as a Eucharistic Minister. In fact, one wouldn't have known he was there at all if it weren't for the bright red skullcap he wears. (And, of course, the mention that the pastor gave at the end of mass.) But overall, the Mass was just a normal Mass. There were microphone problems for the cantor; the many ushers were not always clear what to do next; etc. But it was nice, and at a perfect time, not far from my work.
Later, I went to a baptism. Then I went to bed.
On the way, I passed the still-in-progress Walt Disney Music Hall. It looks really ugly.
Of course, the cathedral looks pretty ugly from the outside too. I've heard it described as a faux-pueblo prison, and frankly, I find it hard to disagree. Outside the cathedral is a large plaza designed to hold many people during large ceremonies or gatherings. Empty, it looks pretty tacky. The tackiness is not abated by the Cathedral gift shop and cafe nor by the cheap plastic tables and umbrellas for those eating at the cafe.
Things start to get interesting when you see the Great Bronze Doors. I'm not quite clear why they already have the word "Great" as part of their name, but they are very nice. More impressive is the sculpture of Mary, which looks incredible when reflected in the morning light.
Moving into the ambulatory, there's, well, nothing really. It's dark, and you can't see anything much. As you progress, occasionally, you will be able to get a horizontal glimpse into the main body of the cathedral, but not much. There's no view of the altar, nor of the windows, just pews and some of the tapestries of the saints.
The light at the end of the ambulatory is reflected off of the gilt of the retablo. It's an altarpiece from 17th Century Spain, although I was unable to read the plaque to understand its direct significance to the present cathedral.
Finally, you turn the corner at the back of the cathedral, and suddenly, the entire cathedral is there in front of you. It's certainly very big, but the proportions were done very well, and I never felt small, or that I was very far away from anything else in the cathedral. And the alabaster windows are glorious. (The link leads to a picture of one of the lesser windows and doesn't do justice to the light the enters from behind the altar. When I entered the mass, the sun was behind cloud cover; and midway through the Mass, the sun emerged, and the cathedral lit up brighter than I would have imagined.)
The Mass itself was incredibly mundane. Cardinal Mahoney was there, but he didn't say the Mass or sit in the cathedra, he just sat on the side and performed as a Eucharistic Minister. In fact, one wouldn't have known he was there at all if it weren't for the bright red skullcap he wears. (And, of course, the mention that the pastor gave at the end of mass.) But overall, the Mass was just a normal Mass. There were microphone problems for the cantor; the many ushers were not always clear what to do next; etc. But it was nice, and at a perfect time, not far from my work.
Later, I went to a baptism. Then I went to bed.
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