Most Rev. Michael Pham Installed as 7th Bishop of San Diego

(SAN DIEGO) – The Most Rev. Michael Pham was installed today as the seventh Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of San Diego. He was the first American bishop appointed by Pope Leo XIV and is the first Vietnamese American named to head a diocese in the United States. His installation took place in front of 1,200 family, friends and dignitaries at St. Therese of Carmel Parish in San Diego.

“Today, I humbly stand among giants and feel tremendous honor and privilege being appointed by Pope Leo XIV to lead and serve the Church in the Diocese of San Diego as Diocesan Bishop,” said Bishop Pham at his installation Mass.

Those on hand included the Pope’s U.S. representative, Cardinal Christophe Pierre; Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, of the Archdiocese of Washington, Bishop Pham’s predecessor at the Diocese of San Diego; and Archbishop José Gomez, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Bishop Pham fled Vietnam as a 13-year-old refugee in 1980, accompanied by his older sister and a younger brother, arriving first at a refugee camp in Malaysia, before being sponsored a year later in 1981 by an American family and relocating to Blue Earth, MN. A few months later, another sister came to live with them and in 1983 the remainder of his family – four more siblings and his parents – arrived in Minnesota. His family moved to San Diego in 1985.

Bishop Pham graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s and started a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering before transferring to St. Francis Seminary at the University of San Diego. He completed his seminary training at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park with Systematic Theology Baccalaureate and Master of Divinity degrees. He was ordained a priest of the San Diego Diocese in 1999. In 2009, he completed a Master of Science in Psychology. In 2020, he completed a Licentiate in Sacred Theology.

Bishop Pham also served as associate pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish; diocesan vocations director; and pastor of Holy Family, St. Therese and Good Shepherd Parishes.

As Vicar for Inter-Cultural Affairs, he was instrumental in establishing the annual Pentecost Mass for All Peoples celebrating the ethnic and cultural diversity of the San Diego region. 

“On the day of Pentecost, as we heard from the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, people spoke in different languages; and yet, they understood each other. The reason they understood each other was because they listened to each other,” said Bishop Pham in his homily.

“Only by listening to the Word of God and to each other, can we be guided by the Holy Spirit to right the injustices created in today’s world due to our human flaws and thus achieve peace,” he said.

Bishop Pham went on to say, “We will have true social justice only when all sisters and brothers are treated with dignity and respect. In this day, politics and social interactions shouldn’t focus exclusively on differences, but rather on the common good of the people. All people.”

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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