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Priest Assignments

June 2024

Father Benjamin Le, SVD, has been appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, effective June 4.

Father Bethrand Ujunwa has been appointed as hospital chaplain in the South Bay Deanery, effective July 1.

Father Andrés Ernesto Torres, CJM, has been appointed associate pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish, effective July 1.

Father Edgardo Jara, OFM, has been appointed pastor of Mission San Luis Rey Parish, effective Aug. 1.

Father Joseph Juracek, OFM, has been appointed associate pastor of Mission San Luis Rey Parish, effective Aug. 1.

Father Macario (More) Torres, OFM, has been appointed associate pastor of Mission San Luis Rey Parish, effective Aug. 1.

May 2024

Father Gabriel Afeti, AJ, has been appointed associate pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, San Diego, effective July 1.

April 2024

Father Sean Embury has been appointed associate pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, effective July 1.

Father Daniel Holgren has been appointed associate pastor of Mission San Diego de Alcalá Parish, effective July 1.

Father Ignatius Kipchirchir has been appointed pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish, effective July 1.

Father Oscar López has been appointed associate pastor of Resurrection Parish, effective July 1.

Father Elmer Mandac has been appointed pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, effective July 1.

Father Roldan M. Nuñez has been appointed pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish, effective July 1.

Father Rogelio Pingol has been appointed associate pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, effective July 1.

January 2024

Father Juan Pablo Barragan Mendoza, TOR, has been appointed associate pastor of St. Mary Parish in Escondido, effective Dec. 1.

October 2023

Father Gwangho Min has been appointed as chaplain of the Korean Catholic Community of San Diego and, within that context, as associate pastor of St. Columba Parish, effective Aug. 16.

Father Alberto Villafan, OFM, has been appointed associate pastor of Mission San Luis Rey, effective Sept. 1.

Father Winson P. Menachery, CRSP, has been appointed associate pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, effective Sept. 20.

August 2023

Father Salvador Mejia has been appointed as parochial vicar of Mission San Luis Rey, effective July 1.

Father Rigoberto Olivares Mejia has been appointed parochial vicar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Chula Vista, effective Aug. 1.

Father John Phan has been appointed parochial vicar of Good Shepherd Parish, effective July 1.

May 2023

Father Anthony Stanonik has been appointed pastor of St. Richard Parish, Borrego Springs, effective July 1.

Father Danh Van Pham, SVD, has been appointed pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish, effective July 1.

Father Gabriel Afeti, AJ, has been appointed parochial vicar of Resurrection Parish, Escondido, effective July 1.

Father Christopher Bongato has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Martin of Tours Parish, La Mesa, effective July 1.

Father Evan Bui has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Thomas More Parish, Oceanside, effective July 1.

Father Manuel Del Rio has been appointed parochial vicar of St. John of the Cross Parish, Lemon Grove, effective July 1.

Father Bradley Easterbrooks has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Mark Parish, San Marcos, effective July 1.

Father Abel Barajas has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Mark Parish, San Marcos, effective July 1.

Father Marc Gandolfo has been appointed parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace Parish, El Cajon, effective July 1.

Father Guillermo Hernandez has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Jude Shrine of the West, effective July 1.

Father Andres Ernesto Torres has been appointed parochial vicar of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Vista, effective July 1.

Father Matthew Vasquez has been appointed parochial vicar of Good Shepherd Parish, effective July 1.

April 2023

Father Jay Bananal has been appointed pastor of San Rafael Parish, effective July 1.

Father Gerardo Gomez Zapien has been appointed St. Anthony of Padua Parish, National City, effective July 1.

Father Andrew Kunambi has been appointed pastor of St. Didacus Parish, effective July 1.

Father Emilio Magaña has been appointed pastor of St. John of the Cross Parish, Lemon Grove, effective July 1. (Father José Luis Muro will end his assignment at St. John of the Cross Parish on June 30 to return to Rome to complete his Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology studies.)

Father Fernando Maldonado has been appointed pastor of St. Charles Parish, Imperial Beach, effective July 1.

Father Michael O’Connor has been appointed of St. Pius X Parish, Chula Vista, effective July 1.

Father William Zondler has been appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Ocean Beach, effective July 1.

The Paulist Fathers have been entrusted with the service of St. Gregory the Great Parish and will be assigning two priests to minister there.

February 2023

Father Lucio Castillo, OMI, has been appointed associate pastor of Most Precious Blood Parish, effective Feb. 1.

Father David McNamara, CSsR, has been appointed associate pastor of St. Michael Parish, Poway, effective Feb. 1.

Father Jesús Valenzuela, FSSP, has been appointed associate pastor of St. Anne Parish, effective Feb. 15.

December 2022

Father Juan Pablo Barragan Mendoza, TOR, has been appointed associate pastor of St. Mary Parish in Escondido, effective Dec. 1.

Father Bradley Easterbrooks has been appointed secretary of the diocesan Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, effective Dec. 5.

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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.

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