MANY OF THE MEN and women who operate the rides, games and food booths at the OC Fair are devout Catholics, but the long, late hours make it nearly impossible for the dedicated workers to attend weekly Mass.
FAIRGOERS RIDE THE RCS BIG WHEEL AND THE SKY RIDE AT DUSK DURING THE OPENING DAY OF THE OC FAIR IN COSTA MESA ON FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2026. PHOTO BY JEFF ANTENORE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/SCNG
So, each year, the Diocese of Orange partners with Ray Cammack Shows (RCS) — the Arizona-based carnival company that staffs the fair — to bring the Mass directly to the workers.
“With long nights, early mornings and constant travel, attending church off site is nearly impossible,” said Dominic Palmieri, co-owner of Odyssey Foods, one of the companies that provides new foods each year on the fair’s carnival midway. “It’s hard to get 400 employees to church. So, we bring church to them.”
Palmieri works closely with RCS and the diocese each year to organize the Mass.
FR. BILL CAO, PASTOR OF ST. ANTHONY CLARET CATHOLIC CHURCH, CELEBRATES MASS FOR OC FAIR WORKERS ON JULY 30, 2026. PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
For years, Msgr. John Urell, pastor emeritus at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Laguna Niguel, celebrated the special Mass. However, health-related issues prevented Msgr. Urell from attending this year, so Fr. Bill Cao, pastor of St. Anthony Claret Catholic Church in Anaheim, stepped in to celebrate the Mass, which is always offered in English and Spanish.
A recent Mass was celebrated on July 30 and held under a large tent in an area unseen by the public and alongside trailers and motorhomes that serve as offices and schools for the children of the workers.
Delivering his homily, Fr. Cao said celebrating Mass in nontraditional settings reflects the heart of the Catholic faith and the ministry of Jesus himself.
“The Mass … we can celebrate anywhere,” Fr. Cao said. “There is no distinction. There are no barriers with God. We remember that in our faith, wherever we are, wherever we go, that we are to celebrate the faith, to profess in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The pastor also reminded the workers that their labor is “meaningful and dignified.”
“You are there to bring joy, laughter, to reengage the community, to bring life,” the pastor said. “The fair is fun, but it takes hard work — setting this place up, working when everyone’s having fun. But we know why they do it: to support themselves and their families.”
Fr. Cao encouraged the congregation to examine their hearts and live their faith through kindness.
“At the end of our days, how are we to respond to the Lord?” he said. “What are our good works? What is the goodness of our heart, the kindness that we have shown for one another?”
Fr. Cao also offered prayers for Msgr. Urell, who is recovering from triple bypass surgery, and prayed for relief from unrest and destruction in certain regions of the world.
“We pray for all the peace in our world, places of war and violence — Ukraine, the Middle East, Iran,” he said.
In addition to the fair workers and their families, the congregation included members of a Bible study ministry from Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach.
Dino Savant, who leads the Bible study, said he and several members of his group came after being invited by Palmieri, who attends the Bible study when he is in town for the fair.
“It was so loving and so beautiful, so tangible,” Savant said. “Everybody could feel Christ with us.”
Savant also praised Palmieri’s commitment to his workers.
“How beautiful that this man, who runs this incredible operation, takes time for his people to say, ‘Hey, this is important. God’s word is really important, and our faith is really important,’” he said.
Savant said celebrating Mass in a public, working environment reflects the call of St. Francis.
“As St. Francis says, preach the Gospel incessantly,” he said. “Use words if necessary.”
The practice of organizing a Catholic Mass for fair workers started about 12 years ago when fair organizers reached out to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to bring a Mass to workers at the LA County Fair, Palmieri said. They continued the practice at other fairs.
“RCS typically offers two Masses at each fair,” Palmieri said.
After the first Mass, word spreads quickly among the workers, and the second Mass usually draws dozens more attendees, he said.
“We implement strict Catholic guidelines for Mass yet are inclusive to anyone who wants to come and be prayerful,” Palmieri said.