OC CATHOLIC - MAY 31, 2026

St. John's Seminary Offers Full-Tuition Fellowships for Hispanic Lay Ministers

St. John’s Seminary has fully-funded fellowships for Hispanic lay ministers interested in being formed to minister in parishes, Newman centers, Catholic K-12 schools, or campus ministries.

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31, 2026

5 RAISING THEIR VOICES IN SONG Catholic school choirs from across the county performed at this year’s Diocesan Student Choral Festival.

7 AROUND OUR DIOCESE

A math competition, visiting relic and museum news.

10 A DAY OF CELEBRATION

St. Norbert Catholic School presented its May Crowning and spring concert.

11 A SPRING SING CONCERT

14

St. Juliana Falconieri Catholic School presented “What It Sounds Like” concert.

LORD, I AM NOT WORTHY

It is humility to recognize ourselves before God and acknowledge our sins.

ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT

The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.

ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC

The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840

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RAISING THEIR VOICES IN SONG

BY BRITNEY ZINT

CATHOLIC STUDENT choirs from around Orange County came together to make music and improve their craft at a yearly diocesan event.

OC Catholic Schools hosted its 2026 Diocesan Student Choral Festival on May 7 in Christ Cathedral’s Arboretum. The festival featured guest clinician Andrew Alvarez, who serves as the choral director at Mayfield Senior School of the Holy Child in Pasadena. Dr. Erin Barisano, superintendent of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Orange, was on hand to welcome the students, music teachers and principals, as well as open the event with prayer.

“Welcome to this joyful celebration of music, of faith and community at our annual elementary choral festival,” Dr.

Barisano said. “We are truly blessed to gather here today and to witness the talent, the dedication and the beautiful spirit of our students as they lift up their voices in song.”

The festival opened with a hymn featuring Lauren McCaul, music administrator at Christ Cathedral, and David Ball, the cathedral’s head of music ministry and organist. The students warmed up with a traditional hymn before the school choirs from around the diocese took to the stage.

The choirs came out to showcase two songs and receive feedback on how to improve. The participating Catholic schools were St. Edward the Confessor, St. Catherine’s Academy, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bonaventure, Christ Cathedral Academy, Holy Family, St. Junipero Serra, St. John the Baptist, St. Cecilia and St. Joachim. Mayfield Senior

School’s Women’s Ensemble closed the performances.

Alvarez has had an “amazing career working with young voices” as a choral music educator for the last 35 years, said McCaul. He studied at Porterville College, Loyola Marymount University and Chapman University before teaching at different high schools and colleges, including JSerra Catholic High School.

“We’re very excited that he’s going to be here with you today,” McCaul said. “I have personally long admired his skill and excellence in choral singing, and I’m just so excited for you to get to work with him today.”

For St. Francis of Assisi’s school choir, the students performed “How Can I Keep from Singing” by Greg Gilpin and “The Gift of Love” by Hal Hopson. Alvarez praised the singers for the joy they brought to the stage.

“You guys are really well prepared, and it’s exciting to hear you guys sing

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

out with no fear,” Alvarez said before asking the audience, “Isn’t that great that they just sing out?”

Then it was time to get to work. Alvarez had the choir sing back specific sections of their songs and gave suggestions on how to improve. Then the choir sang again, implementing the changes.

St. Francis of Assisi choir member Harrison Gagnon, 12, said he found the tips really helpful and could already hear the difference.

“We did a good job, I thought, and it felt really good to get some feedback,” Gagnon said. “Because everyone tells you that you did a great job, but there’s always room to improve, so I really liked getting the feedback.”

Gagnon, who is in his third year of choir, said he attended the choral festival last year and wanted to come back.

“I thought it was a really fun experience and a cool experience listening to the other schools and hearing their music,” he said.

Fellow singer Katherine Jurilla, 13, agreed with Gagnon. She added that she was also learning from watching the other choir performances and listening to the feedback. For Jurilla, this is her first year in the choir and her first choral festival. She said she joined because she loves singing at Mass and she wants to follow in her older sister’s footsteps.

“It’s a nice and creative

way that different people can express themselves,” Jurilla said.

St. Francis of Assisi music director Stefanie Brignoni, who oversees two choirs and teaches K-5 music classes, said she wanted to bring her students because of the positive feedback she got last year.

“We got off the bus, and we got home and they said, ‘I wish we could do it again,’” Brignoni said. “They really enjoyed the whole experience and wanted to do it again.”

Brignoni said it’s important for her students to experience other styles of music and hear the clinician’s feedback. Being an educator, Brignoni said she is called to pass on her passion for music, especially because singing is like “praying twice.”

“I just think it’s a great creative outlet for them, and they can express themselves,” she said, “and you never know what kind of music, or what song, will strike a chord with a student and make the light go on.” C

AROUND OUR DIOCESE

BY STAFF

DEANERY MATH COMPETITION

A Deanery Math Competition was held in March at Holy Family Catholic School for seventh and eighth graders. St. Francis, St. Angela Merici, St. Norbert, and Holy Family students participated in this event to showcase their math skills. The competition encompassed a variety of math skills, including math facts, order of operations, a pre-algebra and algebra test, and solving unique word problems in a collaborative setting. At least one student from each school earned a medal. Congratulations, students!

RELICS FROM ST. CARLO ACUTIS

Holy Family in Orange hosted a special tour of relics from St. Carlo Acutis from May 11 to 17. There were also relics from Sts. Ignatius of Loyola, Dominic Savio and Maria Goretti, as well as veneration, informational talks and book sales.

SHROUD MUSEUM NEWS

For the museum’s first Mother’s Day, the Shroud Experience at Christ Cathedral gave out flowers to mothers and, thanks to the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, welcomed a very special guest: the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

This beautiful statue graced the museum Reflection Room through May 15. C

Rams star and Hall of Famer, Jackie Slater and former NFL quarterback Vince Ferragamo to the Mass.

Although Slater attends Calvary Chapel Church, he knows Fr. Michael through his son Matthew, a Servite High alumnus and former NFL standout.

Ferragamo, who attends St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, also runs the Vince Ferragamo Foundation, which raises funds for children's charities, health organizations and sports clinics. Many of those served are at-risk, to whom St. Peregrine is also patron saint.

Speaking of how sports can help transform lives of at-risk youth, Ferragamo told how football and his brother, Chris, a former coach at Banning High, helped transform a player who joined Banning as a gang member and later went onto be a police officer.

Tangentially, that story has a parallel to St. Peregrine, who was a troubled youth and among a group that assaulted and drove Fr. Philip Benizi from the city of Forzi. At the time, Fr. Benizi, who would become general superior of the Servites and canonized, was attempting to interdict with anti-papal groups.

Later, filled with remorse, the future St. Peregrine devoted himself to prayer and good works, going on to join the Servites in Siena and become a priest.

St. Peregrine is often depicted with an infection that developed on his right leg when he was 60 years old. The night before he faced amputation, St. Peregrine prayed and later said he saw Jesus descend from the cross to touch his leg. The next day he was proclaimed cured and would live another 24 years, a remarkable age at that time.

After his cure, large numbers of sick people came to the future saint seeking healing, which were attributed to his intercession.

Speaking about the large numbers who still come seeking intercession, Fr. Michael said, “The whole thing about prayer is it offers hope. We need to be guided by hope.” C

ST. ANTHONY VISITS THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE, CA

The Saint of Miracles Among Us

Two holy relics of St Anthony of Padua will visit the Catholic Diocese of Orange, California from Saturday, June 6th to Saturday, June 13th 2026. The two first-class relics will be accompanied by Fathers Fabio Turrisendo and Matteo Martinelli, two Franciscan friars from the Pontifical Basilica of St Anthony in Padua, Italy The two relics are fragments of St Anthony’s Skin and his Floating Rib; the latter relic has special significance because it was venerated by Lucy of Fatima in her convent in Coimbra in 1995, and by then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) in the Cathedral of Buenos Aires in 2000.

MASSES AND VENERATION:

Saturday, June 6

Our Lady of Fatima

105 North La Esperanza, San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 492-4101

www.olfchurch.net

Masses: 5PM (English);

Veneration: One hour before and after Mass

Sunday, June 7

San Antonio de Padua

5800 E Santa Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim Hills, CA 92807 (714) 974-1416

www.sanantoniochurch.org

Masses: 8:30 AM; 10:00 AM; 11:45 AM; 5:00 PM (English); 2:30 PM (Vietnamese)

Veneration: One hour before and after 5PM Mass

Monday, June 8

Saint Hedwig Church 11482 Los Alamitos Blvd, Los Alamitos, CA 90720 (562) 296-9000 www.sainthedwig.org/

Masses: 5:30 PM (English)

Veneration: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM and 6 PM - 7 PM

Tuesday, June 9

Saint Mary Church 400 W. Commonwealth Ave Fullerton, CA 92832 (714) 525-2500 saintmarysfullerton.org

Masses: 6:30 PM (Spanish)

Veneration: One hour before and after Mass

Wednesday, June 10

La Purissima Church 11712 Hewes Street Orange, CA 92869 (714) 633-5800 www.lapurisimachurch.org

Masses: 6:30 PM (English)

Veneration: One hour before and after Mass

Thursday, June 11

Holy Family Church 566 South Glassell Street Orange, CA 92866 (714) 639-2900 / www.hforange.org

Masses: 12:15 PM (English); 6:30 PM (Bilingual – Spanish/Vietnamese) Veneration: 1:15 – 2:30 PM and One hour before 6:30 PM Mass

Friday, June 12

Christ Cathedral 12141 Lewis Street Garden Grove, CA 92840 (714) 971-2141 christcathedralcalifornia.org

Masses: 8:15 AM (English); 5:30 PM (Vietnamese); 7:15 PM (Spanish) Veneration: 9:15AM – 7PM

Saturday, June 13

Christ Cathedral 12141 Lewis Street Garden Grove, CA 92840 (714) 971-2141

www,christcathedralcalifornia.org

Masses: 8:00 AM (English); Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception 100th Anniversary

Mass at 11:00 AM (English)

Veneration: Between 9:00 – 11 AM

FOR

MARIA HAR T: (812) 923-6356; anthonianassociation@gmail.com aaf sap@aol.com

A DAY OF CELEBRATION AT ST. NORBERT CATHOLIC SCHOOL

BY LOU PONSI Ciccoianni

OVER THE COURSE OF a single day in May, St. Norbert Catholic School in Orange celebrated its students, their families and the Blessed Mother.

May 15 began with a May Crowning; a Catholic devotional ceremony in which students honor the Blessed Mother.

St. Norbert students and their families filled the church for the prayerful gathering.

Students placed flowers at Mary’s feet, and selected students read Scripture passages. The celebration culminated with a student placing a crown of flowers on Mary’s head.

At St. Norbert, that honor went to sixth-grader Alyssa Dauglash, the commissioner of religious affairs on the student council.

“I was nervous, but it was such an honor to just put the crown on,” Alyssa said.

As commissioner of religious affairs, Alyssa performed Gospel readings and participated in schoolwide announcements throughout the school year.

“It was fun,” she said. “I got to bond with people that I usually don't talk to.”

Alyssa’s older brother, Aiden, an eighth grader, said watching his sister place the crown on Mary’s head was a proud moment.

“It made me feel accomplished that someone from our family got to do that because I've always wanted to do it,” Aiden said. “It had a place in my heart.”

After the ceremony, families moved from the quiet of the church to the energy of the school courtyard for the annual Special Persons Day celebration. The event is designed to help families enjoy a meal together and feel comfortable and connected on campus, which, in turn, strengthens their involvement in school life, St. Norbert principal Joseph

said.

Families are encouraged to send any important adult—parent, grandparent, godparent, relative or family friend—so no student is left alone, Ciccoianni said.

Adam Ernst, father of a seventh grader and a fifth grader, is among three generations of his family who attended St. Norbert. For him, the day carries a sense of continuity.

Ernst recalled Special Persons Day from his own childhood and said the tradition still carries the same emotional weight.

“We have people that we went to school with here who now have their kids here,” Ernst said. “So, it’s just a nice community school. Everyone looks after each other.”

As lunchtime wound down, families made their way to the auditorium for the final event of the day: the annual schoolwide musical production.

The performance is the result of weeks of preparation, with teachers coordinating rehearsals, students practicing choreography and vocals, and parent volunteers helping with costumes and stage setup.

This year’s production was titled “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” and featured students singing popular tunes from across the decades.

The timeless, iconic songs performed by the students included the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” and Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.”

All students from kindergarten through eighth grade participated, but the preschoolers watched so they can see what they’ll eventually be part of, the principal said.

Ciccoianni said the school intentionally combines the three events into a single day so families—especially working parents—don’t have to take multiple days off. C

ST. JULIANA FALCONIERI CATHOLIC SCHOOL’S SPRING SING CONCERT

BY BRITNEY ZINT

AS THE SUN WENT DOWN, the energy turned up as TK- through eighth-grade students let their voices soar and their excitement shine in a musical and artistic way.

St. Juliana Falconieri Catholic School presented its annual Spring Sing Concert, dubbed “What It Sounds Like,” on May 15 on the Fullerton school’s blacktop. The concert, which showcased each grade in song and featured several dramatic works by the eighth-grade class, also highlighted the students’ other talents with an art show. Each grade had a different project on display, from portraits of saints to illuminated manuscripts and more; it was an opportunity for “community and celebrating the arts,” said the school’s principal, Dr. Terri Puccini.

“It’s always wonderful to see the students up there singing and performing,” Puccini added. “This is my second show. I got to see the Advent program and now this, and I think they do a great job. They all look like they’re having fun.”

Musical director Kimberly Tiongco, who directed and produced “What It Sounds Like,” conducted the students and danced her way through the 90-minute performance. The five-act show opened with TK singing “You Are My Sunshine” and kindergarten singing “I’m So Happy.” Then the two classes combined to sing “Can’t Stop the Feeling” with scarves.

Watching her students perform was like “a dream,” Tiongco said.

“The love of theater, singing, music, dancing and drama — it’s not every day you see schools that have that,” she added. “So, when they do and you get to see

these things onstage, you’re like, ‘There needs to be more.’ Because this is how we express ourselves and we need more expression in the world to understand each other.”

Each of the five acts opened with an introduction from five eighth graders acting as the emotions from “Inside Out”: Joy (Stella Baca), Sadness (Naomi Domingo), Anger (Noah Gonzalez), Fear (Ryan Rubadue) and Disgust (Lola Fasulo). Then the acts closed with different scenes from books, movies and plays performed by the eighth-grade class. The skits included “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “The Sandlot” and “Wicked.”

Eighth-grader Roman Marmolejo, 14, played Winnie the Pooh in a scene about Winnie and Piglet being heroes in a storm. For Marmolejo, his final Spring Sing felt nostalgic.

“It felt really exciting seeing everybody in the crowd,” Marmolejo said. “It brings back memories from when I first came here 10 years ago. I feel like I’m going to miss this place.”

Marmolejo, who started at St. Juliana in TK, said his years taking music and art classes have helped him step out of his comfort zone and give him the confidence to sing and act onstage.

For Gonzalez, a fellow eighth grader, the concert was bittersweet but also a symbol of new beginnings. He said he remembers looking up to the big eighth-graders when he was little and thinking he was going to be one of them someday. He encouraged anyone looking up to him that night to try new things.

“Take that chance if you have it,” Gonzalez encouraged. “The decisions that you don’t make are the things you will regret the most.” C

SHROUD OF TURIN EXHIBIT GIVES SPECIAL VISITORS THE ROYAL TREATMENT

BY GREG MELLEN

IN THE WAKE OF King Charles III’s visit to the United States, the Diocese of Orange received an aristocratic visitor of its own recently. His Royal Highness Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont and of Venice, came to the Christ Cathedral campus on May 1. The prince is a member of the House of Savoy, Italy’s former royal family, and is the grandson of H.M. King Umberto II, the last king of Italy.

The prince, alongside a small contingent of his guests, was given a private tour of “The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience,” the cathedral’s newly opened 10,000 square-foot museum with 360-degree theaters, interactive displays, sacred art, life-sized Shroud replicas and other exhibits.

Although Filiberto claims to be no expert on the Shroud — believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ — his family has an intimate relationship with the linen.

For more than 500 years, the House of Savoy were owners and stewards of the Shroud of Turin, which was formally bequeathed to the Holy See only after the 1983 death of King Umberto II.

“The Shroud has been in my family for centuries,” said Filiberto. “When you are in front of the Shroud, you know something is happening.”

Rather than considering themselves “owners” of the cloth, Filiberto saw his family as its “custodians,” with a sacred trust as caretakers through the centuries. The House acquired the linen in France in 1453, eventually transporting it to Turin, Italy, where it has been kept ever since.

“I look at it in a humble way,” Filiberto said. “I am proud of what my grandfather did.”

Despite his self-proclaimed lack of expertise, the prince spoke with some

authority about several theories and analyses surrounding the linen over the years, including that it showed evidence of a shoulder dislocation.

The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the most studied single artifact in human history, with experts across science and theology still debating its facts, fiction, confounding aspects and enduring mystery.

After watching the presentations that make up the cathedral’s Shroud Expe -

rience, Filiberto said he gained a lot of newfound knowledge.

“It was an amazing experience,” he said. “I learned so much.”

In the midst of the ongoing — and possibly never-to-end — science and debate surrounding the Shroud of Turin, Filiberto said for him the answers of the Shroud’s mysteries boil down to faith.

“You must believe,” he said. “I don’t even try to understand.”

EXCLUSIVE ACCESS

Jon Storbeck, executive director of the Shroud Experience, thanked Filiberto and his family for their generosity.

“What your family has done is just extraordinary,” he said to the prince while the two stood in the museum.

“Without the House of Savoy, we wouldn’t be here.”

Storbeck, along with Terry McGaughan, president of the nonprofit

funding and operating the museum, helped lead the royal contingent through the theaters that tell the story of Jesus leading up to His crucifixion, the history and mysteries of the Shroud, and the Resurrection.

After the tour, the group had lunch with Bishop Kevin Vann and other diocesan leaders.

Before entering the first theater, the prince was shown a framed display of a letter he sent to museum operators that was accompanied by a photo of his family during an audience with Pope John Paul II. At the time of the picture, Filiberto and his father were still in exile from Italy, a conflict stemming from the family’s World War II-era relationship with Benito Mussolini.

Filiberto continues to represent his house and family at a number of functions internationally and leads the Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Savoy, which are Catholic chivalric groups that help fund humanitarian charities and aid.

The prince was in Southern California to represent his family at a spring charity gala hosted by one of Savoy’s orders. The gala on May 2 at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles raised approximately $150,000 for the Shroud Experience.

Daniel McClory, a board member of the American Foundation of Savoy Orders, noted that the Jonathan Club event proceeds will sponsor field trips for economically disadvantaged youth to the Shroud museum.

Although Filiberto said his family was a “dying piece” of the Shroud of Turin’s saga, he was excited for the opportunity to help introduce and educate today’s youth on the relic, its history and spiritual significance.

“We can bring them here to try and understand,” he said. “If we take 100 kids and one is transformed, then it’s worth it.”

LORD, I AM NOT WORTHY

BY JOAN PATTEN, AO

“LORD, I AM NOT worthy that you should enter under my roof, but say the word and my soul shall be healed.” (Mt. 8:8) These words, first spoken by the Roman centurion, now echo throughout history in our communal plea before the Lord at every Mass as we prepare to receive Holy Communion. The Church gives us this prayer in the liturgy and invites us to express with our words what is to be cultivated in our hearts. Like the Roman official, we desire to approach the Lord with humble confidence.

Humility means recognizing ourselves truthfully before God, acknowledging our weaknesses, poverty and sinfulness. Yet confidence assures us that these limitations are not obstacles for God’s grace or diminish His desire to draw near to us. In the encounter with the Roman centurion, Jesus reveals that He is not limited by our human frailty nor is He impressed with our own projected standards of progress in the spiritual life. Instead, Jesus shows us that He greatly desires to be with us in our greatest vulnerabilities and His Heart is moved by a trustful petition for mercy. His response to such a plea is to come into these broken realities with His healing and redeeming love.

Still, we have all struggled with a felt sense of unworthiness when we encounter the Lord’s call to come to Him and receive from Him. The centurion’s example in the Gospel teaches us not to give in to the temptation to withdraw or hide from the Lord when we feel unworthy. Like the centurion, we are invited to face Jesus and declare our need in the midst of our unworthiness. God’s love is a wonder-

ful and pure gift freely poured out upon us, flowing from His generous Heart and offered to us without any claim or merit on our part. The centurion’s experience shows us that Jesus carries the power to heal and His Heart is moved by our trustful petition for His word to accomplish what we cannot do on our own.

In the spiritual classic, “I Believe in Love,” Father Jean C.J. d’Elbee offers this observation: “Jesus was so delighted by the centurion’s words that he willed them to be fixed in the Liturgy of the Mass, to be forever the most perfect preparation for Communion.”

So, when we humbly proclaim this

prayer during Mass, we are confidently asking Jesus to enter under our roof and into our souls with His healing love. Instead of focusing only on our unworthiness, we are invited to focus more on Jesus’ joy in being asked to come into our souls. The centurion acknowledged his unworthiness but did not make it an obstacle for the Lord to reach him. He offered a humble act of faith and focused on who Jesus is, whose word carries power to heal and whose Heart is delighted to be asked for mercy.

When we pray the words of the centurion at every Mass, we too are capable of delighting the Lord’s Heart with our humble faith. Fr. d’Elbee remarks, “I can

imagine the centurion in Heaven, enjoying the unspeakable glory and beatitude of hearing these words, which came from his heart, repeated at the moment when Jesus is received in the Host by all priests and all communicants, in all the Masses which are celebrated in the entire world until the end of time. What a Heaven for him! Because he recognized his own unworthiness, and he believed.”

This vision shows how one simple act of trust can resonate in the Heart of Jesus and echo throughout eternity, encouraging us to offer the same faith each time we approach the Lord. As we imagine the centurion rejoicing in Heaven each time his words are spoken, we are reminded that our own struggle with unworthiness is not a barrier but the very place where Jesus longs to meet us. In this humble prayer, we find the courage to believe that His word can heal us as we approach Him in Holy Communion. We cannot heal ourselves or make ourselves worthy; it is Jesus who speaks His word over us and gives us His own worthiness. C

OC Catholic Afar

Ben and Belinda Barrett visited the famous Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo in Lima, Peru, last summer, where the remains of St. Rose of Lima, St. Martin de Porres and St. John Macias are interred.

—Ben and Belinda attend La Purísima Catholic Church in Orange.

We want your photos! Send your pictures of “OC Catholic Afar” — of you, family or friends visiting Catholic churches and other interesting places — to editor@occatholic.com. Please include a brief description of the photo, the name of the person(s) featured in the photo and their home parish.