Bishop Kevin Vann, Diocese of Orange to open new Filipino Catholic center in Anaheim

The property, bought earlier this year with help from around 500 donors, will be America's only currently operating Filipino Catholic center. It will focus on faith formation and cultural education.

Click here for photos of the center and some of its religious imagery. Please credit to Ian Tran/Diocese of Orange.

GARDEN GROVE, Calif., July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is pleased to announce that Bishop Kevin Vann on July 21 will bless the opening of a new Filipino Catholic center in Anaheim, the only such center currently operating in the United States.

The Poong Jesus Nazareno Filipino Catholic Center (PJNFCC), 3700 W. Orange Ave., is on a 1.4-acre property first built in 1963 that was last occupied by a Vietnamese-language member congregation of the Southern Baptist Convention. That congregation disregarded other developer bids for the property in favor of selling it to Alagad ni Maria, a Catholic religious congregation of priests, which would continue stewardship of the property as a worship space.

Media are invited to photograph and visit the center during a special preview on July 21 from 1 to 3 p.m., as well as cover the day's blessing at 5 p.m. with Bishop Vann in which hundreds of the faithful are expected to attend.

The Barkadahan Dance Troupe, a youth group, will present cultural dances. The Rondalla ni San Jose, an ethnic string ensemble, will also perform at the event. Barkadahan and the Rondalla are part of the cultural program of the Diocese of Orange San Jose Filipino Ministry (DOSJFM), an ethnic ministry established by Bishop Vann in 2021 that collaborated with Alagad ni Maria in the fundraising efforts to purchase the Anaheim property.

In addition to a 180-person chapel where Mass in English and Tagalog will be celebrated, the property contains classrooms, offices, a music room, fellowship hall and full kitchen. Church leaders also anticipate adding a rectory (living quarters for priests onsite).

Having the center will grant the local Filipino Catholic community dedicated spaces to engage in promoting education on their cultural heritage and traditions, including dance and song.

Though located within the boundaries of the Diocese of Orange, the Catholic center will be owned and operated by Alagad ni Maria, also known as the Disciples of Mary. Like other religious orders in Orange County, such as the Norbertines of St. Michael's Abbey, Alagad ni Maria priests work in the diocese but belong to their order.

"I feel blessed and excited that so many people are taking part in our mission to bring the people closer to our Lord, with Mary at the foot of the cross," said Fr. Peter Lavin, an Alagad ni Maria priest and director of the center.

Unlike a traditional Catholic parish, PJNFCC will not celebrate sacraments, such as weddings, baptisms and funerals, but will instead focus on faith formation and cultural education. It is expected to serve the estimated 90,000 Filipino Catholics in the Diocese of Orange, as well as many others living in the greater Southern California region.

PJNFCC will also be aided by the Diocese of Orange San Jose Filipino Ministry. Alagad ni Maria purchased the property in May 2025 for $5.2 million, managing to raise $2.1 million quickly from around 500 people toward the purchase. Two of the donors gave $500,000 each to bolster the effort. The Diocese of Orange helped guarantee their loan.

"For many years, it has been a heartfelt dream of the Filipino community here in the Diocese of Orange to have a center of their own — a sacred space where they can gather in faith, grow in spiritual fellowship, and pass on the richness of their heritage, language and customs to future generations," said Fr. Angelos Sebastian, vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Orange. "The recent decision to guarantee the loan for the purchase of their property in Anaheim was a tangible expression of the diocese's deep gratitude and esteem for their ongoing ministry and presence.

"Bishop Kevin Vann, together with the entire Diocese of Orange, joins in celebrating this historic milestone: the opening of the only Filipino Catholic center in the country. With heartfelt joy, we offer our warmest congratulations, our prayers and our full support as this long-cherished vision becomes a reality."

The PJNFCC will be the diocese's sixth Catholic center. The other five are the Polish center in Yorba Linda, the Vietnamese center in Santa Ana, and the Korean centers in Irvine, Westminster and Anaheim.

In addition to becoming the new U.S. headquarters for Alagad ni Maria, the center will be the home of an official replica of the Poong Jesus Nazareno, a statue depicting a dark-skinned Jesus carrying the cross en route to His crucifixion. The original statue in Manila is said to have been carved by an anonymous artist in Mexico and brought to the Philippines by missionaries in 1606. The Poong Jesus Nazareno has millions of devotees around the world, notably Filipino Catholics, and many attribute miraculous healing properties to it. The Anaheim center's replica was donated by a devotee from the Philippines who was miraculously cured of cancer.

Bishop Vann's blessing on July 21 is the first step toward formally establishing the center. Consecration and dedication will occur at a later date.

Alagad ni Maria currently has eight priests ministering in the Diocese of Orange, where they have been present since 2005 at the invitation of then-Bishop Tod Brown.

Media Preview Day and Blessing

What: Media are invited to preview the Poong Jesus Nazareno Filipino Catholic Center and cover its blessing by Bishop Kevin Vann

Where: 3700 W. Orange Ave., Anaheim, CA 92804

When: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. media preview, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. blessing (which is livestreamed on the diocese YouTube @DioceseOrange)

Visuals and Interviews: Cultural dancers, cultural musicians, interviews with key stakeholders of the center, Alagad ni Maria priests, Bishop Vann blessing ceremony, procession into the chapel

RSVP: Bradley Zint – [email protected] (657) 390-3914 and Jarryd Gonzales – [email protected] (714) 282-3075

About the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange

With 1.3 million Catholics, 58 parishes, six Catholic centers and 36 schools, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange is one of the largest and most diverse faith communities in the United States. The Diocese empowers Catholics across Orange County to have an active life of faith that is integrated and woven into the fabric of their daily lives through the community and sacramental life of the Church. Under the leadership of Bishop Kevin Vann, the Diocese works to establish and support dynamic, vibrant parishes and schools welcoming all to live the Gospel with faith, joy, charity and unity. Christ Cathedral, the spiritual home of the Bishop of Orange, was dedicated in July 2019. Learn more about the Diocese of Orange at www.rcbo.org

SOURCE The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange