Rector's Corner

The Very Reverend
Donald A. Romito

Father Don Romito was appointed rector of Holy Family Cathedral on July 1, 2003. He was ordained a priest on June 1, 1974, and has ministered in the Diocese of Orange since 1984.

Father Don’s first assignment in the diocese was at saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Irvine. He served as campus minister at UC Irvine from 1984-19 87.

In 1987 he was appointed to Saint Juliana Falconieri Parish in Fullerton as parochial vicar, a position he held until 1992. While there he was the Catholic campus minister at California State University, Fullerton, and taught in the Religious Studies Department.

In 1992 Father Don was appointed to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in La Habra as a parochial vicar, where he served for one year.

In July of 1993 he became administrator of Saint Columban Parish in Garden Grove. He was named pastor there in 1994, and held this position until his assignment to the cathedral in 2003.

Father Don was born in Bedford, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, in 1944. He graduated from Chanel High School—run by the Marist Fathers and named after Saint Peter Chanel—in 1962.

He attended the University of Dayton, in Ohio, and Catholic University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 1967 with a degree in English. His graduate education includes Master’s degrees in English and Theology, and a Ph. D. in Theology and Literature from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Father Don was a priest of the Society of Mary (Marists) for ten years, from 1974-1984. He ministered as a Marist in parish work, high school teaching, and college campus ministry, and as provincial administrator. He enjoys writing, and has written a number of scripts for religious video documentaries.