ORANGE (CA)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange
The Next Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange Announced: Bishop Kevin W. Vann to Succeed Bishop Tod D. Brown as the Fourth Bishop of Orange
Orange, CA (September 21, 2012) — His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI has announced today that Bishop Kevin W. Vann (61) will succeed Bishop Tod D. Brown as the Bishop of Orange. Bishop Vann, the current Bishop of Fort Worth, Texas, will be installed as the fourth Bishop of Orange in December. Bishop Brown was advised of the new appointment by the Papal Nuncio, the official representative of the Holy See for the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano.
Bishop Brown, who was appointed the Bishop of Orange on the 30th of June 1998, reached the mandatory retirement age last year and completes 14 years of service as the leader of the tenth largest Roman Catholic Diocese in the United States. The Diocese is comprised of 62 parishes and diocesan centers and has a population of 1.2 million Catholics. …
In response to Bishop Vann’s appointment as his successor, Bishop Brown said:
“The Diocese of Fort Worth has enjoyed a dynamic period of growth and the demands for comprehensive pastoral services there are not unlike those we have experienced, here in the Diocese of Orange. Bishop Vann enjoys an enviable record of success and I am exceedingly pleased by his appointment as my episcopal successor.
“While we have accomplished much in the years since I succeeded Bishop Norman MacFarland, including the recent acquisition of the former Crystal Cathedral and its campus, much work remains to be done. This work will require an administrator with proven skills and a spiritual leader with an abundance of faith. Bishop Kevin Vann has these attributes and much more. We are all blessed by his selection and I assure you – that I will do all I can to help make his transition to this important new responsibility enjoyable and productive.
“I plan to address the Diocese sometime soon and to reflect on the journey we have taken together. For now, the news is not about me – it is about our Diocese of Orange stepping into the future with its dynamic new leader.
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