Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church whose territory comprises the whole of Orange County, California in the United States. It may also be referred to as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange in California to avoid confusion with the historical Diocese of Orange of Orange, France, which was dissolved in 1801.
Orange is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, from whose territory it was erected in 1976. It is led by the prelature of the Bishop of Orange, whose seat is at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in the City of Orange. Diocesan offices are situated at Marywood Pastoral Center in Orange.
In addition to its 56 parish churches, the diocese oversees 44 schools, three general hospitals, plus one disabled and five ethnic ministry centers. It also sponsors a variety of programs and activities in conjunction with other local organizations.
The diocesan patroness is Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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[edit] History
The Catholic history of Orange County dates back to 1776, when Fray Junípero Serra founded the seventh of the California Missions at San Juan Capistrano. Growth and development continued in the county over the next 200 years.
Pope Paul VI established the diocese on March 24, 1976 from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. On June 16 of that year, Cardinal Timothy Manning installed Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop William Johnson as the first Bishop of Orange at Holy Family Cathedral. The diocese has grown rapidly as the local population has swelled with Catholic immigrants from Vietnam, the Philippines, and Latin America. When the Diocese was first established, there were 42 parishes and 179 Priests serving 330,000 Orange County Catholics. Today, 25 years later, there are 55 diocesan parishes and 289 Priests serving 1,044,191 Catholics in this county of 2,760,948 people.
On June 30, 1998 Tod Brown was named the third Bishop of Orange.[1] He is also the current Bishop of Orange.
On April 25, 2003, Pope John Paul II named the Rev. Dominic Mai Luong an Auxiliary Bishop of Orange. He was the first Vietnamese-born priest to serve as a bishop in the United States.
Along with the tremendous growth during these years, the large numbers of non-English-speaking Catholics who have emigrated from Latin America and Asia have presented the greatest challenge to the Diocese: ministering to their special needs and assimilating them into the Church of Orange.
On January 5, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named the Rev. Cirilo Flores as an additional Auxiliary Bishop of Orange. [2]
[edit] Sex abuse settlement
On January 3, 2005, Bishop Tod Brown apologized to 87 alleged victims of sexual abuse and announced a settlement of $100-million following two years of mediation.
[edit] Bishops
- William Robert Johnson (24 March 1976 – 28 July 1986)
- Norman Francis McFarland (29 December 1986 – 30 June 1998)
- Tod David Brown (30 June 1998 – )
[edit] See also
[edit] Secondary schools
[edit] Diocesan
- Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana
- Rosary High School, Fullerton
- Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Rancho Santa Margarita
[edit] Independent
- Cornelia Connelly High School, Anaheim
- JSerra Catholic High School, San Juan Capistrano
- Servite High School, Anaheim
- St. Michael's Preparatory School, Silverado
[edit] References
- ^ Scott Martelle and Esther Schrader, "On a Mission to Meet His Flock". Los Angeles Times. 1998-07-01. http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jul/01/local/me-65244. Retrieved on 2009-04-27.
- ^ "The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church". http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/doran.html.
[edit] External links
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, official site
- Orange Catholic Foundation, endowment fund
