The Cathedral: At the Heart of Los Angeles

In The Cathedral: At the Heart of Los Angeles Michael Downey offers brief spiritual reflections on the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, the first cathedral of the new millennium. Beholding the Cathedral in view of the twin themes of light and journey, Dr. Downey invites the reader to a contemplative experience of this splendid sacred space. This commemorative edition will be followed by a second volume to focus on the liturgical life of the Cathedral at the heart of Los Angeles.

Through the full-color photographs by Tom Bonner, whose work includes photography of the new Getty Center in Los Angeles, we look at the fruit of the labor of architects, artists, and craftspeople. Through word and image, the heart is moved to grateful prayer for the generous gifts of many people, for the years of work that have gone into creating this space, this place that is so much more than a building.

Here the whole people of Los Angeles, the rich and poor from all walks of life, have come together to make a place that belongs to everyone, a place for everything that ennobles the human spirit: fine art, music, folk craft, worship, and more. The Cathedral, no matter how splendid it may be, is simply a setting for the most precious of jewels—God’s people, in all their diversity.

This volume provides the first look at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and will appeal to anyone interested in architecture and spirituality, or better, the spirituality expressed and impressed through architecture.

The chapter titles: "The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels," "A Church With a Chair," "A Place for a People," "To Gather the Church," "With Room Enough for All," "A Place of Light," "A Place to Journey Together," "The Place of Mary," "Nuestra Señora de los Angeles," "A Prayer in this Place." The volume concludes with a word from Cardinal Mahony.