RAISING OF THE CRUX GEMMATA The crux gemmata, suspended over the marble altar in Christ Cathedral, is the design of Brother William Woeger, FSC, liturgical consultant for the renovation project, and was fabricated by two talented teams. The corpus was created by the Ferdinand Stuflesser Studio in Ortisei, Italy. The corpus is made of a bleached- or white-cedar wood that was carved in the image of Christ. Crafted in Omaha, Nebraska from blackened steel and transported to Orange County in four separate pieces, the cross itself weighs 1,000 pounds, rises 18 feet above the cathedral’s altar and hangs from the baldachin. It is a cross typical of early medieval art, affixed with gems and the crowned corpus of Christ. Fabricator David Fitzpatrick put the finishing touches on the crux gemmata inside the cathedral before it was hoisted above the altar. “It’s a very big day today—it’s a great day,” Fitzpatrick said. “To be able to be here and see it be put up in place, and then years later be able to come back and say, ‘It’s still here,’ and enjoy it is an awesome feeling.” The raising of the crux gemmata signaled another symbolic milestone as Christ Cathedral transformed into a Catholic house of worship.
BISHOP KEVIN VANN CAPTURES THE MOMENT THE CRUX GEMMATA IS HOISTED INTO PLACE, MARKING A MILESTONE IN THE PROGRESS OF THE RENOVATION. / PHOTO COURTESY CHALLENGE RODDIE
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THE CRUX GEMMATA, WEIGHING 1,000 POUNDS, RISES 18 FEET ABOVE THE ALTAR. / PHOTO COURTESY CHALLENGE RODDIE