Mission Viejo's St. Kilian Catholic Church Celebrates 50 Years

MISSION VIEJO, CA — The year was 1970. Fewer than 100 parishioners gathered at a local high school to celebrate mass. Donna Finnegan was one of the first to gather at Mission Viejo High School. She remembers. It was her very first mass.

Now, in 2019, nearly 50 years later, she recalled the changes as the church has bloomed to 1,200 seats.

"It's been amazing to watch the growth and change at St. Kilian over the past 50 years," she said. "I'm so proud to be part of this community of caring, generous, and faithful people."

July 2019 marked the beginning of the parish's Jubilee Year.

Themed "Grace and Gratitude," the celebration features special events ranging from speakers and concerts to outreach projects and participation in community activities. The church plans to complete the Jubilee Year with an organized pilgrimage to Ireland.

"St. Kilian is such a busy place, celebrating both our faith and our commitment to being God's hands in our community," said Father Angelos Sebastian. He has served as the church's pastor for the past two years. "It is truly a blessing to serve this parish, especially during our Jubilee Year. We have the opportunity to reflect on the many graces we have received, and express our gratitude for our past, present and future."

St. Kilian Catholic Church was established by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1970 to serve the community of Mission Viejo.

Monsignor Michael H. Hughes was named as the church's first pastor. Since that time, the parish has grown to more than 5,000 registered families and 60 liturgical and outreach ministries. St. Kilian was recently selected by the Dynamic Catholic Organization as a Dynamic Parish for a pilot program—one of only 21 chosen from the nation's 15,000 Catholic Churches.

The church purchased land on the corner of Estanciero Drive and Marguerite Parkway, building the church and office buildings. Quickly outgrowing both spaces, St. Kilian built a new two-story hall and office building in 2005, followed by the current church that was completed in 2014.

Reverend James Dunning was the pastor at St. Kilian for 20 years. Although retired, he remains active at St. Kilian and throughout South Orange County.

"I feel so blessed to have spent two decades at St. Kilian and watched generations of families grow in their faith. I have always loved being there! So many people give of themselves through their involvement in the parish and their generosity to those in need," Reverend Dunning said. "It's a great community of strong faith."

Visit www.stkilianchurch.org for mass times and location.