Chapter 11

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Mercy and Love

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We Stand With Immigrants

The Church’s teaching calls us to uphold the sacredness of human life. This means that the care for immigrants and refugees is part of the same teaching that requires us to protect the most vulnerable, especially unborn children, the elderly and the infirm. Led by Bishop Michael Pham, our diocese walks with our immigrant brothers and sisters in these difficult days.

Emergency Safety Plan
Plan de Emergencia
Cardinal

We Welcome You to the Diocese of San Diego

We are a community of faith in San Diego and Imperial Counties, walking together in hope, mercy and love.

Message from Cardinal

Our Faith

God Loves All

“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

What We Believe

As Christians, and as brothers and sisters, we are called to always move forward united in our journey of faith, and our mission of love. 

Jubilee Year 2025

A Jubilee Year is an important event in the Catholic Church, characterized as a time of grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

How to Become Catholic

We invite you to find out more about the Catholic faith and about our loving, joyful community.
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SYNOD 2024

Diocese of San Diego

Building Our Communities

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23

Jul

Grandparents’ Day Retreat: the Gift of Your Spiritual Wisdom

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2

Aug

Profetas en Misión Renacer en la Esperanza

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Bishop Michael M. Pham

Pope Leo XIV named him the seventh bishop of San Diego on May 22, 2025, the nation’s first Vietnamese American bishop. He is to be installed on July 17.

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About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms depicts a red boat on a blue ocean, which is crisscrossed by diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is often referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, who was known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic and cultural communities. The red of the boat, the beehive and the tongues of fire allude to the blood of the martyrs.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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