Chapter 11

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The Most Reverend

MICHAEL M. PHAM

BISHOP OF SAN DIEGO

A clergymember in black religious attire with red accents and a pink sash, wearing glasses and a cross necklace, smiles with hands clasped.

Key Dates

Birth Date:  
Feb. 12, 1967

Birthplace:
Da Nang, Vietnam

Ordained:
June 25, 1999 in the Diocese of San Diego

Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego:
June 6, 2023

Consecrated:
Sept. 28, 2023

Appointed Bishop of San Diego:
May 22, 2025

Installed as Bishop of San Diego:
July 17, 2025

About the Coat of Arms

About Bishop Pham

Pope Leo XIV named Bishop Michael Pham the seventh bishop of San Diego on May 22, 2025, the nation’s first Vietnamese American diocesan bishop. He was installed on July 17 of that year.

 

The diocese spans San Diego and Imperial counties, and is home to 96 parishes, 39 Catholic elementary schools and seven Catholic high schools.

 

Fulfilling the traditional role of shepherd, Bishop Pham serves three main functions: teaching the doctrine, sanctifying, and governing. Embracing a spirit of synodality, Bishop Pham invites the participation of all — auxiliary bishops, clergy, religious men and women and laity — in building the Kingdom of God.

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  • Administrative Assistant:  Aurelia Vargas

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About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms combines the Diocese of San Diego’s coat of arms on the left side, and his on the right. On his, a red boat on a blue ocean sits on 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 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, 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 communities.