Most Reverend
AUXILIARY BISHOP OF SAN DIEGO
Birth Date:
July 17, 1969
Birth Place:
Seagraves, Texas
Ordained:
Aug. 15, 1998 in the Diocese
of Stockton
Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego:
Feb. 27, 2020
Consecrated:
July 14, 2020
Auxiliary Bishop Bejarano was born in Texas, the son of José and María Elena Bejarano. His family moved back to Mexico soon after his birth, and he spent his early life in Aldama, Chihuahua.
He and his family moved to Tracy, in California’s San Joaquin Valley, when he was 18. He immediately began working in the fields to help support his family, later working in maintenance at a hotel.
At age 20, he applied to be a seminarian for the Diocese of Stockton, fulfilling a life-long dream. He studied at the Archdiocesan Seminary of Tijuana and completed his studies at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. He was ordained to the priesthood on Aug. 15, 1998.
He served as parochial vicar in the parishes of St. George in Stockton and Sacred Heart in Turlock. He was called, in 2005, to be the founding pastor of Holy Family Parish in Modesto. He was the pastor of St. Stanislaus Church in Modesto from 2008 to 2019, when he was named the Pastor of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Stockton.
He served as chaplain to the Migrant Ministry, celebrating Mass for families and workers in migrant camps. And he served in leadership councils at the diocese, including the Presbyteral Council, the Diaconate Board, the Preparatory Commission for the Diocesan Synod of 2005, and the College of Consultors.
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Catholic Diocese of San Diego
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.
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.
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.
