Parish History
Father Junipero Serra, the founder of the California Missions, is reported to have celebrated Mass in Costa Mesa on his journeys up and down California in the late eighteenth century but as far as we know the first Mass was celebrated in Newport Beach on Christmas Day 1912. The priest came from St. Mary’s Catholic Chapel in Huntington Beach which itself was a mission of St. Anthony’s Church in Long Beach. It wasn’t until 1924 that Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish was established to serve the needs of all of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Corona del Mar. In 1947 St. Joachim’s parish was established in Costa Mesa and on May 1, 1961 Our Lady Queen of Angels parish was established in Corona del Mar. At the time some wondered if there were enough Catholic families to support the new parish so Balboa Island was included within its boundaries to make sure the new parish would have enough parishioners! Property was originally purchased along Pacific Coast Highway at Fifth Street and Narcissus in Corona del Mar. Then it was discovered that there were plans to put Marguerite Ave. through to PCH and right through the middle of the church property! So the property in Corona del Mar was exchanged with the present site in the Newport Eastbluff area where OLQA has remained to this very day. As of June, 2006, OLQA has 4074 registered households!
Msgr. Ralph Harvey was the founding pastor back in 1961 and worked hard to build a new Catholic community in a growing area. He was responsible for the construction of the church, school, hall and rectory. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet along with the lay faculty staffed the parish school. Religious Education programs were established for students attending public schools. The rectory served as parish offices on the ground floor and residence for the priests on the second floor.
In June of 1976 the Diocese of Orange was established from what had been the southernmost part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Bishop Johnson was appointed the first Bishop of Orange. The Irish community did not know what to think of a bishop called “William of Orange.” Bishop Johnson brought a period of spiritual vitality and growth to the parishes of Orange County including Our Lady Queen of Angels.
In 1982 then Msgr. Michael Driscoll was appointed pastor to succeed Msgr. Harvey who had retired after twenty-one years leading the OLQA community. At this time many of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council were implemented and the parish community blossomed with the RENEW program, Cursillo and youth ministry. Msgr. Driscoll was simultaneously Chancellor of the Diocese of Orange and went on to become Auxiliary Bishop of Orange and then diocesan bishop of Boise, Idaho.
In 1984 Msgr. William McLaughlin was appointed pastor and in the course of his twenty years of service Our Lady Queen of Angels grew to a community of over four thousand households. The school became so popular a lottery had to be held to see who would be admitted and the waiting lists grew longer. The inadequate parish hall was replaced by a much larger facility called the Parish Center that includes the parish hall, meeting rooms, parish offices and the school administrative offices and faculty room. The rectory was beautifully remodeled and became a residence for the priests only. Parishioners became involved with the larger Orange County community serving on many diocesan boards and committees and starting worthwhile organizations like Casa Teresa and SPIN that still flourish today. A series of associate pastors now called parochial vicars served the parish community and an expanded parish staff helped to carry the expanded workload of a growing parish. One of Fr. McLaughlin’s legacies was the recognition that OLQA has been richly blessed with financial and human resources other parishes do not have and we must share what we have been so generously given. The monthly Outreach collection was started to provide support for local non-profit community organizations.
In 2001 after at least six years of discussions, planning meetings and a variety of proposals to meet the growing need for a larger church and school the Cornerstone Campaign was launched to build a new church that would seat 1200 and be earthquake safe, expand the school to a second grade at each grade level, add a gymnasium and expand parking. The campaign was a great success. In April 2006 Our Lady Queen of Angels completed the purchase of the site of St. Mark Presbyterian Church across Domingo Drive for the new church building pending the completion of a new facility for St. Mark about a mile away at Mac Arthur Blvd. and San Joaquin Hills Road. Plans for the new facilities are currently waiting for the approval of the Planning Commission of the City of Newport Beach. If approved construction on the expanded school should start within six months and the church about six months later.
Fr. Kerry Beaulieu
In 2004 Msgr. McLaughlin retired to his native Ireland and Fr. Kerry Beaulieu was appointed to succeed him as the fourth pastor of OLQA. By this time the sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet had completed forty years of service to the families of Our Lady Queen of Angels and the school was now in the capable hands of a lay principal supported by a capable School Board, Finance Committee and Parent’s Auxiliary.
In 2003 Our Lady Queen of Angels received national recognition as a Blue Ribbon School for excellence in education. In July of 2006 Balboa Island was returned officially to Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish under the care of the newly appointed pastor, Msgr. Lawrence Baird. Since Bishop Johnson’s time in 1976 parishioners in the Diocese of Orange have been permitted to belong to the parish of their choice regardless as to where they live as long as they are faithfully committed to that parish. While 77% of parishioners of OLQA live in Newport Beach they come from a variety of areas in Newport Beach and beyond.
In 2006 the Parish Pastoral Council began an ongoing planning process for the parish for the next three to five years designed to get us ready for the new church and school. In five years, in 2011, Our Lady Queen of Angels will complete fifty years as a vibrant and Christ-centered Catholic community! Congratulations will be deserved by so many!
