About the St. Callistus Parish
Learn About the Original Parish
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St. Callistus Parish
God is with Us, God Loves Us. We Share in His Power.
The St. Callistus parish could be considered the foundation of the Christ Cathedral. Founded in 1961, the first mass for the St. Callistus parish was celebrated in a roller rink. The history of this parish ran deep and the significance of the start of the parish birthed the nickname “Holy Rollers” for the original worshipers of the parish. Previously located at 12921 Lewis Street in Garden Grove, California, the St. Callistus parish was home to a multilingual Catholic community. On a weekly basis, mass could be attended in English, Spanish, or Vietnamese.
About the St. Callistus Vietnamese Community
The St. Callistus Parish was home to the Vietnamese Three Borders Community. The Three Borders Community was founded in 1978 by a few parishioner families that left Vietnam after the Great Incident in South Vietnam. The community started off small, but with the holy guidance of the late Father Vu Tuan Tu, Father Do Thanh Ha, Father Tran Phuc Long, the community grew from a small number of parishioners to over a 1,000. Vietnamese masses at the St. Callistus parishes grew from one mass every Saturday, to daily masses, and 3 masses on Sunday.
About the St. Callistus English Community
-Coming Soon
About the St. Callistus Spanish Community
-Coming Soon
The St. Callistus parish was traded as part of a deal between the Catholic Diocese of Orange and the Crystal Cathedral Ministries, and on Sunday, June 30th, 2013, the St. Callistus parish move up Lewis Street to its new home at the newly formed Christ Cathedral campus.
The St. Callistus parish transitioned to the Christ Cathedral parish, but the parishioners and the spirit of the old parish were never forgotten. On February 1st, accompanied by the Bishop of Orange, the OLLV Foundation announced that St. Callistus was coming back in the form of a new chapel in the undercroft of Christ Cathedral. This new 12,500 square foot chapel will allow seating for 250 people. The St. Callistus Chapel will feature a crypt that will house resting space for 40 bishops and 1,054 niches.

