Fr. Cheeyoon Chun
Director of Priestly Vocations (Administration & Seminarians)
Rev. Cheeyoon Timothy Chun, whose home parish is Holy Korean Martyrs in Westminster, graduated from Fountain Valley High School and attended Mt. Angel Seminary in Oregon. Prior to discerning a vocation to the priesthood, Chun studied at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and worked professionally as an architect. “I was well on my way to accomplish and live out my worldly goals and aspirations, but I felt there was something missing in my life,” he says of his decision to enter the seminary. “The priesthood had been on my conscience ever since high school. Even the slightest thought of becoming a priest brings me joy and peace. I want to live and strive to be holy as a saint.”
His first assignment in the Diocese of Orange was as a parochial vicar at Holy Family Church in Orange. He currently serves as the Vocations Director, working alongside Fr. Ben Tran, who now serves as the part-time Associate Vocations Director. In his free time, Chun enjoys collecting baseball cards and Pokémon cards and playing golf.
Fr. Benjamin Tran
Associate Director of Priestly Vocations
Joan Patten, AO
Delegate for Consecrated Life
Joan is the Delegate for Consecrated Life. She is a consecrated laywoman in the Secular Institute of the Apostolic Oblates. Originally from Omaha, NE, Joan was sent by her community to California in 2013 and has called it home ever since. She lives with a few other consecrated members from the Apostolic Oblates in Fullerton, CA where they manage the Pro Sanctity Retreat Center. As the Delegate for Consecrated Life, she supports and promotes the consecrated men and women and religious communities in the Diocese of Orange. She also helps to organize vocational promotion and discernment opportunities for youth and young adults. Joan loves to help people learn how to pray and deepen their relationship with Jesus. She also enjoys coffee and going to the beach.
Elizabeth Sandoval-Soria
Vocations Coordinator
Elizabeth began her journey with the Diocese of Orange in 1998, after returning from her Missionary work in Boston, Massachusetts. Her home parish was St. Joseph Church in Santa Ana, where she had previously worked in the rectory before leaving for her missionary work. It is also the parish where she met her husband whom she married there and where all five of her children were baptized.
Her ministry in the vocations office began during Covid in 2021, after serving the diocese for more than 20 years in facilities and events. In her current role, she helps organize events and projects that support and promote those who are discerning and those that are already in formation.
Elizabeth loves interacting with people and sharing her wisdom and experience-whether welcoming those who visit the office, meeting families and parishioners at events throughout the diocese, or simply greeting someone for the first time on campus. She enjoys watching her children participate in their many activities, watching K-dramas, and walking along the seminarians as they grow in their formation.
