FOR THE FIRST TIME in its 50-year history, the Diocese of Orange is showcasing a treasure trove of historical documents, relics, holy books and artifacts — many documenting the history of the diocese and other items pertaining to Orange County as a whole.
“FAITH, HISTORY & HERITAGE: AN ARCHIVES EXHIBITION” SHOWCASES HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, RELICS, HOLY BOOKS AND ARTIFACTS SIGNIFICANT TO THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE AND ORANGE COUNTY AS A WHOLE. PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
“Faith, History & Heritage: An Archives Exhibition” will be on display for free to the public at Santiago de Compostela Catholic Church in Lake Forest through July 8.
The exhibition was previously presented at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange and on the Christ Cathedral campus.
“The goal was to make the archives public-facing for the first time, rather than producing another commemorative book,” said Fr. Christopher Heath, director of diocesan archives, who has overseen the task of gathering and organizing items for the exhibition. “Selection focused on items that would be interesting and recognizable, especially to longtime Catholics.”
The Code of Canon Law mandates that every diocese must establish a diocesan archive.
Among the artifacts are the diocese’s founding documents, which are hand-written from the Holy See – the central governing authority of the worldwide Catholic Church, embodied in the pope as the Bishop of Rome. Old guestbooks from Mission San Juan Capistrano and documents connected to the installation of Bishop William Johnson as the first Bishop of Orange in 1976 are also part of the exhibit.
Notable signatures on display include the signature of President Abraham Lincoln, penned by the president just three weeks prior to his assassination. The signed document returned Mission San Juan Capistrano to the Catholic Church, ending its private ownership.
Signatures of silent film actress Mary Pickford, St. Junípero Serra and President Richard Nixon are also on display. Items connected to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, a pioneering Catholic bishop considered one of most influential religious figures of the 20th century were recently discovered and included in the exhibition, Fr. Heath said.
Their discovery coincided with news of Archbishop Sheen’s upcoming beatification in September, Fr. Heath said.
Relics of St. Junípero Serra, St. John Neumann and St. Pius X were showcased along with a graduate school class photo of Bishop Kevin Vann with future Pope Leo XIV.
Oddities included a Mother Teresa comic book and a moon rock given to a priest by the Apollo 15 astronauts and “Bill the Bear,” a talking bear who belonged to the first Bishop of Orange. The archives featured several items related to organist Frederick Swann, who presided over the iconic Hazel Wright Organ at the Crystal Cathedral, beginning in 1982 during Robert Schuller’s “Hour of Power” and then Christ Cathedral after the diocese purchased the property in 2012.
The Most Rev. Timothy E. Freyer, auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Orange, was impressed by many items in the collection especially the biographies of each of the diocesan bishops.
“That was great because I remember Bishop Johnson a little bit,” Bishop Freyer said. “But remembering each of the bishops and learning a little bit, relearning a little bit about their histories was wonderful.”
Items related to Orange County history featured vintage citrus crate labels, a piece of a railroad that once ran through Huntington Beach, old O.C. Fair buttons and old Orange County postcards.
Fr. Heath and Daniela Mosqueda, assistant archivist for the diocese, and their team spent close to six months planning and collecting items to include in the exhibition.
“The team began with a dream list of items they hoped to include,” Fr. Heath said. “We brainstormed about what we could put in… I think we put in most of what we wanted.”
After the exhibition concludes, many items will be returned to their original locations, but Fr. Heath hopes to organize rotating displays at the Christ Cathedral campus.
The diocese wants a permanent display for Archbishop Sheen relics, given his historic connection to the campus, Fr. Heath said.
“Because he actually preached on that campus,” the archivist said.
For Mosqueda, the exhibition’s charm also lies in its smaller treasures, such as18th and 19thcentury religious books, a 1775 Morocco leather almanac and personal volumes once owned by early mission pastors.
“I always like finding the marginalia inside the books,” Mosqueda said. “And it was really interesting to learn all the history behind some of these items.”