GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (CNS) — A new broadcast facility on the Diocese of Orange’s Christ Cathedral campus in Garden Grove is the Eternal Word Television Network’s first such facility on the West Coast.
The production studio and control room, located within the Tower of Hope on the campus, will begin broadcasting news, televised Masses and stories of faith to a global audience the network says numbers more than 240 million television households.
“As we transform the Christ Cathedral campus into a dynamic and inspirational center of Catholic worship and outreach, we are blessed to partner with EWTN to share our community’s energy and faithful witness with the world,” said Bishop Kevin W. Vann of Orange.
“EWTN’s partnership will profoundly benefit our Church, enabling us to share the love of Christ with millions across the world in multiple languages from the Cathedral campus, here in Orange County,” he added in the first interview conducted in the new studio.
Bishop Vann led a prayer service to dedicate EWTN’s new broadcast facilities May 13.
EWTN, which has its headquarters in Irondale, Alabama, began construction on its new West Coast facility last year.
Three years ago, the Orange Diocese finalized its purchase of the landmark cathedral and surrounding campus established by the late Rev. Robert Schuller, the famed televangelist who founded it as the Crystal Cathedral and related ministries.
The diocese took possession of the cathedral property in September 2013. It then began an extensive renovation of the 34-acre campus and its seven buildings, upgrading them to meet modern earthquake and energy efficiency standards and to accommodate the large cathedral parish. The diocesan pastoral center, a Catholic school and a worship site called the Arboretum are now located on the site.
Renamed Christ Cathedral, the church building has been undergoing extensive interior renovation to make it suitable for Catholic worship.
The launch of EWTN’s West Coast studio “marks a significant moment in the history of the network,” said Michael P. Warsaw, chairman of the board and CEO of EWTN Global Catholic Network.
“Our collaboration with the Diocese of Orange will enable EWTN to produce exciting new programming that will bring the people and the stories of faith that make up the Church in Southern California to our global audience,” he said in a statement.
