St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church

History

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) parish was founded in 1971 as a community annex of Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach, California.  The SEAS community spent its first decade meeting and celebrating Mass in private homes and public facilities.  Rev. Thomas Gannon served as founding pastor.

In 1976, the mission church was designated a parish within the newly formed Diocese of Orange.  The original multi-purpose building, including parish hall, was completed in July 1981 and served as a community gathering spot as well as a worship space.  At that time, the second pastor, Rev. Kenneth O'Keeffe was named.

The current worship space was dedicated by Bishop Norman McFarland in 1994, following the installation of SEAS third pastor, Rev. Thomas P. Pado.  Since 1994, our parish has added a new Youth Center and remodeled the parish hall/multi-purpose building to accommodate more fully the needs of our parish community.

The parish has grown since its inception to about 1300 households in 2010.

SEAS people represent a diverse community of large and small families, young adults and senior citizens, native Californians and people who have come here from across the country, the North American continent, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  Our parish also includes the University of California Irvine and we have a vital relationship with the Catholic campus community.  Many faculty and staff members are also parishioners.