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AROUND OUR DIOCESE

By STAFF     6/28/2022

PRIESTS VS. SEMINARIANS BASKETBALL GAME
The Diocese of Orange’s Priests vs. Seminarians basketball game matchup took place on Friday, June 17 at Mater Dei High School. The priests won the game and currently lead the series 3-2.

The Priests vs. Seminarians basketball game first started in 2015 and was held through 2018. This year, it was brought back by popular demand following administrative changes and COVID-cancellations in 2020 and 2021.

Spectators filled the stands, and a great time was had by all. Bishop Kevin W. Vann and Bishop Timothy Freyer also attended the event, with Bishop Vann officially starting the game by tossing the ball for the tip-off. Proceeds benefit the Vocations office.

SPECTATORS, INCLUDING FR. AUGUSTINE PUCHNER, O. PRAEM, CHEER FROM THE STANDS DURING THE PRIESTS VS. SEMINARIANS BASKETBALL GAME THAT TOOK PLACE ON FRIDAY, CONTINUES ON PAGE 12 JUNE 17. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVEN GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE

CHRIST CATHEDRAL CELEBRATES JUNETEENTH
Christ Cathedral celebrated Juneteenth with a special Mass on Sunday, June 19. The guest presider and preacher was Fr. Claude Williams, O. Praem, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Church in Wilmington, CA.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the end of slavery was announced in Galveston, Texas, in accordance with President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. The day was first recognized as a federal holiday in June 2021.

FR. CLAUDE WILLIAMS, O. PRAEM, CELEBRATES MASS ON JUNE 19 AT CHRIST CATHEDRAL, AS DEACON DARRELL MILLER AND DEACON FRANK CHAVEZ LOOK ON. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVEN GEORGES/DIOCESE OF ORANGE

FRANCISCAN SISTERS’ JUBILARIAN SERVED DIOCESE OF ORANGE IN PASTORAL CARE
On June 12 more than 150 members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and their companions gathered in Our Lady of Angels Chapel in Aston, Pennsylvania, to give witness to the lives and service of the congregation’s 2020, 2021, and 2022 jubilarians. Celebrating 70 and 50 years of religious profession, the 39 jubilarians represent an accumulated 2,450 years of service in 18 states and 38 dioceses, including Ireland, Antigua, and Puerto Rico.

Golden jubilarian Sister Kathleen Francis McCarron, OSF, previously ministered in Orange, California, at the Regina Residence from 2010 to 2017.

SISTER KATHLEEN FRANCIS MCCARRON, OSF. PHOTO COURTESY OF SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS OF PHILADELPHIA

NOTRE DAME CLUB AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO OC DIOCESAN STUDENTS
Twenty-two graduates of Orange County Catholic Diocesan Elementary Schools are headed to Catholic high schools this fall with the support of scholarships awarded by the Notre Dame Club of Orange County (NDCOC).

The students were honored during special ceremonies for exemplifying what it means to “give back” by volunteering and participating in a host of community service programs in their communities.

NDCOC Scholarship Coordinators Paul Irving and Doug Collodel said presentation of the Award for Outstanding Community Service recognizes graduating eighth-graders at participating Diocesan K-through-8 schools. This year, 22 of 31 Catholic elementary schools participated, an increase from eight when the program began in 2017. $250 scholarships will be forwarded to the recipients’ Catholic high school to offset tuition costs.

Recipients will be attending the Orange and Los Angeles County Catholic high schools of JSerra, Mater Dei, Rosary Academy, Santa Margarita, Servite, St. John Bosco and St. Joseph High School. Plaques are also in place at each school to acknowledge yearly recipients with their photo. Submitted by Irv Cuevas

NDCOC SCHOLARSHIP COORDINATOR DOUG COLLODEL IS SHOWN WITH OLIVER JOHNSTONE, ST. ANGELA MERICI EIGHTH-GRADE GRADUATE, NOW HEADED TO SERVITE HIGH SCHOOL. PHOTO COURTESY OF IRV CUEVAS