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BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN: NAVIGATING THE HOLIDAYS WITH A GRIEVING HEART

One of my favorite traditions each year is trimming the Christmas tree with the same decorations our family has used... 

by REBECCA FREEMAN, PASTORAL CARE MINISTRY COORDINATOR 

CHRIST CATHEDRAL MUSIC MINISTRY RELEASES ALBUM RECORDED IN CATHEDRAL SANCTUARY

THE MUSIC MINISTRY OF Christ Cathedral has released a new album, “Spem in Alium: A Choral Adoration,” a first-ever choral... 

by BRADLEY ZINT 

“PUTTING GOD FIRST”

ELLEN VINCK AND HER husband Alex moved to South Orange County almost 10 years ago to be closer to family,... 

by MEG WATERS 

SEW DEVOTED

FOR MEMBERS OF SAINTS Simon & Jude quilting club, some of whom have been with the club since its inception... 

by GREG HARDESTY 

MEET THE CLASS PRESIDENTS OF OC CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLS

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN Orange County are building leaders in and out of the classroom. Long before Americans cast their votes... 

by MIKE VULPO 

Local

WALKING THE CAMINO

THE POPULAR CAMINO DE Santiago walk can start on various pilgrimage routes, ending in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. This path…

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

ST. JULIANA FALCONIERI students worked hard collecting funds to distribute to St. Jude’s Hospital in Fullerton during the month of…

HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS USE IRA TO FULFILL NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

FOR GENE AND JUDY, a blind date at a drive-in theater more than 65 years ago led to marriage and…

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Christ Cathedral

THE LOVE OF GOD IS BIGGER THAN DEATH

AFTER OFFICIATING THE Holy Mass, Fr. Juan Navarro solemnly sprinkled holy water on each of the altars, in memory of…

DIOCESE’S NEW CONCERT SEASON WILL FEATURE NEWLY INSTALLED ORGAN, MORE

THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE is pleased to announce the Christ Cathedral music ministry’s 2024-25 concert season, which will include the…

BISHOP VANN DEDICATES, BLESSES THE NEW ST. CALLISTUS CHAPEL AND CRYPTS

ON OCT. 14, THE Feast Day of St. Callistus, Bishop Kevin Vann dedicated and blessed Christ Cathedral’s new St. Callistus…

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Sports

TAKING IT TO THE MAT

EVERYONE HAS A hurdle in life — something so difficult it can seem impossible to overcome. Samantha Arce, a senior…

THREE’S A CHARM

It’s been a season of “threepeats” for the JSerra girls cross country team. At the CIF State Cross Country Championships…

MONARCHS TAKE STATE

More than a year before the start of the 2023 volleyball season, Mater Dei volleyball coach Dan O’Dell felt that…

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Local Headlines

OC CATHOLIC RECIPE SWAP
THIS RECIPE IS ONE of my family’s favorites. We gift it to neighbors and friends every year. I hope someone...

HOLY TRINITY PARISH MARKS TWENTY YEARS
IN JULY OF 2005, Annette Blais was a young mom. She had heard that a new Catholic Church was coming...

OC CATHOLIC RECIPE SWAP
Editor’s note: The recipe for Pecan Nut Cup Cookies originally published in the Nov. 10 issue was incomplete; here is...

Opinion Headlines

BACK TO SCHOOL: “GO FORTH AND BEAR FRUIT”
AS THE SUMMER DAYS begin to wane and the excitement of a new school year fills the air, we gather...

ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPAL JOINS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IN PLACENTIA
I HAD A FANTASTIC TIME attending the National Night Out event in the City of Placentia on Tuesday, Aug. 6....

THE EUCHARIST THROUGH A CARDIOLOGIST’S EYES: FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH
I’LL BE THE FIRST to admit that the sterile and highly controlled atmosphere of a cardiac catheterization lab doesn’t inherently...

National

OC CATHOLIC AFAR

We recently visited Lahaina on the island of Maui and were shocked at the devastation the people are still suffering…

TRAVEL DIARY: THE CHURCH OF THE MADONNA

WHEN THE CHURCH OF the Madonna was built in the Borough of Fort Lee, N.J. during the 1850s, it was…

FINDING THEIR WAY

CLARA ARBIZO WASN’T EXPECTING much. The parishioner of St. Anne’s in Santa Ana was among 200 young adults who participated…

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National Headlines

DIOCESAN BISHOPS AND DELEGATES ATTEND NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS
INDIANAPOLIS — A delegation from the Diocese of Orange recently attended the tenth National Eucharistic Congress in Indiana’s capital city,...

DIOCESE OF ORANGE ANNOUNCES DELEGATION TO NATIONAL EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS IN INDIANAPOLIS
The Diocese of Orange is proud to announce its delegation to the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) scheduled for July...

FILM LETS DEVOTEES PROVIDE VISUAL, EMOTIONAL SUBSTANCE OF LOURDES’ STORY
NEW YORK (CNS) — In the documentary “Lourdes” (Distrib Films), filmmakers Alban Teurlai and Thierry Demaiziere present a moving portrait...

MIAMI CATHOLIC PARISH SAYS 10 OF ITS FAMILIES STILL MISSING AFTER COLLAPSE
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (CNS) — It is an understatement to say the people and staff of St. Joseph Parish will...

World

OC CATHOLIC AFAR

Greetings from Hiroshima, Japan! Oscar and Patty Pablos carry a copy of Orange County Catholic as they visit the Assumption…

OC CATHOLIC AFAR

Fr. Christopher Heath and Willie Centeno on a pilgrimage to Italy. Taken at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the…

OC CATHOLIC AFAR

Mark and Mary Doyle brought along an issue of OC Catholic when they visited Assisi, Italy. They are pictured in…

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World Headlines

OC CATHOLIC AFAR
A family of parishioners from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Placentia and La Purísima Catholic Church in Orange visited Slovakia...

OC AFAR
The Zinn family brought along an issue of OC Catholic when they recently completed the Camino de Santiago or the...

OC CATHOLIC’S SUMMER PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS
THANKS TO EVERYONE who submitted their summer travel photos with Orange County Catholic! We received submissions from faraway places like...

OC CATHOLIC AFAR
The Bauer Family visited Ueno Catholic Church in Tokyo, Japan while they were vacationing there in June. “We enjoyed the...

Education

ST. BONAVENTURE SCHOOL HONORS VETERANS

EIGHTH-GRADER CLAIRE Kurkjian may have started a tradition at St. Bonaventure School in Huntington Beach. Her father, Captain Bob Kurkjian,…

A FESTIVAL OF SAINTS

FAITH LEADERS AT ST. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Fullerton who are tasked with preparing the church’s teenagers for the…

LEADERSHIP IN ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

AT ST. HEDWIG SCHOOL IN Los Alamitos, Principal Chris McGuiness takes leadership very seriously. When asked to elaborate on the…

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Education Headlines

HONORING GRANDPARENTS AT JSERRA
EACH YEAR, JSERRA Catholic High School honors the grandparents of its students with a special Mass, followed by lunch and...

MEET THE CLASS PRESIDENTS OF OC CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLS
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN Orange County are building leaders in and out of the classroom. Long before Americans cast their votes...

WELCOME HOME
IT WAS 1949 WHEN fourth-grader Pete Rabbitt switched to a new campus that was just opening: St. Joachim Catholic School...

PLAY TIME
TWO NEW, ULTRAMODERN play structures are prominently situated for all to see on the grounds at Our Lady of Fatima...