ON JULY 1, 2024, Fr. Martin Vu began his new assignment as parochial administrator of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Placentia. Many tasks greeted Fr. Martin upon his arrival at the 71-year-old church. The interior was undergoing major renovations and so Mass services were moved to the parish hall. Additionally, Fr. Martin was tasked with supervising the final touches for the renovation of the rectory to accommodate retired priests. These significant tasks needed to be attended to while becoming acquainted
with parishioners and conducting administrative duties. This was a daunting task for any priest, much less a new administrator still in his early years as a priest.
The St. Joseph Rectory project is part of a larger diocesan initiative.. Other locations that are part of this Diocese-wide plan include St. Kilian parish in Mission Viejo, Our Lady Queen of Angels parish in Newport Beach and Clearwater at North Tustin Retirement Home. St. Joseph was chosen in part due to its history of community hospitality given to retired priests and having a rectory with a large footprint to work with.
The vision for the St. Joseph renovation, completed in August, included a new pantry, kitchen, patio renovations and expansion of the living quarters.
The rectory can now accommodate two permanent priests, one priest who serves the Syro-Malabar Rite in Orange County, four retired priests and one visiting
priest for eight living quarters. Other amenities that have been added are new flooring throughout the rectory, lighting and furniture. Some of the furniture is new, and parishioners have donated some additional pieces. This allows for blending new and old, giving the rectory a sense of newness while allowing parishioners’ memories to live on with their furniture. One piece of donated furniture is a couch in Fr. Martin’s suite, which belonged to the late Fr. John Janze, former pastor at St. Thomas More parish, which keeps his legacy present.
The first retired priest in residence is Fr. Eamon O’Gorman, who moved to St. Joseph in October. Fr. Eamon was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles after attending the All Hallows Seminary in Dublin, Ireland. Fr. Eamon served the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at St. Finbar in Burbank, St. Luke The Evangelist in Temple City and St. Mary in Fullerton.
When the Diocese of Orange was established in 1976, Fr. Eamon served at St. Martin de Porres in Yorba Linda. After St. Martin de Porres, he served as pastor of St. Columban until 1993,when he agreed to be named vicar for priests (1993-1999) and then he was assigned as pastor of St. Catherine of Siena from 1999 to his retirement in 2014.
Regarding his duties at St. Joseph, Fr. Eamon said, “I will preside among the assembly as needed and worship here. Both are equally important. I will always be a priest. The enjoyable parts of this calling remain and get better constantly.”
Since retiring 10 years ago, Fr. Eamon has remained active at the House of Prayer, where he can meet with priests and walk with them on their journey.
“Priests inspire me,” he said, “and that continues.”
Fr. Eamon occasionally celebrates Mass at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Brea, where he has a historic relationship.”
Fr. Steve Frost will soon move into the rectory, becoming the second retired priest in residence.
Fr. Martin has identified other opportunities to involve Fr. Eamon. With the new church renovation, two confessionals were being used for storage. Fr. Martin had those renovated, and one was permanently assigned to Fr. Eamon, where parishioners could continue their relationship with him by going to confession with him.
The new renovation at St. Joseph has proved to be a meaningful project that offers housing to retired priests and serves the community. The opportunity to serve the parish is a wonderful byproduct of having retired priests on the property. When asked what it meant to have retired priests as part of the community, Fr. Martin pointed to the two months that Fr. Eamon has been in residence.
“I am grateful for the support and mentorship he has provided,” said Fr. Martin. “His presence is incredible. He is a wellspring of blessing and grace for our community.”