The man clubbed the front doors with the pipe and, once inside, used the pipe to repeatedly strike a set of secondary doors, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Before he broke into the church, the man attempted to get into a utility shed at the rear of the church and also damaged another door on the side of the church, Bertagna said.
It's unclear what motivated the suspect, he said.
"He didn't do any damage inside the chapel or didn't take anything," Bertagna said.
There have been no threats made against the church lately, and church officials told police they haven't had any disagreements of note with anyone recently, Bertagna said.
The bearded suspect is a Latino man in his 30s who is about 5-foot-6 and heavyset, according to police.