Chapter 11

The Letter Film Screening – El Centro

Please join us at Our Lady of Guadalupe in El Centro at 5PM on May 22nd for a dinner and English listening session discussing your experiences with the environment, followed by a screening of the Vatican’s film, The Letter, highlighting environmental impacts around the world.

We want to hear your experience with the environment and take your perspective into consideration as we develop our Creation Care program in the Valley.

The film The Letter introduces four “voices” most impacted by today’s environmental crisis: the poor, the youth, indigenous peoples and the natural world and serves as an excellent overview for your parishioners and/or youth.

Dinner is free, but please register if possible, so we can make sure to have enough food for everyone, https://bit.ly/TheLetterElCentroENGLISH.

Questions? Please contact Christina Slentz at cslentz@sdcatholic.org.

Details

Date & Time:

May 22 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Cost:

Language:

English

Contact

Christina Slentz

Phone:

Website:

Email:

cslentz@sdcatholic.org

Venue

Our Lady of Guadalupe, El Centro

153 E Brighton Ave
El Centro, CA 92243 United States

+ Google Map

(760) 352-5535

View Venue Website

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

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego

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.

Topics