The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange

Catholics to Celebrate “Magnificat Day of Faith” at the future Christ Cathedral

The Magnificat Foundation presents a day of prayer and communion observing Year of Faith

The Magnificat Foundation will celebrate the first “Magnificat Day of Faith” at the future Christ Cathedral, Saturday, November 3, 2012. Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed 2013 as the Year of Faith for all Catholics, and the “Magnificat Day of Faith” demonstrates this call to prayerful Catholic action.

The mission of the Magnificat Foundation is to promote expressions of prayer and devotion to help others deepen their faith and grow in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by offering prayer services, preaching events, performing arts programs, as well as social, educational, and cultural experiences.

“Through prayer and communion we seek to rediscover the joy that springs from the encounter with Christ – a joy that the Blessed Virgin Mary proclaims in her Magnificat song of praise,” said Bishop of Orange Most Reverend Tod D. Brown. Catholics will come together at the future home of the Diocese of Orange to rediscover and celebrate the very heart of the Christian experience - the “joy of believing.”

According to Pierre-Marie Dumont, founding Publisher of the monthly magazine Magnificat and President of the Magnificat Foundation, “The Day of Faith will be filled with the same prayerful approach to beauty and truth found within the pages of Magnificat.” Presentations will feature leading Catholic thinkers – men and women of faith – with a keynote address by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P., Editor-in-Chief of Magnificat.

The spiritual guide for the services will emphasize music, both sung together and prayed through the Liturgy of the Hours. The day will conclude with an Evening Prayer and a special organ performance of Bach’s masterpiece, the Magnificat.

For more information: http://www.magnificatday.com/

YOUTH FROM 17 parishes THROUGHOUT ORANGE COUNTY

perform choral concert at Segerstrom center

SANTA ANA, CA (March 26, 2012)  - Seventy junior high students from 17 churches and parish schools from throughout the Diocese of Orange performed in “A Festival Concert”, a vocal music concert held March 26 at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Center for the Arts to an audience of 1,200.

The seventh and eighth grade students are members of the Junior High Honor Choir, a vocal music program offered in the spring at Mater Dei High School.  Participating students are invited to join the choir based on recommendations from their parish and school choir directors.

After preparing for just three weeks, the Junior High Honor Choir was prepared for their great performance at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.  The youngsters were in awe of the spectacular venue in which they would perform, as this was the first time many have entered the Segerstrom Center. After performances by Mater Dei’s choral, handbell and wind ensembles, the junior high choir preformed two pieces, “Pie Jesu” and “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”. They then joined Mater Dei High School choral students for the concert finale, “Praise His Holy Name”, bringing more than 300 students to the stage.

“It was an amazing experience for the student performers,” said Scott Melvin, Mater Dei High School Choral Director. “It was a display of unity and pride for their parishes, their schools, and their art. This concert is definitely one of the highlights of my year and I look forward to working with these eager kids for many springs to come,” he added.

Scott Melvin started the Junior High Honor Choir in 2010 to support music making in the Diocese of Orange, and to continue building a lifelong love for music which parish music directors have begun instilling in their students. The choir began with 40 junior high students from eight parishes, but expanded rapidly to over 70 junior high students from 17 parishes in just three years.

The Junior High Youth Choir will convene again next spring.  With the overwhelming success of the program in just its third year, Scott Melvin has plans to expand the program to reach more students.

Bishop Vann will be celebrating Mass Thursday, February 28 7:00PM in thanksgiving for the service of Pope Benedict XVI and for the election of a new Pope at Holy Family Cathedral.  The date was chosen because it is the day of Pope Benedict’s XVI resignation, however due to time zones the See of Peter will be vacant at the time of the Mass allowing us to also pray for the success of the election of a new Pope.  It affords us an opportunity to pray together as a diocese in this season of Lent for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the selection of a new Supreme Pontiff.  Please invite others to join in this Eucharistic Celebration.

Diocese of Orange marks 14^th year of “Get On The Bus” program by adding an extra weekend in response to increasing need

The Get On The Bus program is an important Mother’s Day tradition within the Diocese of Orange and across California. This unique and inspiring program provides children and their incarcerated moms with a rare and special opportunity to celebrate Mother’s Day as a family.

For some, their Mother’s Day visitation will come a week later than the traditional date because of the increased number of children taking advantage of this special opportunity.  This year for the first time, Get On The Bus will be held on two consecutive weekends to accommodate more than 1,000 participants across the state. Children and caregivers, loaded up with travel bags and blankets donated by groups from the Diocese of Orange, organized by the Diocesan Detention Ministries/Restorative Justice, will depart from several locations throughout Orange County and Los Angeles for the Female Rehabilitation Community Correction Center in Bakersfield as well as Folsom Women’s Facility, in Northern California.

“This wonderful program allows children to experience one special day of love and normalcy with their incarcerated moms,” said Peggy Huber, Orange County Bus Coordinator. “For many of the participating children this will be their only chance to see their moms all year. We are truly blessed to be able to support the eternal bond shared between mother and child, reuniting families in the healing mission of Christ,” Huber said.

When families are torn apart because of incarceration, the children are unduly affected.  Many of California’s prisons are located far from urban areas, not allowing children to see their mothers on a regular basis.  Last weekend, 625 children and guardians visited Folsom State Prison near Sacramento, the California Institution for Women in Corona and the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, where 75 percent of the inmates are mothers.

According to the California Department of Corrections, nearly a quarter million children under the age of 18 have mothers in prison and reside with relatives or in foster care. Get On The Bus seeks to alleviate the hardships these children endure throughout the year. The program’s many special features include giving each mother the opportunity to take a picture with her child in memory of this special occasion. As the children return home from their visit, each child is given a letter and a Teddy Bear as a gift from their mom. This gift exchange further reinforces the mother-child bond that is rekindled through this impactful Mother’s Day experience. For the third year, the kids will also receive a blanket that has been hand-made by volunteers from Orange County Juvenile Hall.

About Get On The Bus:
Get On The Bus is a program of The Center for Restorative Justice Works, a non-profit organization that unites children, families and communities separated by crime and the criminal justice system. An annual event, Get On The Bus offers free transportation for the children and their caregivers from throughout the state of California to visit their mothers and fathers in prison — all at no cost to the children’s family.

About Detention Ministry:
The Diocese of Orange Detention Ministries attends to the daily spiritual needs of Orange County’s five adult jails, six juvenile facilities and the Orangewood facility for abused and neglected children. Averages of 7,000 inmates are housed in these facilities. Detention Ministries has approximately 300 volunteers who provide about 100 services per week for the adult jails and juvenile halls.

The Great Easter Vigil is a Cherished Liturgical Tradition;

2012 Ceremony Again Recognizes Significant Diocesan Growth

Orange, CA, (April 4, 2012) – 921 new Catholics were baptized and 668 already baptized Christians were received into full communion into the Catholic Church during the Annual Easter Vigil, April 7, 2012, throughout Orange County.

The Easter Vigil Rite consists of four elements: The Service of Light, the Liturgy of the Word, Christian Initiation and Renewal of Baptismal Vows, and the Holy Eucharist.

The Service of the Light: Began outside the church, in darkness. The darkness represents evil, deceit, and sin and allows the believer to reflect on these metaphors as obstacles to faith. Worshippers gather around a freshly lit bonfire known as the new fire or Easter Fire. The fire is blessed and from it the Paschal candle, which symbolizes the Light of the Risen Christ, is lighted. A priest then carries the burning Paschal candle at the head of a procession and into the church. He will stop three times and chant “Light of Christ,” to which the people and attending clergy respond, “Thanks be to God.”

Once the procession entered the sanctuary the Easter proclamation or Exultet was sung. This ancient hymn of praise recounts God’s saving acts throughout history, and asks God to accept the Easter Candle as it dispels the darkness as does Christ, who sheds his graceful light on all humankind. The congregation then sat for the second Vigil element.

The Liturgy of the Word: Seven readings, recounting the history of the People of God and an additional New Testament reading were altar candles were lit, bells rung, and the Alleluia sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent, all in preparation of the proclamation of the Resurrection from the Gospel. A homily followed.

Christian Initiation and Renewal of Baptismal Vows: Following the Liturgy of the Word, all elect and candidates for entrance into the Faith joined the congregation invoking the saints by means of an ancient litany. After a blessing of the water within the baptismal font, the group was asked to renounce sin and profess their faith in Christ.  The elect were then baptized into the Church. Baptism is the sacramental entry into Christian life. After the Elect were baptized, they and the witnessing congregants, were sprinkled with the same baptismal water. 

The Profession of Faith, for those who have already been baptized and those converting from other Christian traditions, followed. Candidates were asked if they reject sin, reject the glamour of evil and reject Satan and asked to express their belief in the Creed. The newly-baptized and those who have made their profession of faith then shared in the sacrament of Confirmation. When Catholics complete the Sacraments of Initiation they are confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church through the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

All newly baptized, and those who have made their first Profession of Faith, stood with their individual Confirmation sponsors as they were anointed with Chrism, a holy oil blessed earlier in Holy Week during the solemn and beautiful Chrism Mass.

Celebration of the Holy Eucharist: The Easter Vigil liturgy culminated with the celebration of Holy Eucharist, the final sacrament of initiation. For the first time, candidates and the elect received the body and blood of Jesus Christ through Holy Communion. This sacrament is considered to be an intimate encounter with Christ, in which people receive Christ into their bodies, under the species of consecrated bread and wine. This holy sacrament is the final step in their initiation into the Roman Catholic Church and the beginning of their journey with Christ.  It is carried out in keeping with the Last Supper celebrated by Jesus, in which he asks that his disciples “Do this in memory of me.”

For the Diocese of Orange, the number of inductees set a new record – an increase of over 14 percent when compared to last year’s impressive count.

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Internationally acclaimed organist Maestro Hector Olivera will headline a benefit concert aimed at raising the requisite funds needed for the refurbishment of the jewel of the Crystal Cathedral (future Christ Cathedral), the legendary Hazel Wright pipe organ, May 18^th from 8 – 10 p.m. The centerpiece and perhaps most striking visual element of the internationally recognized church is the world's fourth largest pipe organ within a church and largest European built organ in America. With over 16,000 individual wind pipes – the organ is recognized globally as a unique and powerful instrument.

“For three decades, the pipe organ has supported congregational singing and musical performances filling the vast spaces of the Crystal Cathedral with inspirational sound,” said The Most Reverend Kevin Vann, Bishop of Orange. “Our objective is to refurbish this great Cathedral organ to its original high performance, restore the sound of its unique character, and eliminate potential causes of future malfunctions and related maintenance costs,” Bishop Vann said.

The Hazel Wright Memorial Organ, named in honor of the benefactor who so loved the church’s music that she donated funding for a musical instrument befitting its splendid glass home, was inaugurated at the Crystal Cathedral in May of 1982. Beginning its service that year, the present instrument is a marvel of technology and innovation, combining components taken from the historic Aeolian-Skinner Organ, originally played in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and the five-manual Ruffatti Organ of the church’s former Sanctuary in the Arboretum. A new string organ and east and west Chamade divisions were added by Ruffatti to complete this immense and complex instrument. The pipe organ is actually a combination of fourteen organs or divisions that can be played in any combination from the largest drawknob console in the world.

During its 30-year performance-life, the pipe organ has been exposed to all manner of deterioration and is in need of a comprehensive refurbishment. In an effort to preserve this unique instrument, the Orange Catholic Foundation (OCF) is raising funds to restore this masterpiece of engineering and design. The renovation and re-installation process is expected to last two years and cost close to $2 million.  The Christ Cathedral Organ Restoration Committee and OCF hope to raise the requisite funds over the coming months and begin dismantling the pipe organ and preparing its parts to be sent half-way around the world for repair and renovation. Some of the work will take place locally while the majority the restoration will happen at the Italian workshops of Fratelli Ruffatti in Padua, ITALY.

The May 18^th concert will inaugurate the drive to refurbish the Hazel Wright Organ, as well as the transformation process of the Cathedral itself. The organ must be removed prior to any interior work being started in the future Christ Cathedral.

“The restoration of the Hazel Wright Organ is an important element of the transformation of our future Christ Cathedral and to begin our providential venture we are indeed fortunate to be graced by the talents of one of the most sought after and revered international concert organists of our time, Maestro Hector Olivera,” said Bishop Vann.

For the benefit concert, Maestro Hector Olivera will perform selections by Bach, Bossi, Handel, Dupre, and Widor.

In Concert: Hector Olivera
May 18, 2013 – 8 pm
Crystal Cathedral (Future Christ Cathedral)
12141 Lewis Street
Garden Grove, CA 92840

About Hector Olivera

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mr. Olivera began playing the pipe organ when he was three. At age five he played for the legendary Eva Perón; at twelve he entered the University of Buenos Aires and by eighteen had performed for heads of state and celebrities throughout Latin America. When offered a scholarship at the renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York, he moved to the United States. Three years later, Mr. Olivera’s outstanding professional concert career was launched when he won the AGO's National Improvisation Contest.

Mr. Olivera has performed solo concerts throughout the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and Latin America and as guest soloist with prominent symphony orchestras worldwide. Whether in a prestigious venue like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, Constitution Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, or in conjunction with a celebrated event like the Olympic games or the Classical Newport Music Festival, the most sophisticated and demanding organ aficionados claim that Maestro Hector Olivera is ‘one of the greatest organists in the world today.’