For Orange's Own, "The Veil Is Lifted"

Even if he's now head of the largest diocese Stateside Catholicism has ever seen, when you've known the now-archbishop of Los Angeles for practically all of his 14 years on the bench, it didn't take long to realize that José Gomez's preach some days back at the San Diego funeral of Bishop Cirilo Flores was simply unlike anything he's let loose before....



Asked whether said sense of the moment was a lone one, a longtime confidant of Don José simply cabled back that "it made an impression on all of us."

To brighter things, meanwhile – at least, the brightest they can be here below – in the local church where Fr Cirilo spent most of his ministry reveling in the "smell of the sheep," a long-awaited moment is finally at hand.

Nearly three years since its $57.5 million acquisition as seat of the 1.3 million-member Orange diocese, tomorrow brings the rollout of the liturgical designs for "the future Christ Cathedral" – the crystal landmark slated for dedication as Catholic worship-space in early 2016.

In a fitting touch, however, the release will only take place after a diocesan Mass for the fallen San Diego pastor at the last OC parish he led.

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