The Catholic history of Orange County dates back to 1776 when Fray Junipero Serra founded the seventh of the California Missions at San Juan Capistrano. Growth and development continued in the county over the next 200 years. On June 18, 1976, His Holiness Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Orange, encompassing 782 square mile along 42 miles of Southern California coastline.

The Most Reverend William R. Johnson was installed as First Bishop of Orange and served his flock during the formative years of the diocese until his death on July 28, 1986. Auxiliary Bishop John T. Steinbock served as Apostolic Administrator until February 24, 1987, when the Most Reverend Norman F. McFarland was installed Second Bishop of Orange. On September 3, 1998 Bishop Tod D. Brown was installed as Third Bishop of Orange, upon the retirement of Bishop McFarland.

When the Diocese was first established, there were 42 parishes and 179 Priests serving 330,000 Orange County Catholics. Today, 25 years later, there are 55 diocesan parishes and 289 Priests serving 1,044,191 Catholics in the county of 2,760,948 people.

Along with the tremendous growth during these years, the large numbers of non-English speaking Catholics who have emigrated from Latin America and Asia have presented the greatest challenge to the Diocese: ministering to their special needs and assimilating them into the Church of Orange.

Brief History | Diocesan Statistics | Chronological Highlights from the past 25 Years