The Cathedral of Christ the Light

My favorite place to just let all things go. I love this church, not a day I come in and not feel the Holy Spirit. I’m married now for 25 years but I’d love to one day walk down this beautiful isle.

***If you are having your wedding here*** For some reason or another the priest was on his high horse and adamant about not wearing a microphone for the wedding video. As a standard practice videographers will record the audio from the priest or officiant, and this guy was completely rude about it. It was a great church and this person could not have been more rude– it is a simple task and requires absolutely no effort on his part– therefore why be a jerk about it? According to him I was «coming to HIS cathedral». I was completely professional and friendly about it and he was just out there to not help!

I came to see this church when it was first built and it is an amazing piece of work. It is very modern and it is beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside. They have on going tours of the church which is great for people who come here for the first time. They also have a gift shop just outside of the church with many modern religious pieces which is nice. There is also underground parking here which you hardly see in churches (if at all). I have never been to an actual mass here (I don’t affiliate with this religion) but I can only imagine that they are nice. The church is close to lake Marriott which makes for a nice view from the lake especially at night. Overall a great gem in the city of downtown Oakland which is great for the residents here and for the people who associate with this religion to worship here.

Beautiful space. Visited on a sunny summer day and it was light, airy and welcoming. Lots of windows but the stark and cold lines of all that glass is mitigated by the warmth of all that curved wood. An almost perfect blend of modern and traditional. While the main space and the underground mausoleum are breathtaking, the small chapel alcoves seem like afterthoughts.
Small parking space under the church but with a steep entrance ramp. There is a ticket and/​or attendant booth but it was unmanned during our visit and the barrier was left open.

Dangggg what a fancy schmancy church! Especially a Catholic one! I was raised Catholic so I don’t feel bad about making such comments. Yes it’s new, and yes it’s VERY nice. But I’m used to the less glitzy, need-​a-​fresh-​coat-​of-​paint-​and-​new-​doorknobs type of churches! This place is FAR from that!
I mean from the incredibly tall ceilings that let in an immense amount of natural light, to the gorgeous outside views of Lake Merritt, this church is gorgeous. Everything is new and modern. I was here for a baptism, but imagine the Sunday Mass is quite nice.
1 and only qualm — they charge for parking! Yes, it’s their own private structure and it’s covered and underground, but really… something about a church that charges for parking just doesn’t seem right! #sorrynotsorry

An architectural gem! My rating is for the building, not the sermons.
There is plenty of free street parking, during weekdays, near the church of Our Lady of Lourdes, ironically. From there, you can take a detour to Lakeside Park to see the Torii Gate and Bonsai Garden before seeing the cathedral. All of this for less than a mile’s walk.
If you are a tourist like me, park close to the Cleveland Cascade on Lakeshore Ave and take a quick look at the stairs.

This cathedral is jaw dropping and full of creative modern architecture. It was my first time coming here and it was just beautiful.
The minute you walk in, you’re just in shock.
Downstairs has a mausoleum and bathroom.
During mass, you can hear echoes (babies crying can be heard throughout the church).
Parking was simple and free.
Stop by this church if you have time. This is a must see

I’ve been a fan of this cathedral since it opened! My confirmation back in 2009 was actually held here as one of its first events. (Joint confirmation with a handful of parishes.) Because it is in Oakland, I don’t come here often for mass so whenever I get a chance to — like this past weekend — I get really excited!
The architecture of this cathedral is extremely modern, and I love it. They have an underground parking structure that is normally $ 15/​day on weekdays and free for those who attend mass/​special events on the weekends. There is street parking around it too that you can find to avoid parking fees.
Its quite an open space and positive vibes flow through it. I came here for a wedding recently and their matrimony mass is just as beautiful as the cathedral itself.
I was so happy that things went swimmingly for my cousin who was getting married.

Midnight Mass!
I had always wanted to go to a Christmas Midnight Mass. There was no parking at my regular church but I was undeterred. Given it was after 11PM I decided walking was impractical so I sought another venue.
Did you know that the cathedral has a massive, multi-​level, underground parking lot? I didn’t know that until I found myself maneuvering its subterenean swerves on Christmas Eve.
I took the elevator up and explored. I felt safe walking the grounds late at night even though I didn’t notice any security and only minutes earlier decided to forego my regular church for safety reasons. This is a gorgeous place particularly if you have an eye for steel & glass.
If architecture or sound engineering gets your motor running you simply must take one of their many weekly tours. The acoustics are amazing.
The service was awesome! Even if you aren’t religious it is worthwhile to see the choir perform. You will not be recruited but you will walk away with a great feeling.

Absolutely love attending conferences in the stunningly beautiful cathedral & venue. Go up the stairs outdoors on a Wednesday and you’re treated to a robust farmers market. Go across the street and walk around Lake Merritt at lunch. The cathedral itself is just lovely.

Twilight by the Lake on the Cathedral Plaza across from Lake Merritt was an awesome event tonight. Catered appetizers by 3-​D Gourmet Catering, Wine, tours of the Cathedral and music by the Last Minute Band! It was an awesome event and everything was free :-)

The Cathedral of Christ the Light is an architectural marvel: a gleaming, beautiful structure and an award-​winning green, energy-​saving design. But as my wife and I attended Mass there for the first time, we both felt something was missing. It didn’t feel holy — it didn’t feel like a church.
Lots of diffused light, but no stained-​glass, in fact no color at all. The floor has no carpet, no warmth, just cold, gray cement. Very practical and economical I’m sure, but no carpet or wood floor made things feel temporary, like they could fold up the pews and hold a giant conference at any time. And the feeling of impermanence is only increased by the giant, digitized image of a very Confucius-​looking Christ on the far wall.
Ironically, the remainder of the structure does feel very churchlike. The side alcoves, with the historical oil paintings; the Mausoleum below which beautifully gets light coming through the altar above. The other areas did have that holy feeling, a spiritual serenity.
But in the main Worship area I felt like Rip van Winkle must’ve felt, asleep for a couple hundred years, and waking up and wandering into a church.
One last word on parking. Parking on Sundays is free, which is not what the confusing sign says at the top of the parking entrance. But if you make the mistake of coming at some other time, get ready to pay $ 1.25 for every 15 minutes! Somehow that just doesn’t seem right.
Normally I’d say this is a two-​star review. But Catholic guilt (and the need to hedge some afterlife bets!) is worth one bonus star.

This place is amazing! The structure is dope. You don’t realize it, but it forces you to look up. The natural light, the structure, and sound echoing throughout church. It’s modern but at the same time traditional. I want to come back and check out the tour. The tours are M-​F at 100pm and I think on Sundays for appointment. Most definitely worth the drive out to Oakland if your not busy on a Sunday.

Went to this place with UCCC. Did my confession here. This is an ineffable place and I could seriously feel God’s presence here.
As a young Catholic student at berkeley, I find it a pity that I could not go to mass here often due to the distance:(How I wish I could be here more.
I love this Cathedral. In and Out.

Ok the church building itself is freaking AMAZING! BUT… more than a religious or even a place of worship this place is to just show off. I’m not Catholic and I do not believe in a multi place of worship for multiple faiths.
Churches are to be dedicated to God… and for the people who run this place to allow such a thing is not proper.
Whatever… just not a spiritually stable place… I felt it in the atmosphere, but beside that looks really cool, especially when seen from across Lake Merritt.

This is the church you want to go to if your a Catholic in Oakland. It is absolutely gorgeous inside and brand new. You won’t see many churches like this anywhere in the USA. A matter of fact they give guided tours during the weekday around 1 pm after the 12:10 mass.
Please be respectful of people praying, especially in the mausoleum downstairs. I know a lot of people like to go down there just to check it out, but you have to remember this is where people are put to rest in eternity.

This is a beautiful church. Right across the street from the lake. I’ve actually never attended it for any services though, I was there for a work function in their conference center that they rent out.
Parking is a bear for this church since you are in downtown Oakland, it will not be cheap, especially during the week. I’ve seen some other reviews, i’m guessing that parking is free on the weekends, which makes sense in a predominately business center area

I’ve been meaning to attend mass here and I was fortunate enough to go for Ash Wednesday. Walking in, the church is just so «majestic.» It’s architecturally beautiful from the inside and out.
Since the outside looked so massive, I assumed the inside would be too but it was actually smaller and made it feel homey and not so huge and cold. The altar was in an odd place but I guess due to its shape… it had to do. The chairs /​pews were comfy (yes, for a Catholic church) that’s a plus!
The staff /​volunteers were obviously very busy during that holy day of obligation but they still managed to be welcoming.
I’d definitely go here again… just a beautiful church inside and out. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a design geek like yours truly ;)

Take the tour on the second or fourth Tuesday of the month, as these will include a mini-​concert: three musical pieces to demonstrate the beauty of the pipe organ and acoustics of the Cathedral interior.
Miss Barbara, the docent for our tour, was very knowledgeable about the construction details, and playfully teased each member of our group to check out the acoustics of a small circular room on the lower level. (Don’t be shy! This little experiment yields an excellent surprise.)
Plus, we were encouraged to touch certain plaques and castings, to help the patina along!

This is a huge, modern cathedral that is located right in downtown Oakland. I drove by this so many times not ever seeing or noticing what it was as it blends in with the rest of the surrounding business buildings.
The inside however is pretty much a big enormous space with an incredibly high ceiling and a super-​sized Jesus in the center. The picture is definitely not the best representation that I’ve seen of him but hey, maybe my taste isn’t $ 190 million refined. The panels made it appear dark on the bottom and light shining through towards the top, meant to represent light from heaven as you get higher. Although I did have a good laugh at the reviews saying it looks like a vagina, according to the tour guide, it was actually meant to represent the fish. The symbol can be seen on the door handles and on a variety of other things throughout the cathedral. I had no idea what a mausoleum until that day either… It’s so quiet there it’s almost spooky.
Far from being a Catholic but still something worth seeing for it’s architectural values. The pond/​fountain with holy water looked like a hot tub and I literally imagined myself taking a swim in it. It was heated too… Now I see where the $ 190 million went into. Heated holy water.