OC CATHOLIC - MARCH 5, 2023

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ORANGE • OCCATHOLIC.COM

MARCH 5, 2023

LIFETIME LEGACY Special Issue No. 9

The Lifetime Legacy series is sponsored by Gabriel Ferrucci, the first individual honored in this series.

LIFE IN C MAJOR

LONGTIME CANTOR LUCY DUNN HAS HIT PERFECT NOTES BLAZING A BRIGHT TRAIL AS ONE OF O.C.’S MOST PROMINENT BUSINESS LEADERS PAGE 6

CONTENTS

SACRED SCRIPTURE

Look, listen and receive the Word of God this Lent

JIM WAHLBERG’S ROAD TO REDEMPTION

A story of finding Jesus and inspiring others

BISHOP DAVID O’CONNELL

Bishop Kevin Vann reflects on the loss of the late Bishop O’Connell

ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC MISSION STATEMENT

The Orange County Catholic Newspaper seeks to illuminate and animate the journey of faith for Catholics within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange – building solidarity among the faithful and inviting a deeper understanding and involvement in the mission of Christ – through the timely sharing of news, commentary and feature content in an engaging, accessible and compelling format.

ORANGE COUNTY CATHOLIC

The Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Diocese of Orange Pastoral Center, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove 92840

Publisher: The Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann, Bishop of Orange

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MARCH 5, 2023

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

TURNING POINTS

OUR READINGS TODAY DESCRIBE turning points for those whom God has chosen. In Genesis, God calls Abram to leave his homeland, with the promise of forming a people in a new land. In the Gospel, the disciples see Jesus literally in a new light, the bright light of Jesus’ transfiguration. They begin to see Jesus, and themselves, in a new way. These are times when God presents a new way forward, providing new purpose and energy. Our lives too have their own turning points, where God is working (usually in less spectacular fashion) to lead us into fuller maturity, and into deeper unity with God and others. The road ahead, as with Abram, Jesus, and the disciples, may be long and difficult. Lent can be a time when we reflect upon these turning points in our past, and consider how God may be stirring something new in us today.

Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. C

The culture of peace… begins in the heart of every

SAINT PHOCAS DIED C. 303

PHOCAS WAS A GARDENER who lived at Sinope on the Black Sea, and used his crops to feed the poor and persecuted Christians. Soldiers were sent to execute him and found him at work, but were unaware of his identity. Phocas provided the soldiers hospitality for the night and offered to help them find the man they were looking for. Overnight, Phocas dug his own grave and prayed. In the morning, he revealed his identity; the soldiers offered to spare him but Phocas refused and was executed. He is the patron saint of agricultural workers, farmers and gardeners.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK PHOTOS: CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE, SHUTTERSTOCK

MONDAY

DN 9:4B-10; PS

79:8, 9, 11, 13; LK 6:36-38

TUESDAY IS 1:10, 16-20; PS 50:8-9, 16BC-17, 21, 23; MT 23:1-12

WEDNESDAY JER 18:18-20; PS 31:5-6, 14-16; MT 20:17-28

THURSDAY JER 17:5-10; PS 1:1-4, 6; LK 16:1931

FRIDAY GN 37:3-4, 1213A; 17B-28A; PS 105:16-21; MT 21:33-43, 45-46

SATURDAY MI 7:14-15, 18-20; PS 103:1-4, 9-12; LK 15:1-3, 11-32

SUNDAY EX 17:3-7; PS 95:12, 6-9; ROM 5:1-2, 5-8; JN 4:5-42 [515, 19B-26, 39A, 40-42]

“

one of us”

— Pope Francis

LIFE IN C MAJOR

LONGTIME CANTOR LUCY DUNN HAS HIT PERFECT NOTES BLAZING A BRIGHT TRAIL AS ONE OF O.C.’S MOST PROMINENT BUSINESS LEADERS

BY GREG HARDESTY

FR. SCOTT BORGMAN WAS excited.

Last May, the judicial vicar of the Diocese of Orange won the dean’s award after earning a degree in nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame.

He showed off the glass obelisk to Lucy Dunn, a fellow board member of the Orange Catholic Foundation (OCF).

Of all the people to brag to about awards.

In her garage at her home in Coto de Caza, Dunn – one of Orange County’s most recognizable business leaders over the last several decades, a gifted public speaker with expertise in real estate, law, and government – has boxes full of honors from the dozens of non-profit and other organizations she has worked with as a volunteer, board member and executive.

“I’m trying to figure out what to do with all my plaques and awards,” Dunn told Fr. Scott with a wink. “I’m thinking of hiring an artist to design a backyard water feature out of them.”

Dunn wasn’t bragging.

She’s just gotten heaps of awards over the years, mostly while serving as president and CEO of the Orange County Business Council (OCBC) from November 2005 to December 2022. And she simply doesn’t have room to display them all.

“I thought that was hilarious,” Fr. Scott recalled. “After she told me that, I just

wanted to throw my award away.”

He didn’t, and Dunn has yet to build that fountain – a suggestion of one of her sons, Gerard Fane, a digital marketing specialist in the Bay Area.

But Dunn’s collection of honors illustrates how prominent and respected a figure she is in Orange County and throughout the state, having served as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development from May 2004 to November 2005. He appointed her to the California Transportation Commission in 2008 and Gov. Jerry Brown reappointed her to two more terms.

During Dunn’s term on the housing commission, state funds helped incentivize or create more than 72,000 affordable homes and shelter spaces for Californians –one of her proudest accomplishments.

BISHOP’S AWARD

Dunn’s work with the Diocese – she’s been a fixture at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Irvine for nearly three decades and is the parish’s longest-serving cantor – also has reaped her honors.

In 2014, Bishop Kevin Vann honored her with the Bishop’s Award for Exemplary Business Integrity, one of two handed out each year at the OCF’s signature event, the annual Conference on Business & Ethics (at which Dunn, for the second consecutive year, will be serving as emcee this year on April 21).

CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

LUCY DUNN IN HER OFFICIAL PHOTO AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ORANGE COUNTY BUSINESS COUNCIL (OCBC).

LUCY DUNN ADDRESSES ATTENDEES DURING THE 2022 OCF CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS & ETHICS.

LUCY DUNN PERFORMS WITH THE PACIFIC CHORALE. COURTESY PHOTOS.

And in Spring 2020, Bishop Vann asked Dunn to serve on the board of the OCF, whose main function is to raise money to support parishes, Catholic schools and ministries throughout Orange County, as well as special projects on the Christ Cathedral campus.

True to form, Dunn said yes.

This is a woman who, a couple of decades ago, was serving on 23 boards of directors, commissions and advisory boards at the same time – in addition to working full time.

Having retired from the OCBC a little more than a year ago (she retains the title of CEO emeritus), Dunn’s now down to “only” eight.

“When I work with organizations,” she explained, “I want to develop a reservoir of good will – not just to advance the OCBC’s mission or my own mission.

“I volunteer to help other non-profits succeed. I love doing that.”

‘REVENGE TRAVEL’

Dunn sips a cup of black coffee ahead of a late-afternoon appointment in Irvine – not far from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish.

Officially retired, she’s getting in a lot of traveling as she ponders Act IV of her career (she has been, roughly for 16 years each, a general practice attorney, an in-house attorney for homebuilding companies and leader of the OCBC).

“Right now, I’m kind of doing revenge travel after all the COVID restrictions,” Dunn said with her signature robust laugh.

Last year, she traveled through the Panama Canal and soon will leave on a trip to search for the Northern Lights from London to Bergen, Norway.

She just got back from Santa Fe, N.M., and soon will visit her grandchildren in the Bay Area (she has three, ages 10 months to 3). In addition to Gerard, Dunn has another married son, Edward Fane, a deputy sheriff for the San Fran-

CONTINUES ON PAGE 8

SACRED SCRIPTURE: A HEART TO HEART WITH GOD

BY JOAN PATTEN, AO, DELEGATE FOR CONSECRATED LIFE

“HAVE THE COURAGE to pray with Scripture in first person.”

I recall receiving this advice years ago and I can attest to the difference it has made in my own prayer life and living my vocation as a consecrated member of a secular institute. I had reached a point in my initial formation where I had to make a decision: I could continue this journey to be an Apostolic Oblate by renewing my temporary vows before making final vows or I could walk away by simply not renewing this commitment. The freshness and excitement of following the Lord and joining my institute had subsided in some ways with time, a particularly challenging assignment, and health issues. I went on a silent eight day directed retreat seeking clarity and peace. Most silent directed retreats follow St. Ignatius of Loyola who guided the retreatant by structuring the days with various hours of prayer with Sacred Scripture and spiritual direction.

The graced moment of my retreat occurred when I was directed to pray with John 17. I was still seeking answers from the Lord and wrestling with where He was calling me. Part of me wanted to quit and another part of me wanted to continue giving myself fully by consecrating my life permanently through vows. My struggle initially made praying with John 17 feel difficult and discouraging. I wasn’t receiving the consolation and answers that I sought and was tempted to walk away from this schedule hour of prayer. Ultimately, I wanted Jesus to show me that He was still calling me to be with Him. Then I recalled this advice, “Have the courage to pray with Scripture in first person.”

Instead of walking away from this time prayer, I settled into imagining Jesus praying before me as He did for the disciples in John 17. “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world” (Jn. 17:17-18). This passage became, “Consecrate Joan in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent her into the world.” Receiving the Lord’s blessing and desire for me allowed me to continue to seek Him in this moment of prayer.

“Father, they are your gift to me.” (Jn. 17:24). This passage went deeper as well, “Father, she is your gift to me.” Knowing this truth and allowing it to define me changed everything. I experienced Jesus praying over me in thanksgiving and joy. I desired to respond with the gift of myself. My problems had not changed but I knew Jesus was with me and that was enough. Several years later, I made my final vows, and I am truly grateful for my vocation. There are many ways to pray with Sacred Scripture and we know that when we read the Bible it’s not the same as read-

ing any other book. Lectio Divina which means “sacred reading,” is a form of prayer that engages our minds, hearts and imaginations as we seek to encounter Christ.

St. Augustine said, “When you read the Bible, God speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to God.”

The Bible, also known as the Word of God, is a sure way in which He reveals truth to us. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh who came to live among us. Let God speak to you through Sacred Scripture this Lent. Place yourself in the scenes. Ask Jesus questions. Let Him speak directly to you when He is addressing someone. Notice what happens in your mind and heart when you hear Jesus say your name. Let us pray for the courage to look, listen and receive the Word of God this Lent.

Joan Patten is a consecrated member of the Secular Institute of the Apostolic Oblates. She is currently the Delegate for Consecrated Life and the local director of the Pro Sanctity Spirituality Center in Fullerton, CA. Pro Sanctity is an international Catholic lay movement founded by Servant of God, Guglielmo Giaquinta in 1947. The mission of Pro Sanctity is to promote the universal call to holiness and brotherhood. Find out more at caprosanctity.org C

JOAN PATTEN, AO, IS PICTURED WITH SR. MAGDALENA NU TRAN DURING A WORLD DAY OF CONSECRATED LIFE EVENT IN 2020. PHOTO BY THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

cisco Sheriff’s Department.

ITINERANT UPBRINGING

Born in New Jersey to Irish Catholic parents, the oldest of six children to a father who moved around a lot chasing defense industry contracts, Dunn also has lived in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia.

She settled in Orange County for good when she was a junior in high school.

Initially planning to become a teacher, Dunn was a member of Mission Viejo High School’s first graduating class in 1971, living with friends in Orange and commuting to and from school after her family moved back to the East Coast.

She worked during high school watching children for family friends and after she graduated landed a job as a legal secretary trainee, despite having marginal typing skills.

Dunn worked for a small firm specializing in eminent domain law while attending Cal State Fullerton, where she graduated in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in political

science.

“Someone kicked me in the behind and said I should go to law school,” Dunn said.

While taking classes at night at Western State University College of Law, Dunn started her own paralegal business. In that role, she helped attorneys from several L.A. and O.C. law firms on law and motion, trial briefs and general law practice issues.

After she earned her law degree in 1981, graduating in the top 20% of her class and then passing the State Bar exam on her first try, Dunn switched her shingle to “attorney.”

Six years later, she went in house as general counsel at homebuilder Signal Landmark, where she leaded the effort to settle 10-year litigation to protect the Bolsa Chica wetlands. She was the first woman on Signal Landmark’s board of directors and became the first female president of the Building Industry Association of Southern California.

Dunn also worked for the Koll Co. and Hearthside Homes before joining, in 2005, the nonprofit OCBC, which champions area businesses while working to enhance

the quality of life for county residents.

‘TRUSTED LEADER’

Longtime Orange County media and communications veteran Steve Churm, who served as OCBC Board Chair with Dunn and has known her for more than two decades, said she has paved the way for women in business and politics in the region and across the state.

“If you were to ask me to describe her, I would use three words,” Churm said. “No. 1, she’s a convener – it’s one of her true God-given skills, bringing people on opposing sides of issues together. Secondly, she’s consequential – when she gets involved, there’s usually an outcome that’s positive and successful.

“No. 3, she’s always been resilient – even if she’s run into brick walls or brought

opposing parties together and they haven’t resolved their differences. She doesn’t walk away. She doesn’t melt in a puddle of failure. She tries to find a way to solve the stalemate.”

Added Churm: “She can be tough. She’s focused and immensely impactful, but all the while, she’s executed her various roles based on an unwavering set of principles and values that in large part come from her strong Catholic faith.”

Another member of the 12-person OCF board, Jim Normandin, whose long involvement in philanthropy including leading the Memorial Medical Center Foundation and legacy planning at Memorial Care Health System, called Dunn a “very talented and capable leader” who has earned the respect of many in Orange

CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

LUCY DUNN KISSES HER FIRST-BORN GRANDSON EAMONN FANE.

LUCY DUNN IS PICTURED WITH FELLOW OCF BOARD MEMBERS, INCLUDING BISHOP KEVIN VANN, AT THE 2022 CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS & ETHICS.

ST. JOHN’S SEMINARY CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIA

ST. JOHN’S SEMINARY NOW OFFERS AN ONLINE M.A. IN PASTORAL MINISTRY PROGRAM FOR THE LAITY

This program will help lay ministers increase their knowledge of the Catholic intellectual tradition and improve their ministerial skills for the life of the Church. Students will be prepared to work in different areas of ministry and make professional and personal connections with others of the same mind and spirit.

For more information

Email: mapm@stjohnsem.edu or visit www.stjohnsem.edu

Watch a brief video about the program

A studio with professional video, audio, and lighting equipment has been built to produce visually stunning content by our world-class faculty. This studio allows our students to have an enjoyable technological experience.

�-=-� Tl-IE: ORANGE: CATJ-IOLIC FOUNDATION

PRESENTS

ESTATE PLANNING SEMINARS

YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND FREE SEMINARS PRESENTED BY ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS

At the seminar, you will learn how to protect and provide for your loved ones, avoid probate, provide a Catholic perspective on health care directives, how to choose your trustee and power of attorney, what is needed to update or create an estate plan, will, living trust and more.

Participants will receive a FREE no obligation consultation!

Seminars are held at various parishes throughout Orange County. To view the full list o f dates, times and locations, visit OrangeCatholicFoundation.org/estate-plan n ing.

For any questions, please co ntact Rox a nna Payton at 714.282.6046 or email Plann edGiving@OrangeCatholicFoundation.org

AROUND OUR DIOCESE

BY STAFF

SACRAMENT SERIES FOR ADULTS

The Sacred Heart Sisters will be holding a monthly series for Adults on the Sacraments on the third Wednesday of the month, March 15, April 19 and May 17 from either 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Heart of Jesus Retreat Center, 2927 S. Greenfield St. in Santa Ana. Call or email to RSVP: 714557-4538 or retreatcenter@joyfulapostolate.org

PRESENCE: THE MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST

Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist explores the truth and beauty of Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, from its origins in Sacred Scripture, to its profound role in the life of the Church and her members. All are invited to watch the series and experience the power of God’s mercy in a new way. The series continues March 8, 15 and 22 at 7:15 p.m., at La Purísima Catholic Church’s Trinity Hall, 11712 Hewes St. in Orange. RSVP to the parish office at office@lapurisima.net or to Christopher Pagel at cpagel100@gmail.com There is no cost to attend.

VIETNAMESE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY CELEBRATES THE UPCOMING MARIAN DAYS

The Vietnamese Catholic community celebrated the upcoming Marian Days with a special gala in Westminster on Feb. 19.

The gala at Diamond Seafood Palace 3 featured opportunities for photos with Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen, as well as dinner and live entertainment.

The second annual Marian Days at Christ Cathedral is scheduled for July 14 and 15. The theme is “With Mary, We Journey.”

Last year’s inaugural celebration, themed as “With Mary, Giving Thanks to God,” drew an estimated 13,000 people over two days to the cathedral campus for a festival-like environment honoring the Blessed Mother.

FR. ROBERT SPITZER TO GIVE SPECIAL PRESENTATION ON THE EUCHARIST

Fr. Robert Spitzer will be giving a presentation titled “Three Contemporary Eucharistic Miracles: What science can tell us about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist,” on Friday, March 17 at 7 p.m. at St. Hedwig parish, 11482 Los Alamitos Blvd. in in Los Alamitos. For more information, call 562-296-9000.

UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GLEE CLUBS TO PERFORM

The United States Naval Academy Men’s and Women’s Glee Clubs will be giving a concert on Tuesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. at Our Lady Queen of Angels parish in Newport Beach. The concert is free, and there will be a freewill offering. C

ATTENDEES POSE FOR PHOTOS WITH BISHOP THANH THAI NGUYEN ON FEB. 19 DURING A SPECIAL GALA CELEBRATING THE UPCOMING MARIAN DAYS. PHOTO BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE

FR. ROBERT SPITZER.

COURTESY GRAPHIC

COURTESY PHOTO

COURTESY GRAPHIC

JIM WAHLBERG’S ROAD TO REDEMPTION

BY PATTY MAHONEY

JIM WAHLBERG’S ROAD TO redemption was not smooth. It was long and often fraught with suffering – but it eventually led him to who he is today – a man of unwavering faith who’s mission it is to share his story with others in hopes of helping them along their own journey.

Wahlberg, who is the brother of actors Mark and Donnie, grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Boston, Mass., where there were two paths in life: one on the straight and narrow and a darker path that let to crime and despair.

One of nine children, Wahlberg described himself as a juvenile delinquent, and became addicted to drugs and alcohol as a teenager.

“It was my everything, from the moment I woke up in the morning until the moment I passed out at night,” he said.

Because of this inner brokenness, Wahlberg said he fell into a life of crime.

At age 22, he found himself incarcerated for a second time – facing a six-to-nine-year stint for robbery.

While inside, he was doing everything to give the illusion that he was trying to become a rehabilitated person. But it was just a game – all he wanted was to get out.

While there, a Catholic priest took notice. The prison chaplain took a chance on him by offering him a job as a custodian in the prison chapel.

All Wahlberg wanted was to take advantage of the situation.

“I wasn’t thinking Jesus is in there [the chapel],” he said.

Though he grew up Catholic, he said all he associated with the Faith was sins and getting into trouble for those sins.

“No one ever told me that Jesus died

for me or that God loved me.”

A LIFE-CHANGING MEETING

In 1988, two weeks into his sentence, Mother Teresa came to Boston and visited several prisons – one of which was Wahlberg’s.

Prior to that day he had no idea who Mother Teresa was, but meeting her changed his life.

“I had what one might call a profound spiritual experience,” he said.

Because he worked in the chapel, Wahlberg was part of the procession – among the cardinal, governor and as he recalled, “fancy people.”

“I experienced true humility for the first

time when Mother Teresa refused to go take her seat up on the altar,” he said.

Instead, he recalled, she remained on the floor with the inmates not out of defiance but out of humility – “among some of the most dangerous people I had ever met.”

When he heard her speak, he was blown away.

“I heard that Jesus died for me specifically and that I was more than the crimes I committed and that I was a child of God and He loved me,” Wahlberg said.

From that moment he craved to know more about Jesus and started preparing to be confirmed. He had never made his Confirmation because in his words, he was a juvenile delinquent running the streets.

Wahlberg was confirmed in prison at the age of 22.

His mother had come to witness his receiving of the Sacrament, even though she had sworn off visiting him. His mother would tell him that it was in that moment she knew he had changed, and he was going to be okay.

BACK ON A ROCKY ROAD

At the age of 25, he was paroled and staying clean and sober became his only goal.

He eventually got married, started a family and moved to Florida.

Wahlberg eventually got into film making to educate people about addiction and CONTINUES ON PAGE 15

JIM WAHLBERG VISITS CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS ON NOV. 18, 2022, AHEAD OF THE I THIRST ORANGE COUNTY EVENT HELD THE NEXT DAY. PHOTO BY PATTY MAHONEY

BISHOP DAVID O’CONNELL “T

OGETHER WITH CATHOLICS throughout our state, we mourn the sudden and tragic passing of Bishop David O’Connell. A man of faith who passionately served the underserved – especially the poor, immigrants, mothers, children, families and inner-city Catholic school students –Bishop O’Connell will be greatly missed. He was a friend of the Diocese of Orange and may we continue to pray for Bishop O’Connell’s family, his loved ones and the repose of his soul. May he rest in eternal peace.”

BISHOP KEVIN VANN VISITS A MEMORIAL FOR BISHOP DAVID O’CONNELL ON FEB. 21, WHICH WAS ERECTED OUTSIDE THE LATE BISHOP’S HOME IN HACIENDA HEIGHTS

-Bishop Kevin W. Vann

LOSE

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the opioid crisis.

However, he reverted to caring more about what others thought of him than of what he thought of himself. And even though he was clean and sober, he felt empty again on the inside.

He struggled with his faith for quite some time until his wife experienced a religious conversion and she and his then 12-year-old daughter convinced him to attend a men’s retreat.

“It just blew up my whole game,” he remembered. “I went on that retreat and God did what God does and He knocked me to my knees again.”

He said God had melted his heart for a second time.

That was 15 years ago, and he has been at home in the Faith ever since.

Now at age 57, he has been married for almost 30 years, and his children are grown adults.

EVANGELIZATION

Jim Wahlberg has produced films on addiction (“The Circle of Addiction: A Different Kind of Tears” and “What About the Kids?”) and one on the life of Mother Teresa. (“Mother Teresa: No Greater Love”). He is a best-selling author (“The Big Hustle”) and an international evangelist.

He is involved in the Jesus Thirsts for America Movement, a 21-city revival tour that takes place over three years and was launched here in the Diocese of Orange back in November. The movement invites us to commit, or re-commit, to Jesus Christ and gives tools to help Catholics better live out their faith.

PHOTO BY

To report sexual abuse by clergy or church personnel please call: 1 (800) 364–3064 Healing and Hope After Abortion: 1 (800) 722–4356 New Hope Crisis Counseling Hot Line (24/7): 1 (714) NEW–HOPE or 1 (714) 639–4673 JESUS THIRSTS FOR AMERICA MOVEMENT IS A 21-CITY REVIVAL TOUR THAT WAS LAUNCHED IN THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE ON NOV. 19, 2022.

“We are going to be igniting a fire,” Wahlberg said. “The goal is evangelization – to reach those who are lost.” C

Moments in our Journey

Bishop David O’Connell was such a humble and kind man. I was joined by a friend on the 2017 Immigration Reform Walk. It began at Santiago de Compostela Catholic Church and ended at Christ Cathedral. She was not Catholic and stayed a bit behind the rest of the group. But Bishop O’Connell sought her out and asked her to join him. She said, “Oh, I’m not Catholic. I’m just here to support immigration reform.” And he said, “That’s alright, God is here for everyone. This is about being united for a good cause.”

She always remembers how warm and welcoming the bishop was and is even considering becoming Catholic. Bishop O’Connell set an example for all of us.

—Lily Nguyen Ellis, parishioner of Santiago de Compostela Catholic Church, Lake Forest

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

County and beyond.

“She’s a gem,” Normandin said. “Sometimes, she’ll bring a different perspective and cause you to go, ‘Oh, wait a second. Maybe we better rethink some of this.’”

One of Dunn’s mentors was Monica Florian, former group senior vice president, corporate affairs, for The Irvine Company.

“Through her involvements in the building industry, the business community and many community organizations, Lucy has made lasting contributions to the economic growth and  quality of life in Orange County,” said Florian, who became the first female and youngest individual to serve as a corporate officer when she was named senior vice president at The Irvine Company, and who is the first female past president of the Building Industry Association Orange County.

“She is certainly knowledgeable and skilled in her profession yet most importantly she is thoughtful, creative and gifted at bringing diverse interests together to

accomplish important things.”

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

A constant throughout Dunn’s life has been the Catholic Church.

She began singing while attending Holy Family Cathedral in Orange with her husband, the late Gerard Fane (he died in 2020; they had not been married for years but remained friends).

“I had just given birth to my second son and was sitting in church listening to the choir thinking, I need to get out of the house one night a week. What can I do that wouldn’t annoy my husband?’ I had never sung in my life.”

Choir director and organist Dr. Robert Cummins brought Dunn on board.

“I love being a cantor because each person in the congregation is experiencing something different,” Dunn said. “Someone might be celebrating, someone might be struggling or grieving or have a family issue, and as a cantor your job is to enhance the liturgy and yet not be distracting. It’s an art form.”

A few years later, Dunn began attending St. Elizabeth Ann Seton after her good friend, then-choir director Dr. Ricardo Soto, recruited her.

Mark Salters, music director at St. Elizabeth, said Dunn is so reliable she rarely has missed rehearsal while living in Sacramento. She would fly down every week.

“I asked her, ‘How do you do that?’” Salters recalled. “She would tell me, ‘The plane is like a bus ride.’”

Dunn, also a member of the Meritage Vocal Arts Ensemble, an Anaheim-based choir Salters performs with, as well as the Meistersingers, a professional chamber ensemble based in Orange under the direction of Brian Dehn, is a talented singer who mentors the less-experienced cantors, Salters said.

“She’s the humblest person you could ever meet,” he said. “And she’s the most generous person. She’ll remember every holiday and every birthday.”

‘HER ESCAPE’

Often, people who know Dunn more

for her roles outside of church will greet her after Mass.

But she likes to keep things all about the church, Salters said.

“It’s her escape,” he said.

Bishop Vann calls Dunn a good friend and confidant. He came to know her 10 years ago shortly after he was named bishop of the Diocese of Orange and gave the invocation for the OCBC’s Christmas gathering.

“Her commitment to her faith and the mission of the Diocese of Orange is a great blessing to me personally and to us all,” Bishop Vann said. “In addition to this, our friendship is woven together with a love for our Catholic faith, Orange County, music and dogs.”

For the record, Dunn calls herself a “crazy pug mom” who has rescued many pups. She currently has two pugs, Mindy, 11, and Rocky, 2.

MORNING READING

Fr. Borgman called Dunn a “perfect example of so many qualified Catholic women who are making the world a better place.”

He added: “She radiates our Lord, she radiates confidence, and she’s charming to work with. She’s a treasure trove of business information, humor, generosity and wise counsel.”

In addition to her OCF board duties, Dunn helped Orange County Catholic Charities develop its strategic plan. She also has served on St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s finance council and worked on the Christ Cathedral capital campaign both on the parish and diocesan level.

“You just try to live your life according to the words that Jesus has taught us, as well as the Commandments and every day, and you try to make the world a better place than it was yesterday,” she said.

Every morning, Dunn reads the Gospel of the day and journals about it.

“When you study the Gospel every day, and focus on what Jesus said, to me, that’s so powerful,” Dunn said. “How does this affect my life? I love doing that. I love having the intellectual side move the heart side.” C

LUCY DUNN DURING HER TRIP TO PANAMA CITY.

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