A signature from Abraham Lincoln, a baptismal shell used by Saint Junipero Serra and other pieces of history spanning the past 200 years are all on display at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange as part of the Diocese of Orange’s first traveling archive exhibit.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, “Faith, History & Heritage: An Archives Exhibition” showcases an expansive collection of church records and Orange County history. It opened today, June 18.
Since the diocese’s founding in 1976, clergy members and archivists have curated unique pieces of Orange County history to preserve its culture and faith.
From the diocese’s original founding papal documents to OC Fair buttons, guests can walk through various tables and rooms to view over 200 items on display.
A collection of various historical documents and objects sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A collection of Catholic buttons sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bradley Zint, Assistant Director of Communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, straightens a display in the diocese’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A hand-written Latin document from the Vatican in 1976, issued by Pope Paul VI, establishing the creation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, sits on display in a case as part of the diocese’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A ceremonial miter, or headdress, and sash, worn by Abbot Ladislas K. Parker, sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Church officials check out a collection of documents and relics on display in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A collection of old Mission San Juan Capistrano photographs and documents sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A hand-written Latin document from the Vatican in 1976, issued by Pope Paul VI, establishing the creation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, sits on display in a case as part of the diocese’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Deacon David Hernandez checks out a hand-written Latin document from the Vatican in 1976, issued by Pope Paul VI, establishing the creation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, as it sits on display in a case as part of the diocese’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A baptismal shell used by St. Junipero Serra in the late 1700’s sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A blueprint of Crystal Cathedral sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Daniella Mosqueda, Assistant Archivist for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, explains a replica the Nican Mopohua, a foundational source document describing the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego in 1531, on display in the diocese’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church, in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A replica of a document signed by President Abraham Lincoln, three weeks before his assassination in 1865, that officially returned Mission San Juan Capistrano to the Roman Catholic Church, ending private ownership, sits on display as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A collection of historical relics and documents sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A guestbook from Mission San Juan Capistrano from 1915, containing the signatures of celebrities from the time, including silent film star Mark Pickford, center, sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bradley Zint, center, Assistant Director of Communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, describes some of the artifacts on display in the diocese’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A ceremonial zucchetto, or brimless skullcap, and a fascia, or sash, worn by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who is in the process of being canonized, sit on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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A collection of various historical documents and objects sits on display in a case as part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange’s first-ever traveling exhibition of archives at Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The exhibit will be open until July 8 at various parishes in Orange County.
“Whether you’ve been around the diocese for a long time or not,” director of the archives Rev. Christopher Heath said, “this is the first time we’ve ever shown anything off.”
The exhibition will be traveling among three churches over the course of its run. Now through June 21, the exhibition will remain at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Orange.
Starting on June 24 through June 28, the exhibition will be displayed on the Christ Cathedral Campus in Garden Grove. From June 30 to July 8, it will complete its run at Santiago de Compostela in Lake Forest.
“Most people don’t know that we exist,” assistant archivist Daniella Mosqueda said. “It’s really nice to be able to share a lot of these treasures that we have in our collection.”
After the exhibition ends, the archive collection will return to the facility located at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The archive team is hoping to have a permanent facility on the Christ Cathedral Campus soon to display the items for researchers and visitors.
Every Catholic diocese is required to keep a collection of archives to conserve its history and pass it to the next generation. Usually, this includes records of bishops and clergy and important moments in the church community.
This collection, however, includes much more than church records, thanks to the first Diocese of Orange archivist, Father Bill Krekelberg. He amassed a large collection of both church and cultural history that he found interesting, including a real moon rock and a model hot dog stand.
“It’s fun now to go and see these things and say, well, Carl’s Jr. was founded by a person who was from Orange County, so we have that model hot dog stand,” Bishop Timothy Freyer said. “It just shows that the church isn’t always serious.”
To see the unique collection of items on display, see the full hours of operation below:
