Cathedral Square

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith, the Rector Emeritus of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. On today’s program, Father welcomes first-time guest Jon Storbeck to the studio. Formerly the Vice President and General Manager at Knott’s Berry Farm, Jon is currently the Executive Director of the Shroud Experience at Christ Cathedral. Today’s discussi...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith, the Rector Emeritus of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. On today’s program, Father welcomes returning guest Ellen Roy back to the studio. Ellen is the Executive Director for Catholic Charities of Orange County. In this landmark episode, Fr. Christopher and Ellen celebrate the 50th anniversary of Catholic Char...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square , featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith. Over the course of several years going back to 2015, Fr. Christopher has had the opportunity to be interviewed on another one of our popular podcasts called OC Catholic Radio. This time, Father gets to turn the tables to interview longtime host, Rick Howick. Rick stepped away from his weekly hosting duties in th...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square , featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith. On today’s podcast, Father welcomes special guest Maureen Pratt to the studio. Maureen is an author and the founder of the fast-growing ministry, "The Peace in the Storm Project.” This ministry brings scripture, prayer and insight to caregivers seeking God's comfort, grace and peace.  They also tap int...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square , featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith. In case you hadn’t heard, it’s not just the United States of America celebrating their epic 250th birthday this year. Orange County’s very own Mission San Juan Capistrano also celebrates 250 years in November of 2026! Joining us in the studio today is Executive Director Mechelle Lawrence-Adams to share with us t...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square , featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith. On this week’s show, Fr. Christopher welcomes two very special guests to the studio: Fr. Greg Walgenbach (The Director for the Office of Life Justice and Peace & The Missions Office for the Diocese of Orange) and Alba Ramiro (The Coordinator of Hispanic, Migrant, Young Adult Ministry at St. Boniface Church i...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square , featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith. On this week’s show, Rick welcomes Rebecca Freeman to the studio. Rebecca is the Pastoral Care Ministry Coordinator for the Office for Family Life in the Diocese of Orange. Our discussion today centers around the ‘Caring for the Whole Person Initiative.’  You are sure to enjoy and glean a lot of good information...

Hear first-hand from the folks at Christ Cathedral about all the exciting musical happenings going on right now! Joining host Fr. Christopher Smith on this podcast episode are David Ball (the Head of Music Ministry and Cathedral Organist) and Lauren McCaul (Cathedral Music Administrator). Our conversation centers around the annual Cathedral Choir Camp (that just finished its summer program) and ou...

This special episode of Cathedral Square features the audio of a parish mission talk given by Fr. Christopher Smith recorded “LIVE” at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Chino Hills, CA. Fr. Christopher has served as a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange since 1978. He holds a master’s in divinity from St. John’s Seminary and a master’s in religious education from Fordham Universit...

In this episode of Cathedral Square , Fr. Christopher Smith is delighted to welcome a dear friend to the studio, Karen Castro. Karen has ministered in our diocese in so many profound ways over the years. Most notably, she has served as the chairwoman of the Inspirational Catholic Woman event. This annual experience is put on by the Catholic Charities Auxiliary, a group that supports Catholic Chari...

In this episode of Cathedral Square , Fr. Christopher Smith welcomes a very close family member to the show: his brother, Tad Smith. Among his many talents to go with his diverse background, Tad currently serves in the role of Educator Coordinator of the Garden of Hope at the Cantlay Center in Santa Ana, CA. There are many people of faith who are totally unaware of all the essential ‘boots on the...

This special episode of Cathedral Square features the audio of an Advent Mission “LIVE” talk given by Fr. Christopher Smith at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Huntington Beach, CA. This is Part 1 of a 3-part series! Fr. Christopher has been known to say, “If you want to have a great Christmas, have a great Advent!” This talk is titled: "A Time to Reboot."  It was recorded on 12/9/24....

This special episode of Cathedral Square features the audio of an Advent Mission “LIVE” talk given by Fr. Christopher Smith at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Huntington Beach, CA. This is Part 2 of a 3-part series! Fr. Christopher has been known to say, “If you want to have a great Christmas, have a great Advent!” This talk is titled: "Living Our Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times.&quo...

This special episode of Cathedral Square features the audio of an Advent Mission “LIVE” talk given by Fr. Christopher Smith at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Huntington Beach, CA. This is Part 3 of a 3-part series! Fr. Christopher has been known to say, “If you want to have a great Christmas, have a great Advent!” This talk is titled: "Being Disciples Jesus Can Count On."  It was rec...

In this episode of Cathedral Square , Fr. Christopher Smith is delighted to welcome another first-time guest to the studio, Sr. Jane DeLisle, CSJ. Sr. Jane is the Director at the Center for Spiritual Development in the city of Orange. This is a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Spiritual direction is a ministry deeply rooted in the Christian tradition in which seekers are called to...

Enjoy this wonderful conversation between the only two rectors in the brief history of Christ Cathedral Parish: Fr. Christopher Smith and Fr. Bao Thai. These two pillars of our diocese have much to discuss, including the official opening of the St. Callistus Chapel and Crypts. This newly re-designed space can be found in the undercroft of the main cathedral church. If you’ve been wondering about a...

Catholic Charities of Orange County had a rare opportunity to film this podcast episode on the campus of Christ Cathedral recently. In this episode of Cathedral Square , Father Christopher Smith talks with CCOC's Executive Director, Ellen Roy, and Deacon Tom Saenz. They talked about their life stories, topics surrounding Christ Cathedral campus, and our upcoming Treasure of the Church event....

In this episode of Cathedral Square , Fr. Christopher Smith is delighted to welcome a first-time guest to the studio, Sr. Kathy Schneider. Sr. Kathy is a sister of the Order of the Company of Mary; and she currently works in campus ministry at UCLA. Listen as she shares her fascinating story of growing up in a large family on a farm in Indiana; and the truly unique circumstances that brought her a...

In this episode of Cathedral Square , Fr. Christopher Smith welcomes his good friend and fellow priest, Fr. Mike Pontarelli. Fr. Mike currently serves as Pastor at St Julianna Falconieri Parish in Fullerton. Listen to this fascinating discussion as they do a deep dive into the question, what are the charisms of a priest in the Servite order? Listen, and share this podcast!

In this episode of Cathedral Square , Fr. Christopher Smith is delighted to welcome a first-time guest to the studio, Nancy Lopez. Nancy has served the deaf community in the Diocese of Orange in various ways over the course of several years. In fact, if you’ve ever had the privilege to watch a livestream of a mass from Christ Cathedral, you’ve most likely seen Nancy’s smiling face in the bottom ri...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith, the Rector Emeritus of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. On today’s program, we enjoy a return visit with Msgr. John Urell, the Rector Emeritus at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Laguna Niguel, CA. Fr. Christopher and Msgr. John have a lot in common, having both served in the Diocese of Orange for many years. T...

This special episode of Cathedral Square features the audio of a Lenten Mission “LIVE” talk given by Fr. Christopher Smith at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods, CA. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series! 

This special episode of Cathedral Square features the audio of a Lenten Mission “LIVE” talk given by Fr. Christopher Smith at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Laguna Woods, CA. This is Part 2 of a 2-part series!

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith, the Rector Emeritus of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. On today’s program, Father welcomes a remarkable woman whose face is very familiar to those who spend time on the Christ Cathedral campus. Sr. Kit Gray is a sister of St. Joseph of Orange and is currently the facilitator and presenter for the Center for...

Welcome to another episode of Cathedral Square featuring host Fr. Christopher Smith, the Rector Emeritus of Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. On today’s program, Father welcomes Fr. Ben Tran to the show. Fr. Ben has been a priest in the Diocese of Orange for 18 years; and his primary role these days is indeed a very important one – especially when it comes to the mentorship and faith formation...