About 1,500 people filled the pews Monday at the Christ Cathedral for the funeral Mass of the late Bishop Tod D. Brown, who led the Dioceses of Orange for more than a decade.
Brown shepherded the diocese during a period of great growth from 1998 until his retirement in 2012, including seeing its membership in the county double and making the decision to purchase the 35-acre cathedral campus in Garden Grove, which has since become the centerpiece of the diocese.
Brown died Oct. 15 at the age of 86.
Members of the Knights of Columbus flanked Brown’s casket Monday morning as the rosary was recited in Vietnamese, English and Spanish – the three most-used languages of the diocese – and congregants began to fill the cathedral.
Brown leaves behind a brother, Daniel Brown, sister-in-law, Jeanne Brown, and nieces and nephews and other family. Brown’s family had a private moment with the casket before pallbearers carried it to the alter as the funeral ceremony began.
The public morns at the casket of Bishop Tod D. Brown during services for him at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Clergy pay their respects during at Christ Cathedral during a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bishop of Orange Kevin Vann looks at the draped casket of former Bishop Tod D. Brown during funeral services at Christ Cathedral in Orange on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bishop Tod D. Brown’s grand nephew, Graham Brown, 9, touches Brown’s casket before funeral services at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Christ Cathedral attend a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A shaft of sunlit illuminates a priest during the funeral of Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Orange onMonday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
See AlsoCatholics say final farewell to their friend, Bishop David O’ConnellBishop David O’Connell’s funeral marked an end, but sparks new questions on next stepsDIOCESE MOURNS PASSING OF BISHOP EMERITUS TOD BROWNSecond update: Funeral arrangements for late Bishop Dorsonville announced - Catholic StandardFamily members attend the funeral of Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. Brown served as bishop of Orange for 14 years until he retired in 2012. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Clergy attend a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Reverend Msgr. Wilbur Davis speaks during the Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Clergy attend a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Clergy pay their respects during at Christ Cathedral during a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Christ Cathedral attend a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cindy Wittner, left, and Carmen Eisenbard with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, fight the wind as they arrive for the funeral of Bishop Tod D. Brown at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A processional of priest file out of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove as the casket of Bishop Tod D. Brown soon follows during funeral services on Monday, October 30, 2023. Brown led the Diocese of Orange for 14 years before resigning in 2012. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mourners attend the funeral of Bishop Tod D. Brown where his portrait is shown on a large screen at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. Brown led the Diocese of Orange for 14 years. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Area clergy prepare to enter Christ Cathedral for a Christian burial mass for the late Bishop Tod D. Brown in Garden Grove, CA, on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mourners watch as the casket of Bishop Tod D. Brown is carried out of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. Brown led the Diocese of Orange for 14 years. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Holy water dots the casket of Bishop Tod D. Brown during the processional to his grave at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Christ Cathedral is the backdrop for Bishop Tod D. Brown as a processional of priests accompany him to his grave at in Garden Grove on Monday, October 30, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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A procession of clergy dressed in cream robes entered the quiet cathedral to start the service, followed by clergy from across the West Coast and abroad including Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose Gomez and Bishop Kevin Vann, who succeeded Brown when he retired.
“All of you here present are a witness to the ministry and the life that Bishop Brown offered to God and our local church,” Mahony said, opening the service and welcoming Brown’s family.
Rev. Msgr. Wilbur Davis, now retired and a priest in residence at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach, delivered the homily, offering stories and memories of his friend.
While his work with the diocese is memorable, those close to Brown found he was not only a fierce leader, but also a great friend, Davis said.
“Bishop Brown gave so much of himself to us. He was an easy person to be with. He was gentle, kind, thoughtful,” he said. “He was also clear-minded, objective and strategic. He knew how to be a really good human being.”
Under Brown’s leadership, the diocese transformed to look more like the community of Catholics who worship at its many parishes, David said.
“Diocese and offices traditionally were heavily staffed by clergy, male clergy,” he said. “Which is fine, they were well chosen. But he had a mix there that was more Catholic. He had men and he had women. It was perfect.”
Brown also ordained the nation’s first Vietnamese Roman Catholic bishop in 2003 and one of the few Hispanic bishops in the United States in 2000.
Davis noted Brown’s love for travel. From his time studying in Rome through to his retirement, Brown had traveled much of the world, Davis said, adding that he would frequently tease Brown about the number of flyer miles he was accumulating.
“The seminarians and some of the priests as well loved to say that Bishop Tod never turned down a boarding pass,” David said lightheartedly.
But one country he returned to time and time again out of love for its landscape and people, David said. “He had 27 visits to Vietnam.”
Father Christopher Smith, rector emeritus of Christ Cathedral, said during a vigil Sunday for the late bishop that Brown had a confident presence that was contagious to those around him.
Brown had appointed Smith as the new cathedral’s rector in 2012.
“When Bishop Tod became a bishop, the motto he chose for his coat of arms was ‘Come Lord Jesus.’ This motto gives us an insight into his perspective in living a life in Christian faith. The invocation ‘Come Lord Jesus’ is exactly about paying attention to the present while looking with hope to the future,” Smith said. “Bishop Tod’s ministry in Orange was full of courageous, difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions. Decisions to build a safer and healthier environment in our parishes and our schools.”
Monsignor Tuan Joseph Pham, who served as Brown’s secretary and lived with him for six years, said the late bishop never raised his voice or spoke down to him. Brown was an important role model to him.
“We treated each other like brothers, like friends,” Pham said. “He was very genuine. A very kind, compassionate shepherd.”
At the time of his retirement, Brown said he hoped to be remembered “as having been a faithful shepherd, pastor, and that by means of my leadership they may have been drawn closer to the Lord.”
Brown will be temporarily laid to rest at the Cathedral Memorial Gardens on the Christ Cathedral’s grounds, but sometime next year will be moved to the St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts currently under construction beneath the cathedral. It is where all bishops will be buried in the future.
