Bishop Unveils Cathedral Plans

Tod D. Brown, the bishop of Orange, unveiled plans Sunday for a Santa Ana cathedral as the centerpiece of a $75-million fund-raising campaign to serve a Roman Catholic population that has tripled to 1 million people over the past quarter-century.

During a special Mass at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange, Brown outlined his vision for the diocese’s future, including land purchases, parish construction, endowment funds for Catholic education, and housing and care for retired priests so they can “complete their years of service in respectful dignity and comfort.”

The new agenda comes nearly three years into Brown’s tenure as bishop and on the diocese’s 25th anniversary. Brown’s moves, especially the construction of a cathedral, are expected to lay out the diocese’s direction deep into the century.

“I think the money is present in Orange County,” said Brown, who has used surveys, focus groups and committees to assess the diocese’s needs. “It’s a matter of releasing it.”

The price, design and name of the cathedral haven’t been determined, though the bishop said it will seat at least 2,500 and be “worthy of Orange County.” The cathedral will be more modest than the $163-million cathedral under construction in downtown Los Angeles.

Other specifics in Brown’s vision remain equally vague, awaiting input from clergy, laity and consultants.

The current Holy Family Cathedral was converted from a parish church when the Diocese of Orange was split off from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles 25 years ago. With a seating capacity of 850 and no room for expansion, the diocese--the second-largest in the state after Los Angeles--has outgrown the building.

“We’re sad that the cathedral’s moving,” said longtime parishioner Sandi Gonzales. “But it’s like a growing family. You start off in a two-bedroom house, and then you have two kids and another on the way, and you need to move to someplace larger.”

The Santa Ana cathedral, near MacArthur Boulevard and Bear Street near South Coast Plaza, will also serve as a parish, one of two new ones planned for Santa Ana. The cathedral’s groundbreaking is expected within five years.

The diocese has contracted with Dallas-based RSI-Ketchum Inc. to help with the fund-raising, which will take about 18 months. The company has helped other Christian churches and Catholic dioceses with capital campaigns and is working with the 300-parish Diocese of Chicago.

“We hope this campaign will help us serve the least among us,” Brown told the Holy Family worshipers, “such as the poor, immigrants and those who live on the margins of our consumer culture--as Jesus would have us do.”