Fort Worth Bishop Kevin Vann has been named the new head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.
Vann will succeed Bishop Tod Brown, who plans to retire in December after 49 years as priest, the last 14 as bishop.
The Diocese of Orange was founded in 1976, when it split from the Los Angeles Archdiocese. It now includes about 1.2 million Catholics here.
Vann has led the Diocese of Fort Worth since 2005. The Texas diocese grew nearly 80% to 710,000 members during his tenure.
He will arrive as the Diocese of Orange prepared to renovate the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove as its new cathedral.
Brown oversaw the $57.5 million acquisition of the Crystal Cathedral campus through a bankruptcy sale earlier this year. The property will be renamed Christ Cathedral.
