Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange

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.

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 April 25, 2003, Pope John Paul II named the Rev. Dominic 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.

ex 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. The suits alleged sexual misconduct on the part of 30 priests, two nuns, one religious brother, and ten lay personnel into the 1980s; 11 claims were against Eleuterio Ramos and nine against Siegfried Widera, both deceased (Widera by suicide). [Associated Press, " [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/23/national/main657155.shtml California Diocese Settles Abuse Cases] ," December 3 2004, retrieved from CBSNews.com January 19 2006] About 25 cases involved abuse dating before the creation of the Diocese of Orange, one to 1936." [http://www.the-tidings.com/2005/0107/orange.htm Orange Diocese to release files in $100 million settlement] ," "The Tidings", January 7 2005] It was the first settlement in California arising from the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and remained the largest settlement (though not the largest judgment) resulting from it until the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced a $660-million settlement on July 15, 2007.

About half of the sum was covered by liability insurance. The diocese had also sharply cut costs to prepare for the settlement in the preceding months. These steps enabled the Diocese of Orange to agree to the settlement without closing schools or parishes or taking more severe measures required of other U.S. dioceses caught up in the scandal.

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 – )

ee also

* Mission San Juan Capistrano
* Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano

econdary schools

* Cornelia Connelly High School, Anaheim
* JSerra Catholic High School, San Juan Capistrano (privately operated)
* Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana
* Rosary High School, Fullerton
* St. Michael's Preparatory School, Silverado
* Santa Margarita Catholic High School
* Servite High School, Anaheim

References

External links

* [http://www.rcbo.org/ Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange] , official site
* [http://www.oc-foundation.org/ Orange Catholic Foundation] , endowment fund