Driver SPG, a part of C.W. Driver Companies (a leading builder serving California since 1919), today announced the beginning of construction on the St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts, a new worship space underneath Christ Cathedral that will serve generations of parishioners throughout Orange County for years to come.
The modern Byzantine architectural style design by Johnson Fain will differ from the main sanctuary’s contemporary style. The intimate chapel will feature a more traditional European palette of gold and jewel tones, and include sacred art from Granda of Madrid, Spain. Different mediums are planned for the space: statues, mosaics, paintings and tapestry.
The $14.5-million St. Callistus chapel is designed to accommodate 220 people and will have a marble altar for Masses with enough room for a choir, musicians, and 10 to 15 concelebrants. On either side of the chapel will be devotional shrines: one celebrating the legacy and history of the Diocese of Orange, and the second detailing the story of St. Callistus, the pope who lived in the 3rd Century A.D.
The chapel’s name honors the St. Callistus parish and school in Garden Grove that closed in 2013 as part of the sale to complete the purchase of the property formerly known as Crystal Cathedral. The people of that parish became the initial congregants of Christ Cathedral. Since then, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange has extensively refurbished its 34-acre campus.
The St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts project is scheduled to be completed by summer 2024.
“St. Callistus chapel will be a welcome addition to the congregation of Christ Cathedral,” said Driver SPG director of projects, Mike Sosa. “In the past 10 years, they’ve seen their numbers grow quickly and we are proud that Driver SPG can be a part of the expansion of this historic cathedral.”
In addition to the areas of worship, there will be hundreds of niches for all the faithful and, notably, an additional 40 burial spaces set aside specifically for generations of Diocese of Orange bishops. This tradition of burying bishops in cathedral crypts began in Europe and will now be an option at St. Callistus.
Christ Cathedral is located at 13280 Chapman Avenue in Garden Grove. Other notable cultural projects for Driver SPG include the St. Junipero Serra Catholic School – Chapel and Student Creation Center, and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church – New Sanctuary and Campus Improvements.
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