WHEN THE BELLS AT Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church began to peal at 12:39 p.m. on June 19, St. Michael’s Abbey officially entered a new era.
When again they rang at 9:50 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, the bells announced the time had come for the public at large and assorted dignitaries to share in a ceremonial Solemn Mass of the Abbatial Blessing.
At the special Mass, Right Reverend John Caronan, O.Praem., 62, who in June became the third abbot in St. Michael’s 65 years and the first elected in more than 30 years, publicly declared his resolve to fulfill the duties of his office under the Rules of St. Augustine.
In a sanctuary of Our Lady of the Assumption, bathed in spectral colored shafts of light slanting through the stained-glass windows, the Mass was presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke. Although Fr. Abbot John had already been formally installed as the spiritual father and major superior of the abbey, Cardinal Burke performed the rites to celebrate with the larger congregation, including presenting the pastoral staff to Fr. Abbot John. Bishop Kevin Vann and Bishop Timothy Freyer also participated and presented the father abbot with his official ring and miter, respectively.
The ceremony also included congratulations and a papal blessing from Pope Leo XIV read to the congregation.
ON MONDAY, SEPT. 28, A CEREMONIAL SOLEMN MASS OF THE ABBATIAL BLESSING WAS CELEBRATED IN HONOR OF RIGHT REVEREND JOHN CARONAN, O.PRAEM., BECOMING THE THIRD ABBOT IN ST. MICHAEL’S ABBEY’S HISTORY. PHOTO BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
BLESSINGS OVERFLOW
The Mass, celebrated in both Latin and English, was held before a large gathering of the faithful who filled the pews, as well as more than 125 Norbertine brothers, seminarians and clergy from across the country. Honored guests and attendees included: Cardinal Roger Mahony; San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone; Oakland Bishop Michael C. Barber; Eparchy Our Lady of Lebanon Bishop A. Elias Zaidan; Rev. Canon Matthew Talarico; former Hungarian Ambassador to the Holy See Archduke Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen; St. Michael’s Abbey Foundation Chair Steffiana James; Orange County Supervisor Donald Wagner.
The Mass was part of four days of celebrations that concluded with the Solemnity of St. Michael the Archangel or Michaelmas. Over the long weekend, the abbey had more than 2,000 visitors.
Fr. Augustine Puchner, O.Praem., a member of the Norbertine community of St. Michael’s, said the outpouring was impressive.
“It means a lot to have so many supporters, cardinals and bishops and all of our friends to come out and support and pray for us,” he said. “It reminds us how many people are out there who support us.”
Known for his humility, Fr. Abbot John introduced himself with self-deprecating humor saying he would only take 8 minutes and 9 seconds of the congregation’s time. He went on to recall an anecdote about why he does not hang his academic credentials on his office wall. After he graduated from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome in theology and canon law in 1995, then-Fr. John was summoned to a meeting with Fr. Ladislas Parker, founding abbot of St. Michael’s.
Fr. John said he earned a summa cum laude, the highest possible designation, but then admitted he missed several questions in his oral examination.
Fr. Parker replied that maybe Fr. John should more properly be designated “summa cum proude.”
He then offered his congratulations with a toast.
The meeting taught the future father abbot not to overstate or overestimate himself.
Fr. Augustine remarked that the anecdote said a lot about the new father abbot, first for helping to keep alive the legacy of Fr. Parker, who passed away in 2010, and also for driving home the importance of humility.
The father abbot told another amusing anecdote about a phone message from Bishop Vann. In 2023 he received an unexpected voice message to call Bishop Vann, which would later turn into an offer to be the judicial vicar for the diocese. However, the father abbot said, “My spontaneous reaction was ‘I must be in trouble.’”
ABBEY THRIVING
Fr. Abbot John and the Norbertine community have enjoyed a close relationship with the Diocese of Orange since the diocese’s founding 50 years ago.
“It’s a special blessing,” Bishop Freyer said of the particularly close relationship. “Especially since Fr. Abbot John was judicial vicar for the diocese. This will only strengthen our unity.”
In addition to being judicial vicar at the Diocese of Orange, overseeing the court and canon law, he has also held judicial positions at the Diocese of Orange and elsewhere.
Fr. Abbot John was born John Edgar Caronan in Manila, Philippines, in 1964, emigrating to Southern California in 1974 and joining the St. Michael’s community in 1985 and being ordained into the priesthood in 1994. He is the first Philippines-born abbot in the international Norbertine community.
Fr. Abbot John was elected to a 12-year-tenure, succeeding Fr. Eugene Hayes, who retired in May at the age of 75.
The new Fr. Abbot takes over at a propitious time for the Norbertines, who have enjoyed steady growth in popularity among clergy, prospective seminarians and the community. St. Michael’s currently has more than 100 priests and seminarians. In addition to his religious credentials, Fr. Abbot John also has business skills, having studied accounting for three years at Cal Poly Pomona as a young adult.
“He’s building upon a (strong) foundation and continuity,” Fr. Augustine said. “He has great experience with the dioceses and parishes. And his youth will invigorate us.”