Chapter 11

Overcoming Racism

Working Together to Overcome Racism

The U.S. Catholic Church at all levels is tackling the sin of racism and working toward lasting justice and peace.

At the San Diego Diocese, the Office of Ethnic and Intercultural Communities hosted a series of community forums via Zoom to explore racism in various arenas and to identify long-term solutions that can be implemented locally.

Five forums, called “My Church, My Story: Listen, Dialogue and Action,” were held from August of 2020 to February of 2021. Each focused on the experiences of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders and immigrants and refugees.

Each forum featured speakers who shared their story and how racism had affected their life, particularly in the Church. Then participants were invited to propose ways their parishes, diocese and the Church itself could root out racism.

Hands of different people surround and gently hold a wooden cross.

Videos of the speakers are presented on this page, as well as videos on related themes. The participants’ comments and recommendations were summarized in a report, also available on this page, which was shared with the Bishop, the diocese’s leadership and its clergy.

The Office organized special Masses to call attention to the pain two populations are enduring and to pray for racial healing. The first was held on June 7, 2020, for the African American community in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The second one was held April 15 to accompany the Asian and Pacific Islander communities, which have been the target of verbal and physical assaults and deadly violence across the country.

Learn about Racial Justice

“My Church, My Story” Videos

My Church, My Story:
Dr. Constance Carroll

My Church, My Story:
Deacon Marvin Threatt

Bishop Robert McElroy

‘My Church, My Story,”
Sister Galván

“Mi Iglesia, Mi Historia”,
Hermana Galván

'My Church, My Story,'
Monserrat Ramírez

'Mi Iglesia, Mi Historia',
Monserrat Ramírez

“My Church, My Story,”
Prof. Patricia Dixon

“My Church, My Story,”
Judy Oyos-Robinson

“My Church, My Story,”
Phyllis Van Wanseele

My Church, My Story - The Asian Pacific Islander Experience

My Church, My Story:
The Immigrant Experience

Other video resources

Second Sunday in
Ordinary Time

Sharing the Good News

California Bishops | Stations of the Cross: Overcoming Racism

African American Catholics

Many Cultures, One Church

Addressing Racial Prejudice:
Black and Catholic

Resources

San Diego Diocese

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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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