ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Bishop Kevin Vann, a native of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, was installed as fourth bishop of the Diocese of Orange, Calif., during an installation Mass Dec. 10 at the UC Irvine Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif.

Bishop Vann was born in Springfield and was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1981 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. While in the Springfield diocese, he served as pastor in Auburn, Decatur and Springfield, and was dean of the Decatur Deanery. He earned a degree in canon law in 1985, and served the Springfield Tribunal in a number of capacities.

In July 2005, he was named bishop of Fort Worth, Texas, and served there until September 2012, when he was named to succeed retiring Bishop Tod Brown in Diocese of Orange in southern California.

Installation ceremonies began with Evening Prayer on Sunday, Dec. 9, in the Arboretum of the famous Crystal Cathedral, purchased in 2011 by the Diocese of Orange for $57.5 million. The diocese plans to convert the iconic structure into the future Christ Cathedral.

An estimated 4,000 people attended the installation Mass, with about 50 bishops, 200 priests, one cardinal and Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the papal nuncio who delivered the "apostolic mandate" from Pope Benedict XVI.

As the new bishop of the Orange diocese, Bishop Vann will serve a diverse population of 1.3 million Catholics in 57 parishes, according to the diocesan website. Over a third of the parishes offer Mass in Spanish every week, and at least 14 parishes offer Masses in Vietnamese.

Bishop Vann is fluent in Spanish and is learning Vietnamese.