Saint John the Baptist [Romanian]

About this parish

Saint John the Baptist is a Romanian Greek-Catholic (Byzantine Rite) mission serving the Romanian faithful of Orange County, California. Founded in November 2009 by Father Chris (Cristian) Terheș, the community worshipped in the chapel of Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac School in Tustin. It belongs to the Eparchy of Saint George in Canton, Ohio — the Romanian Catholic diocese that covers the United States and Canada. The mission celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Romanian and served roughly 100 families, becoming a spiritual and cultural home for Romanian Greek-Catholics across the Tustin–Laguna Hills–Orange County area.

The Romanian Greek-Catholic Mission "Sfântul Ioan Botezătorul" (Saint John the Baptist) of Orange County was officially opened on Sunday, 29 November 2009, with Father Cristian (Chris) Terheș appointed as its first administrator. Father Terheș, an Eastern Rite Catholic priest originally from Romania, established the mission to serve the growing Romanian community in southern California, particularly in the Tustin, Laguna Hills, Irvine and Santa Ana corridor of Orange County. Because it was a mission rather than a fully constituted parish, the community worshipped in the chapel of Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac School at 16791 East Main Street in Tustin, sharing the Roman Catholic school's facilities. From this chapel, the mission offered the Byzantine Divine Liturgy in Romanian, catechesis, and the cultural and charitable life typical of Romanian Greek-Catholic communities abroad. In its early years, the mission became known publicly not only for its worship but for its outspoken advocacy on behalf of Romanian Greek-Catholics whose property had been confiscated by the communist regime. In 2012, Father Terheș and the approximately 100 Tustin parishioners wrote to Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu opposing a Romanian government plan that would compensate confiscated-property owners at a fraction of market value, and they threatened to petition the United States Congress if a fairer restitution plan was not enacted. Congressman Loretta Sanchez publicly commended the community for its civic engagement. The mission was active for at least five years, marking its patronal feast and anniversary with a community celebration reported on in the Romanian-language press. By 2019 the mission's public listing on Romanian Catholic directories carried the notice "Parohie Închisă" (Parish Closed). In March 2019, Father Terheș was relieved of his priestly functions by the Romanian Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Oradea after he became a candidate for the European Parliament on the PSD party list (he was subsequently elected, serving as a Member of the European Parliament for Romania). The Eparchy of Saint George in Canton, under whose jurisdiction the Tustin mission had operated, then listed the mission as closed.

Founded

2009

Patron

Saint John the Baptist (Sfântul Ioan Botezătorul)

Pastor

Rev. Chris (Cristian) Terheș (founding administrator, until 2019; now closed)

Saint John the Baptist [Romanian] is a Catholic parish in Tustin, California, part of the Saint George’s in Canton [Romanian].