The Missionaries of Jesus (MJ)

A group of people engaged in a procession. Two individuals in the foreground hold candles, wearing vividly colored traditional garments, one with a blue headwrap. The background shows others participating with decorations and traditional attire.

The Missionaries of Jesus (MJ) is an international and multicultural religious missionary community. It was founded in the Philippines on 12 June 2002 by a community of religious missionaries called […]

Diocese of Mandeville, Jamaica, West Indies

A group of people seated in chairs face a presenter standing near a projected screen in a classroom setting. The room has yellow and purple walls, and a whiteboard is visible in the background.

Evangelization, through the on-going development of Diocesan Catechetical Programs for adults, adolescents and children, is the primary goal of the Diocese of Mandeville. The Diocese of Mandeville is 30 years […]

Daughters of Mary, TABORA-TANZANIA

A patient on a stretcher is being assisted by two people in white religious attire into an ambulance. Trees and a building are visible in the background.

Founded in 1933 in Tanzania, Religious Congregation of the Daughters of Mary-Taborn, (CDMT), is a Diocesan Congregation of the Archdiocese of Tabora, Tanzania. The Congregation was founded in Tanzania in […]

Order Friar Servants of Mary (Servites)

A clergymember in ceremonial attire hands a red book with religious symbols to another clergymember in a decorated hat. A person in casual clothes takes photos in the background, with a congregation sitting on grass nearby.

Three American Friar Servants of Mary (Servites) arrived in Tongoland, the name soon changed to Zululand, in 1948 to serve in the Catholic missions of the Zulu nation. They started […]

The Catholic Diocese of Idah, Nigeria

A group of clergymembers in white robes participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside a building with columns. A crowd of people, including children, stands nearby.

The Catholic Diocese of Idah was canonically erected on December 17, 1977 with its’ first bishop being Most Rev Dr. Ephraim Silas Obot to nurture and cater for the spiritual […]

May – Rosary Month

A group of people stand in a room, smiling at the camera. Two individuals in the front hold boxes containing colorful, decorative cakes. Shelves with various items are visible in the background.

Greeting some 30,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, May 1, Pope Francis said: “Today, we begin the month dedicated to the Mother of God. I would like to […]

Janvikas Society, Indore, India

Young students sit on the floor of a classroom with notebooks in their laps, attentively looking forward. The room is dimly lit with brick walls and a doorway visible in the background.

Janvikas Society is a non-profit organization run by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) Central Indian Province. Janvikas pays special attention to the welfare of the unorganized laborers, waste […]

Yarumal Missionaries

A large group of people, including students and staff, stand closely together on a stage. They are dressed in a variety of formal and traditional clothing. A backdrop displays the text "Inauguration of Skill Training Program" with logos above.

Our mission is primary evangelization of the poor, particularly in the remote areas. We accomplish this missionary task by leadership formation, community organization and self-sustainable development projects. It all means […]

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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