Chapter 11 Court Required Notification

A white cross icon with pointed ends and a central diamond shape against a black background.

Eucharist Initiative

Topics

Diocese takes Eucharist Initiative to Every Parish

The statistic was shocking: Only one third of U.S. Catholics believe that the bread and wine at Mass are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, according to a national survey released in August 2019.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2021, when health authorities lifted the remaining restrictions on gathering indoors as COVID-19 eased its grip.

Attendance at places of worship had plunged during the pandemic. How to use this moment to renew the faithful’s love of the Eucharist, and inspire them to return to Mass regularly?

A clergymember in a ceremonial robe holds up a wafer in an outdoor religious service. Another person in similar attire stands nearby, with individuals in casual clothes and a musician in the background.

To Bishop Robert McElroy, the answer was to launch an ambitious, seven-week program at every one of the diocese’s 98 parishes to increase the faithful’s understanding of and affection for the Blessed Sacrament.

The program was unprecedented in scope and challenged the diocese, parishes and pastors to bring it to life. It called for all parishes to hear the same videotaped homily on three consecutive Sundays. Some had up-to-date technology that made this task easy, while others did not and had to
swiftly improvise.

The homilies were followed by three weeks of “teaching Masses,” where parts of the Mass were explained during the celebration.

A projection screen in a church displays a clergymember in a green robe standing at a podium. The altar in front is adorned with candles and a green cloth, while the congregation sits facing the screen.

And it all ended with the pastor at each parish proclaiming a homily that underscored the importance of the Eucharist.

All of this was presented in the faithful’s preferred language of English, Spanish or Vietnamese.

“It is my deepest hope that these weeks will be for us all a time to grow in our love for and understanding of this most beautiful sacrament and, in doing so, come closer to the God who has bestowed upon us every blessing we know in this world,” the bishop said at its launch last Sept. 12.

A year later, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched its own initiative, the National Eucharistic Revival, also to increase Catholics’ understanding of the Real Presence in the Eucharist. The three-year initiative calls for special events at the local, regional and national level.

With the Eucharist Initiative under their belt, the faithful of the San Diego Diocese already have a head start.

A clergymember in a ceremonial robe holds a large golden religious artifact adorned with rays. They are under a decorative canopy, with floral arrangements in the foreground and a stone building in the background.

Stay Connected

Stay Informed

Follow the news about our Catholic community,
in English and Spanish.

The Southern Cross

Our Life is Mission

Nuestra Vida es Misión

Follow Us

Contact us
Copyright © 2025.

Catholic Diocese of San Diego

Topics

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.