Fr. Louis F. Knight - Founding Pastor

Under the leadership of our founding pastor, Father Louis Knight, St. Edward the Confessor Parish began to emerge.  Our first Church, now known as Knight Hall was built in 1971 and was designed as a multi-purpose building for the needs of a young parish: meeting rooms, offices, classrooms, as well as, Mass.  In 1975, the present rectory was built.  Four years later, construction began on our Religious Education building which opened in 1980. By 1981, our parish population had reached 1400 families and our original church was expanded to meet this need during the mid 1980's.  As our parish population surpassed 2100 families, parish leadership began planning for a permanent church which culminated in a ground-breaking ceremony in 1992.  Church construction continued until our magnificent church was dedicated in December 1994.  See Parish History for more information.

Our Pastor, Reverend Steve Sallot

I was born in Tustin, California in the era of orange groves and few freeways. Along with my three siblings, we were raised in the Santa Ana/Tustin area where our parents still reside. After graduating from St. Cecilia Grammar School and then Mater Dei High School, I had a short stint at UCIrvine prior to entering the Seminary in Camarillo, California. Ordained a diocesan priest in 1980, I ministered in several great parishes in Orange County, including Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach, St. Angela Merici in Brea, and Santiago de Compostela in Lake Forest. In 1992, Bishop Norman McFarland asked me to return to my alma mater, Mater Dei High School. Initially apprehensive that some of my disciplinary deans were still present, I spent ten exciting years there as Rector. In 2002, Bishop Tod Brown asked that I leave Mater Dei behind to become the pastor of St. Edward the Confessor in Dana Point where I have had the opportunity to rediscover my love for parish ministry. In June 2004, in addition to serving as pastor at St. Edward, I became the administrator of our neighboring parish, San Felipe de Jesus in Capistrano Beach. Then, in 2009, Bishop Tod Brown relegated San Felipe de Jesus as a Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor and I currently pastor both churches.

Fr. Chris Heath - Parochial Vicar

I have lived in southern California for most of my life, mainly in the city of Orange . I am the oldest of four boys, and all but one brother lives in Orange County still. My home parish is Holy Family, which didn’t become the Cathedral until the inauguration of the Diocese of Orange in 1976. We had several great priests at my parish, together with the Sisters Devoted to the Sacred Heart (who ran the religious education program I was a part of), and they inspired me to consider a vocation to the priesthood.

I entered Our Lady Queen of Angels High School Seminary in San Fernando my junior year of high school, and was graduated from there in 1979. I continued on to St. John’s Seminary College , where I received a BA in liberal arts, and continued with post-graduate studies in theology at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo where I received a Masters in Divinity in 1987.

I was ordained a priest October 1, 1988 by Bishop MacFarland and have been assigned as parochial vicar at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach (1988-1992), St. Kilian in Mission Viejo (1992-1993), St. Cecilia in Tustin (1993-1999), and Our Lady of Fatima in San Clemente (1999-2002). I was the Pastor of La Purisima Church in Orange from 2002-2006, where I oversaw the building of a new 1200-seat church (among other things). Bishop Brown granted me a sabbatical for six months from July-December 2006, and when I returned to the Diocese I was temporarily assigned as Catholic Chaplain at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach , and lived in residence at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel from January-June 2007. Bishop Brown assigned me to St. Edward the Confessor as a parochial vicar. I come with pastoral and administrative experience, with which I look forward to serving the needs of the parish.

I love being a priest, saying Mass and preaching, hearing confessions, teaching, and serving the sick. I consider myself a faithful son of Mary and the Church, my favorite Saint is John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests. I am a Benedictine Oblate with St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo. I also serve as a law enforcement chaplain with various agencies. My interests are reading, blogging, skiing and fishing, and good food. I love Starbuck’s coffee and Downtown Disney, and I have an annual pass to Disneyland .

Pray for me!

Fr. Loc Tran - Parochial Vicar

My full name is Tran Quang Loc , in that order according to the Asian centuries-old tradition of giving prime importance to the family & clan over the individual. The name Loc , derived from the Chinese character which means, originally, salary paid to imperial officials in feudal China in the form of rice basket , then “prosperity , ” then “blessing , grace.” Born and raised in Vietnam , I lived for many years in or near the city of Saigon. As a young boy, along with all the members of my family, I escaped the country when the Communists took over the capitol in the spring of 1975. Among the first wave of “boat people” as political refugees from that troubled land , my family was welcomed to Fort Chaffee military base ( Arkansas ) , and eventually we settled down in the big-shouldered and big-hearted city of Chicago .

From Loyola University I attained an undergraduate degree in Social Work. Over many years , religious discernment took me to diocesan seminary, and to a most wonderful, blessed life in two different religious communities, the Benedictines in Lacey, WA and the Divine Word Missionaries in Chicago. In May of 2000, I completed my theological study, and thereafter for six years, taught religion classes at Resurrection, an all-girl high school.

In June of 2006, I said farewell to the Windy City and came out here to join the Diocese of Orange. Msgr. Wilbur Davis, then the Vocation Director , sent me to St. Joseph in Placentia for my first internship. The parish and its faithful people were wonderful. I love my time there and consider the parish my home. I had another tremendous time at the next internship, Holy Family Cathedral.

I was ordained on June 7, 2008 and my first assignment is here at St. Edward. With joy and excitement , I look forward to and feel honored to serve Christ at St. Edward the Confessor. What brings me joy and excitement is our shared love for the Lord and the Church , sashimi , qigong , circles of friends , and a household stocked with barrels of good will and laughter.

Fr. Mario Juarez - Parochial Vicar

I was born on November 23, 1979 in Bellflower, California. I am a first generation Mexican American who has been educated in both the United States and México. For this reason, I speak both English and Spanish with fluency. Hence, I completed my first two years of elementary school here in United States. Then, I did six years of school in México where I completed elementary school and two years of junior high school. At the age of fifteen, I moved back to the United States and completed high school as well as two years of community college.

Growing up, my home parish was Our Lady of Guadalupe-Delhi Church in Santa Ana. At age 20, upon deciding to pursue a calling for the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church, I entered Saint John’s Seminary College. There, I graduated with a major in Spanish and minor in Philosophy. I completed my studies at Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo and my theological formation in May of 2009. Four years ago, my new home parish became St. Pius V in Buena Park.

I was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest on June 6, 2009 at St. Columban in Garden Grove. I perceive my calling to the priesthood to be a gift from God. By embracing this calling, I am not simply responding to a call rather I am responding to the unconditional love of God manifested in his calling. Therefore, it is with great conviction that I respond yes to the Lord and have strong faith that he has and will continue to walk with me every step of the way. Thus, it is my desire to be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Orange and be able to share with others God’s love through priestly ministry.