{{Short description|American Roman Catholic bishop (1936–2023)}} {{for-multi|the baseball coach|Tod Brown (baseball)|the American football player|Todd Brown}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = | honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend | name = Tod David Brown | honorific-suffix = | title = Bishop of Orange | image = Tod Brown.jpg | imagesize = | alt = | caption = | church = | archdiocese = | province = | metropolis = | diocese = Orange | see = | elected = | appointed = June 30, 1998 | enthroned = September 3, 1998 | retired = September 21, 2012 | predecessor = Norman Francis McFarland | opposed = | predesesor = | successor = Kevin Vann | other_post = | previous_post = Bishop of Boise (1989–1998) <!---------- Orders ---------->| ordination = May 1, 1963 | ordained_by = Aloysius Joseph Willinger | consecration = April 3, 1989 | consecrated_by = William Levada, Sylvester William Treinen, and Thaddeus Anthony Shubsda | cardinal = | rank = <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1936|11|15}} | birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|10|15|1936|11|15}} | death_place = Orange, California, U.S. | buried = | nationality = | religion = | | motto = Come Lord Jesus | coat_of_arms = | signature = | education = St. John's Seminary<br>Pontifical Gregorian University<br> University of San Francisco }} {{Ordination | date of consecration = April 3, 1989 | consecrated by = William Levada (Portland) | bishop 1 = Jaime Soto | consecration date 1 = May 31, 2000 | bishop 2 = Dominic Mai Luong | consecration date 2 = June 11, 2003 | bishop 3 = Cirilo Flores | consecration date 3 = March 19, 2009 }}
{{Infobox bishopstyles | name= Tod David Brown | dipstyle= *His Excellency *The Most Reverend | offstyle=Your Excellency | relstyle=Bishop | image = Coat of Arms of Bishop Tod David Brown.svg | image_size = 200px }}
'''Tod David Brown''' (November 15, 1936 – October 15, 2023) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Boise in Idaho from 1989 to 1998 and as bishop of the Diocese of Orange in Southern California from 1998 to 2012.<ref name="occmsd">{{cite news |url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brown-372183-diocese-press.html |newspaper=Orange County Register |title=O.C. Catholic Bishop Tod D. Brown stepping down |last=Irving |first=Doug |date=September 20, 2012 }}</ref>
Born and raised in Northern California, Brown studied in California and in Rome before being ordained to the priesthood in 1963. As a priest, Brown held several positions in the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno. In 1988, Pope John Paul II appointed Brown as bishop of Boise and he was consecrated in April 1989. He was appointed the third Bishop of Orange in 1998 and held that position until he reached the mandatory retirement age for bishops in 2012.
Brown is known for negotiating a $100 million legal settlement for sexual abuse victims in the Diocese of Orange and for purchasing the Crystal Cathedral for the diocese.
== Biography ==
=== Early life === Tod Brown was born on November 15, 1936, in San Francisco to George W. and Edna Anne (née Dunn) Brown, Tod Brown has a younger brother, Daniel. His ancestry includes Danish, Irish, English, and Azorean nationalities.<ref>Diocese of Orange. [http://www.rcbo.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=217&Itemid=155 Bishop Brown's Coat of Arms]</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=The Most Reverend Tod D. Brown D.D.|url=https://www.rcbo.org/leadership/most-reverend-person-y/|access-date=2021-11-14|website=The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange}}</ref>
After receiving his primary education in Northern California, Tod Brown attended Ryan Preparatory Seminary in Fresno, California. He then attended St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree. Brown studied in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University, there earning a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree. Brown also earned a Master of Arts degree in biblical theology and education from the University of San Francisco.<ref name=":0" />
=== Priesthood === On May 1, 1963, Brown was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Aloysius Joseph Willinger at St. John Cathedral in Fresno, California, for the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno.<ref name="ch" /> During his priestly ministry, Brown served as a parochial vicar, pastor, chairman of the Divine Worship Commission, chairman and member of the Presbyteral Council and Priests Pension Committee, and member of the Diocesan Board of Education. He was chancellor, curial moderator, and vicar general of Monterey as well.<ref name=":0" />
=== Bishop of Boise === thumb|287x287px|Christ Cathedral, Orange, California (2018) On December 27, 1988, Pope John Paul II appointed Brown as the sixth bishop of Boise. He was consecrated at the Boise State University Pavilion on April 3, 1989, by Archbishop William Levada, with Bishops Sylvester Treinen and Thaddeus Shubsda serving as co-consecrators bishops.<ref name="ch" /> Brown assumed as his episcopal motto, "Come Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).<ref name=":0" />
In February 1993, Brown revealed that Revend James E. Worsley, a priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Caldwell, Idaho, had voluntarily left his post in that parish. In 1992, parishioner T.J. Hopper had accused Worsley of sexually abusing him over a five-year period. The abuse started on a 1975 camping trip near Idaho City, Idaho. After Hicks' accusations, the diocese transferred Worsley to Our Lady Parish.<ref name="lmtpaom">{{cite news|date=September 27, 1993|title=Man accuses priest of molestation|page=5A|newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune|agency=Associated Press|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lsleAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cTIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5364%2C3529448}}</ref>
In December 1993, Brown and the diocese were named in a lawsuit by two brothers who alleged sexual abuse by Luke Meunier, a priest serving in the diocese. The acts occurred in the 1970s when the boys were minors. Meunier had been previously caught in the act by diocese officials with other boys and been receiving counseling for pedophilia. In court, the diocese legal team successfully argued that since Meunier was actually incardinated, or under the supervision, of a Canadian diocese, the Diocese of Boise was not responsible for his acts.<ref name="tbopi">{{cite news|last=Arellano|first=Gustavo|date=July 15, 2010|title=Tod Brown's own private Idaho|newspaper=OC Weekly|url=http://www.ocweekly.com/2010-07-15/news/bishop-tod-brown-orange-diocese/}}</ref>
=== Bishop of Orange === On June 30, 1998, John Paul II appointed Brown as the third bishop of Orange.<ref name=":0" /> On December 4, 2004, Brown announced a $100 million legal settlement to 87 victims of sexual abuse in the diocese. At that time, it was the largest settlement of sexual abuse claims against the Catholic Church in US history. Brown was an active participant in the settlement negotiations.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Broder|first=John M.|date=2004-12-04|title=California Diocese Settles Abuse Cases; Record Sum Is Seen|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/04/us/california-diocese-settles-abuse-cases-record-sum-is-seen.html|access-date=2021-11-14|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He made the following statement:<blockquote>I want to take this opportunity to again extend on behalf of the Diocese of Orange and myself, a sincere apology, a request for forgiveness and a heartfelt hope for reconciliation and healing.<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>In a 2007 interview with the ''Orange County Register'', Scott Hicks stated that in 1965 Brown, then a priest, sexually abused him several times when Hicks was a 12-year-old at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Bakersfield, California. The Diocese of Fresno investigated Hicks' accusations in 1997 and found they lacked any credible basis. The case file was turned over to Kern County investigators in 2002, who took no action.<ref>{{cite news|last=Srisavasdi|first=Rachanee|date=September 30, 2007|title=Brown accuser talks about his past|newspaper=The Orange County Register|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hicks-78106-brown-says.html|accessdate=August 7, 2012}}</ref>
On October 10, 2007, Judge Gail Andler opened a contempt of court hearing on Brown regarding Monsignor John Urell, a diocese official responsible for managing sexual abuse accusations. Brown had sent Urell to a treatment center for priests in Canada despite the fact that Urell was still testifying in court on a sexual abuse case.<ref>{{Cite web|last=CNA|title=Bishop Tod Brown of Orange County could face prison time|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/10619/bishop-tod-brown-of-orange-county-could-face-prison-time|access-date=2021-11-14|website=Catholic News Agency|language=en}}</ref> Brown pleaded not guilty.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Calif. bishop in sex suit denies contempt charge|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21212960|access-date=2021-11-14|website=NBC News|language=en}}</ref> The contempt citation was later dropped as a condition of a $7 million case settlement. The female victims had been minors at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, and Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. They had been abused there by lay workers<ref>{{Cite web|title=Contempt citation stemming from abuse case dropped against Catholic bishop in California|url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/national_and_world_news/contempt-citation-stemming-from-abuse-case-dropped-against-catholic-bishop-in-california/article_b0fce965-8d83-5c32-add3-8116c5b9fe50.html|access-date=2021-11-14|website=Santa Fe New Mexican|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-10-09|title=OC bishop faces new hearing on old sex case|url=https://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20071009/oc-bishop-faces-new-hearing-on-old-sex-case|access-date=2021-11-14|website=Daily Breeze|language=en-US}}</ref>
Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Brown chaired the BCEIA Subcommittee on Interreligious Dialogue and was on the committee for Orthodox-Roman Catholic Bishop's Dialogue and the Pontifical Council on Interreligious Dialogue. He was also a chairman of the Laity Committee and the Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs.
In November 2011, the diocese purchased the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California in bankruptcy court from Robert Schuller Ministries. In a ''Los Angeles Times'' article, Brown mentioned that over the years, visiting Catholic clerics from other countries always wanted to visit the cathedral. The article also mentioned that the population of the diocese had doubled during Brown's tenure, increasing the need for more facilities. The facility, renamed Christ Cathedral, was consecrated as the seat of the diocese in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Nicole |last1=Santa Cruz|date=2011-12-18|title=Crystal Cathedral sale to diocese a milestone; some see a miracle|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-dec-18-la-me-orange-diocese-20111218-story.html|access-date=2021-11-14|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Retirement === On September 21, 2012, Brown's resignation as bishop of Orange was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI as Brown had reached his 75th birthday.<ref name="ch">{{Cite web |title=Bishop Tod David Brown [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bbrown.html |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref> His replacement was Bishop Kevin Vann, bishop of the Diocese of Fort Worth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bishop Kevin William Vann [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bvannk.html |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref>
Tod Brown died in Orange, California, on October 15, 2023, at the age of 86.<ref name="ch"/>
==See also== {{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|California}} {{Div col}} * Catholic Church hierarchy * Catholic Church in the United States * Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States * List of Catholic bishops of the United States * Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops {{div col end}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.rcbo.org/ Official website]
==Episcopal succession== {{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{succession box | title=Bishop of Orange | before=Norman Francis McFarland | after=Kevin Vann | years=1998–2012 |}} {{succession box | title=Bishop of Boise | before=Sylvester William Treinen | after=Michael Patrick Driscoll | years=1989–1998 |}} {{s-end}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange}} {{Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Tod}} Category:1936 births Category:2023 deaths Category:St. John's Seminary (California) alumni Category:University of San Francisco alumni Category:Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Boise Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Category:Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Category:Religious leaders from California Category:Clergy from San Francisco