Located between San Diego and Los Angeles is Orange County – the O.C. Arguably home to some of the best beaches in the country and spectacular scenery in the country, it also provides several unique pilgrimage opportunities for the Catholic traveler.
San Clemente
At the southern end of Orange County is the beachside town of San Clemente, named for the fourth pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
In the 1960s, San Clemente gained national renown as the home of President Richard Nixon’s Western White House (the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is about 40 miles in Yorba Linda). Today, it is best known for its beachfront. San Clemente Beach State Park is a scenic and relatively quiet place to enjoy the California sun. Situated on a hilltop just above the beachfront is the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, where there is a memorial to the first recorded baptism in California history, performed by the Franciscan friars in 1769 for the first known native convert to Catholicism.
San Juan Capistrano
Less than ten miles up the coast from San Clemente is the town of San Juan Capistrano, named after the mission that was established here by St. Junipero Serra.
Mission San Juan Capistrano was the seventh of the California missions, founded in 1776 at the same time as a war for independence was raging on the other side of the American continent. In this peaceful coastal enclave, St. Junipero and his brother Franciscans worked to spread the Good News amongst the Native American tribes that inhabited the region. The mission was more than a parish; it was an entire community numbering over 1,200 native and European members in its heyday. Its bell towers, once the tallest structures west of the Mississippi, are famous for housing swallows that flock to the church each year on the Feast of St. Joseph.
The Mission’s grounds and museum are a testament to the holy effort of the Franciscans, who came on foot and by boat from Mexico to evangelize the native peoples. Although the grand stone church was destroyed in the 1812 earthquake, its ruins still stand today, sometimes called the “acropolis of southern California.” The well landscaped courtyard with its bountiful flowers and relaxing fountains, add to the character and serenity of the mission. Among the ruins of the original mission, is what is believed to be the first vineyard and wine press in California, which dates back to the late eighteenth century.
The one structure to survive the 1812 earthquake and remain from the original mission is the Serra Chapel. The church itself was built by Native Americans who had converted to the Catholic faith. It is California’s oldest public building still in regular use and is the only remaining chapel amongst all 21 of the California missions where St. Junipero actually celebrated mass. Among the relics is a vestment worn by the saint when he stayed at the mission. Departing the mission, the old town of San Juan Capistrano is pedestrian friendly and fun to explore, with its multitude of unique shops and restaurants.
Anaheim
Anaheim is synonymous with the two theme parks that comprise the Disneyland Resort as well as Knott’s Berry Farm. Anaheim is also a great destination for major league sports, whether it is the MLB’s Los Angeles Angels that play in Anaheim or the Anaheim Mighty Ducks hockey team.
Amidst the buzz of Anaheim, you may be surprised to find that one of the most famous churches in the U.S. – the Crystal Cathedral of televangelist fame – has been re-consecrated as the cathedral church for the Catholic bishop of Orange County, now known as Christ Cathedral. The church has preserved its iconic glass-enclosed frame. Under the 14,000 pound altar is a large reliquary containing the first class relics of saints spanning the globe, including those of Korean, Vietnamese, North American and Mexican martyrs; a testimony to the diversity of the diocese. The reliquary was brought on pilgrimage to numerous churches across Orange County before being ensconced in the Cathedral altar.
The Cathedral’s expansive campus hosts a splendid outdoor Shrine to Our Lady of La Vang with a 12 foot marble statue of Our Lady. Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam and the Diocese of Orange’s sister diocese is the Archdiocese of Hanoi, resulting in strong links between Vietnam Catholics on both sides of the Pacific.
Dominican missionaries first brought the faith to Vietnam at the beginning of the sixteenth century and it eventually spread through the subsequent efforts of the Jesuits. The Emperor became threatened by this growing Catholic population and ordered the complete suppression of the faith, forcing many to flee in hiding. When one such group fled to the dangerous jungles of La Vang in the late 1700s, they encountered great consolation with the apparition of Our Lady, dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing, holding the Christ Child in her arms. She told them to gather nearby leaves to make a strong tea to cure them of jungle illness and promised that prayers made at that spot would be honored. The first chapel that was built there was actually a temple built by Buddhists, who eventually all converted to Catholicism. It is estimated that between 130,000-300,000 martyrs were martyred in Vietnam between 1630 and 1886; many of whom endured incredibly brutal persecution.
St. Michael’s Abbey
Deep in Orange County’s canyon country, amidst the dramatic landscape, is St. Michael’s Abbey, of the medieval Norbertine Order.
The Norbertine Order is over nine hundred years old, founded in twelfth century Europe by St. Norbert of Xanten, an itinerant priest who preached across the Netherlands, Germany, and France. He founded the monastic order in Northern France after despairing about the decline in the faith of priests he encountered on his missions. He received the monastic rule for his order when he had a vision of St. Augustine. Even more interesting is how the Norbertines, also known as the “white canons,” received their distinctive white habits. According to tradition, Our Blessed Mother appeared to St. Norbert and showed him that the habit should be white, like those worn by the angels who announced the Resurrection. They also wear a black apron over the habit, which is actually a full length scapular.
The Norbertines were quite prominent throughout the Middle Ages, but slowly died in Europe following the Renaissance. The order first came to the United States from the Netherlands in 1893, establishing a presence in De Pere, Wisconsin (see page X). They have since established six abbeys across the United States. The Silverado abbey was founded by a group of refugee Hungarian priests who fled the grip of Communism in the 1950s. They sought a new home on the American West Coast and opened the abbey and boy’s school in Silverado in 1961. The abbey church is open daily and visitors are welcome to join the Nortbertine priests and seminarians throughout the day for their common prayers.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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