Chapter 11

Suppression Notice

Our Patron Saints

The Diocese of San Diego has two patron saints, San Diego and Our Lady of Refuge.

San Diego De Alcalá

The City of San Diego is named after St. Didacus, a 15th-century Franciscan brother from Alcalá, Spain, who worked in the infirmary of his convent and ministered to the poor. (“Didacus” is the Latinized form of “Diego.”)

 

When San Diego became its own diocese on July 11, 1936, it adopted as its principal patron the namesake of its most prominent church, Mission San Diego de Alcalá.

 

St. Didacus is traditionally depicted holding a soup pot – a symbol of his service to the poor – and the cross and three nails, which represent his devotion to the passion of Christ. The diocese’s crest highlights these elements.

 

The Feast of San Diego is celebrated on Nov. 7.

Our Lady of Refuge

The status of Our Lady of Refuge as a patron saint dates back to a time when all of Alta and Baja California comprised a single diocese. Under the title of Our Lady of Refuge, the Blessed Mother was proclaimed Patroness of Both Californias by the region’s first bishop on Jan. 4, 1843.

 

As the massive diocese divided into the many California dioceses we know today, each with its own patron saint, Our Lady of Refuge retained her role as co-patroness.

Links

Liturgical Year Resources

Liturgical Observance Calendar

San Diego and Our Lady of Refuge, Pray for Us

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 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.

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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