We, the Catholic Community of St. Philip Benizi, enriched by our cultural diversity, recognize, accept, and respond to the call to live the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. We are nourished through Word and Sacrament, energized through participation in various ministries and social gatherings, and compassionately serve our brothers and sisters in need.
Nosotros, la Comunidad Católica de San Felipe Benizi, enriquecidos por nuestra diversidad cultural, reconocemos, aceptamos, y respondemos al llamado para vivir el Mensaje Evangélico de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Nos alimentamos con la Palabra de Dios y los Sacramentos, nos energizamos a través de la participación en diversos ministerios y reuniones sociales, y con compasión servimos a nuestros hermanos y hermanas en necesidad.
In December, 1957, negotiations were arranged between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (the Diocese of Orange did not exist until 1976) and the Order of Friar Servants of Mary (Servites) for the opening of a new parish in Fullerton. The new parish was formed from parts of St. Mary’s, St. Boniface, and St. Pius V and in January 1958, Fr. Manettus L. Ortmann, O.S.M. was named pastor of St. Philip Benizi. The parish had a school (opened in 1957) called St. Mary’s Annex at the time, but no sanctuary. So on Sunday, March 16, 1958, the St. Philip Parish Community came together for the first time at two Masses celebrated in the Merilark Roller Rink on Gilbert just north of Commonwealth. That afternoon, Father Ortmann baptized the first two children in a temporary chapel set up in a school classroom.
In June, 1958, the first pledge drive was announced to pay the debt anticipated in the building program. In late August, final detailed plans for a new 740-seat church building were approved and a month later, the selected architect’s drawings of a new church and hall were published and the selected bidder began the construction of the new home of St. Philip Benizi parish. In December, 1958, Sunday and Holy Day Masses were moved from the roller rink to Servite High School. As the new parish church took shape, many fund raisers were held and planning began for an event, to be called a Fiesta, to be held on October 16th, 17th, and 18th, 1959.
Finally, the first Masses in the new church were offered on July 19th with the formal dedication held on the feast of St. Philip Benizi, August 23rd, 1959. The parish was now whole with a new church/hall, rectory, and school.
As the parish grew, the need for a separate parish hall became apparent, and much like 1958, the pledge cards went out and the fund raising began. That new hall opened in 1993 and in 1999, the final payment was made and a special dinner/dance was held to celebrate being debt free.
On August 17th, 2000, at around 2:20 p.m., tragedy struck St. Philip Benizi as a fire, determined by fire officials to be the work of an arsonist, gutted the church and left a brick hulk. As word of the fire spread, many parishioners gathered in the streets and watched the fire shoot out of what were skylights over the altar. All the windows were blown out and the inside was reduced to ashes. Masses were immediately moved to Orangethorpe United Methodist Church and Servite High School until a temporary tent could be placed in the parish parking lot.
From September 2000 to March 2001, the tent was “home”. Many jokingly called it our “circus tent” but that name brought smiles to faces at a time when many felt a great loss. All were reminded that it was only a building and that we would “rise from the ashes”. Then a steel structure, with “tent like” material for the roof and walls, was built on the school grounds. That would be our place of worship until either the old church was rebuilt or a new structure was constructed.
In September 2001, the parish proposed to the Diocese of Orange, that the rectory and burned church be torn down and a new sanctuary be built on the corner of Pine and Valencia. The priests would move to an off campus site. A building committee was selected and the meetings began. In March 2003, the Fullerton Planning Commission approved a new 1,000 seat church and in June 2003, Bishop Tod Brown held a symbolic groundbreaking. In June 2004, the long awaited construction began and despite one of the wettest winters in Southern California history, the “Rise from the Ashes” concludes and we gloriously celebrate the dedication of our new church, by Bishop Tod Brown, on March 12th, 2005.
St. Philip Benizi became a focal point of both action and controversy when it became a haven for at one point 37 people who were homeless sleeping on its grounds. Yet as a result, the City was forced to confront its homelessness problem in a both a serious and humane manter — There were over 400 unsheltered persons who were sleeping on the city’s streets at the time — and St. Philip Benizi parish became known throughout the City, County and Diocese as a place where the poor would be heard and defended.
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived soon afterwards. The Parish repeatedly stepped up to the challenge at every step of the way. In the process, we gained two new prayer spaces — our Chapel of Undisclosed Location, and the St. Joseph Courtyard. And once again, the Parish was a leader in providing and being a center for assistance to those in need in our part of the city and beyond.
In recent years, we’ve also become involved in both the local Interfaith Community and as always we’ve remained a friend to immigrants. St. Philip Benizi seeks to be a place welcome to all people of good will.
July 1 of 2026, the Order of the Servants of Mary handed the parish of St Philip Benizi over to the diocesan clergy of Orange. Since 1958, the Servites had ministered to the parish. In 2026, the Servite Community discerned that they no longer had the manpower to care for St Philip’s as well as an economic downturn that was difficult for them to address. Happily, the Servites would continue to staff Servite High School in Anaheim and St Juliana Falconieri Church in Fullerton. Very Reverend Alfred S Baca was appointed pastor with a new parochial vicar, Fr Diego Menniti.
Fr Baca, a native of Orange County, was ordained in 1989, serving as parochial vicar in various parishes. He received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology with a specialization in Ecumenical Studies from the Angelicum in Rome and later served as Director for Ecumenism and Inter-religion for the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB). In the Diocese of Orange, he was Director of Evangelization and is now Episcopal Vicar for Ecumenism and Inter-religion along with pastorship of St Philip Benizi.
Fr Diego Menniti, was ordained in 2015 for the Archdiocese of Catanzaro-Squillace in Italy. He received his Licentiate in Social Moral Theology with a specialization in Bioethics in 2016.
Fr Menniti earned a Master of Arts in Bioethics from Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, California) in 2020, followed by a Doctorate in Bioethics in 2023 from Loyola University Chicago.
He is founder and Editor-in-Chief of In Verbo Tuo, an independent Catholic scholarly imprint dedicated to the proclamation of the Word of Christ and the transmission of Catholic truth in fidelity to the Magisterium.
A new chapter was begun on July 1, 2026 in the life of St Philip Benizi parish. As a family of faith we look forward to building up a strong Catholic presence in this part of the City of Fullerton.