Deans (Vicar Forane)

A stone building with ornate archways and a wooden door, illuminated by a hanging lantern. The structure features detailed carvings and a tiled roof edge.

What is a Deanery?

Under canon law, the bishop groups parishes into regional areas within a diocese, according to their geographic location. These regions are called “deaneries”; there are seven of them at the Diocese of San Diego. Deans are priests who serve as the leader of a deanery and are appointed by the bishop. A dean’s main roles are to provide support to the faithful and priests of his deanery and act as a liaison between the activities of his deanery and the bishop.

Deans

Very Rev. Edmundo Zarate-Suarez

Cathedral Deanery

Very Rev. Devadhasan Masillamony

El Cajon Deanery

Very Rev. Antonio Morales

El Centro Deanery

Very Rev. Luke E. Jauregui

Escondido Deanery

Very Rev. Matthew Spahr

Mission Deanery​

deans-vicar-forane

Director for Priestly Formation​

priest-vocation

Very Rev. Bruce Orsborn

Oceanside Deanery

Very Rev. Efrain Bautista

South Bay Deanery

Deans

A clergymember with a beard wearing a black suit and a clerical collar stands against a plain light gray background.
Very Rev. Edmundo Zárate-Suárez
Cathedral Deanery
A clergymember with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a black clerical collar and jacket, stands against a plain background.
Very Rev. Devadhasan Masillamony
El Cajon Deanery
A clergymember with short hair and glasses, wearing a black shirt with a white clerical collar, smiles against a plain background.
Very Rev. Antonio Morales
El Centro Deanery
A clergymember with a beard and short hair is wearing a black suit and clerical collar, smiling slightly against a light gray background.
Very Rev. Luke E. Jauregui
Escondido Deanery
A clergymember in glasses and a black suit with a white clerical collar stands against a plain light background, smiling.
Very Rev. Matthew Spahr
Mission Deanery
A smiling clergymember in a black suit with a clerical collar stands against a plain, light blue background.
Very Rev. Bruce Orsborn
Oceanside Deanery
A clergymember wearing a clerical collar and dark suit appears in a black-and-white portrait, looking towards the camera.
Very Rev. Efrain Bautista
South Bay Deanery

Deanery Groupings

Cathedral Deanery

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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