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THE ROAD TO SAINTHOOD

IN 1989, I WAS ordained a priest for the Diocese of Orange. After serving as parochial vicar in a number... 

by FR. AL BACA 

CLOW TEACHES CHILDREN THE PROCESS OF MASS IN AN ENGAGING WAY

THE CHILDREN STOOD IN a line waiting for their chance at sinking the ball into the basket. Of the 20... 

by BRITNEY ZINT 

INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE: ROSARY BREAKS GROUND

THE NEW LEARNING, innovation and athletics center currently under construction on the campus of Rosary Academy has been designed to... 

by LOU PONSI 

THE SACRED MEANING OF CATHOLIC VESTMENTS

CATHOLICS ARE accustomed to a variety of religious attire. Babies wear baptismal garments, altar servers and choir members have robes,... 

by RON KUZLIK 

AN IRISH PILGRIMAGE OF FAITH

A GROUP OF 54 PILGRIMS from St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Huntington Beach recently returned from a 10-day... 

by RON KUZLIK 

Local

OC CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ALUM PUBLISHES FIRST BOOK

A 14-YEAR-OLD ORANGE County Catholic school alum recently released his first book. St. Angela Merici Parish School graduate Evan Vargas…

LIVING LIFE TO ITS FULLEST

DR. MARIA ABELLO, DMD, a parishioner at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, once recalled former pastor, Fr. Tim Ramaekers, introducing her…

THE DIOCESE HAS TALENT!

WHO KNEW THAT Lovers of the Holy Cross Sr. Van Yen Nguyen and Sr. Christen Nguyen were closet magicians? Or…

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Christ Cathedral

ADORE HIM

IN SCIENCE, THEORIES can explain things that cannot be seen or touched directly. From subatomic particles to gravitational waves, researchers…

CHRIST CATHEDRAL MAKES SPACE FOR PERPETUAL ADORATION

CHRIST CATHEDRAL PARISH in Garden Grove is transforming a small corner of its 34-acre campus into a space for Perpetual…

MARIAN DAYS 2026

THOUSANDS FLOCKED TO Garden Grove for the fifth annual Marian Days, held July 9 to 11, 2026, on the Christ…

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Sports

THE HAIL MARY PASS

ON OCT. 13, 2013, in a key matchup between Trinity League rivals Orange Lutheran and Servite, the Friars found themselves…

ONCE AGAIN, A SLAM DUNK

THE RECENT NBA DRAFT surely missed out on some golden prospects coming out of the Diocese of Orange. THE SOUTH…

ST. HEDWIG CATHOLIC SCHOOL HONORS ITS ATHLETES

ATHLETIC TEAMS AT ST. Hedwig Catholic School in Los Alamitos have earned enough hardware over the years to fill a…

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National

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

AS WE COMMEMORATE THE 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks — a day that forever changed our country…

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Statement Responding to President Trump’s Social Media Post on Pope Leo XIV

“I am disheartened that the President chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father. Pope Leo is not…

OC CATHOLIC AFAR

Fr. Greg Walgenbach (Director of Office of Life, Justice, and Peace & Missions) and Rebecca Freeman (Pastoral Care Ministry Coordinator,…

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National Headlines

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...

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,...

World

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT: A RURAL COMMUNITY IN UGANDA RECEIVES ELECTRICITY

KAKUBANSIRI, A SMALL village in the Gomba district of Uganda, lived without electricity since its inception. Despite some progress, national…

BISHOP VANN MEETS WITH POPE LEO XIV

On Aug. 1, Bishop Kevin Vann reunited with his former classmate and our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, during a…

A WITNESS TO HISTORY

ANNETTE WALKER, presi­dent of City of Hope Orange County and former interim CEO of St. Joseph Health, went with her…

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World Headlines

SPECIAL TERMS USED DURING THE PERIOD BETWEEN POPES
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Here is an explanation of some of the terms and practices related to the time between...

CONCLAVE TO BEGIN MAY 7
THE FUNERAL FOR POPE Francis took place April 26 in St. Peter’s Square with about 250,000 in attendance. He was...

OC CATHOLIC AFAR
Alan and Desiree Wendell brought along the OC Catholic on their cruise vacation to Australia and New Zealand where they...

OC CATHOLIC AFAR
Ashley and her father Dr. Vincent Nguyen visited the Vatican Garden while in Rome this past Christmas for the start...

Education

BACK-TO-SCHOOL MENTALLY READY

READY OR NOT, the new school year is just around the corner. As parents prepare for the first day back,…

THE NEXT CHAPTER: ROSARY ACADEMY’S BOLD STEP TOWARD A STRONGER, BRIGHTER FUTURE

ROSARY ACADEMY, ORANGE County’s only Catholic all-girls high school, has launched a landmark fundraising campaign. The school hosted a kickoff…

2026 NANO NAGLE AWARDS PRESENTED TO TWO TEACHERS AT ST. NORBERT CATHOLIC SCHOOL

AMONG THE MANY awards presented at the May 28 baccalaureate for eighth-grade graduating students, two teachers were also recognized for…

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Education Headlines

BUILDING MOMENTUM TOGETHER: CRISTO REY ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL RAISES MORE THAN $2 MILLION AT ANNUAL ¡VIVA! GALA
UNDER THE THEME “Building Momentum Together,” Cristo Rey Orange County High School raised over $2 million at its third annual...

OLFA STARTS A NEW TRADITION
AS THE END OF THE school year approaches, one local campus decided it was time to start a new tradition:...

UNLEAVENED BREAD
AS SECOND-GRADE students around the diocese prepare for their First Communion, one classroom decided to look closer at the history...

STRIKES, SPARES AND MOTHER & SON TIME
ANGELA MERCHANT LINED up her green bowling ball and let it fly, knocking all but five pins down. But this...