Chapter 11

Suppression Notice

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Priest Assignments

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Priest Assignments

April 2026

The Office of the Bishop has announced the following appointment:

Father Elmer Mandac as Moderator of the Curia, in addition to his current assignment as pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, effective immediately.

March 2026

The Office of the Bishop has announced the following priest assignments, effective July 1, 2026:

With the permission of his provincial, Father Gabriel Afeti, AJ, as pastor of St. Adelaide of Burgundy Parish

Father Christopher Bongato as associate pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, Oceanside

Father Evan Bui as associate pastor of Good Shepherd Parish

Father Sebastian Bukenya as pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish and Santa Ysabel Indian Mission

Msgr. Francisco Cinco, III, as administrator of Our Lady of the Valley Parish

Father Manuel Del Rio as pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Calipatria, and canonical pastor of St. Thomas Indian Mission

Father Ignatius Dibeashi as pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Fallbrook

Father Minh Do as associate pastor of Good Shepherd Parish

Father Rolando Gabutera as pastor of St. Michael Parish, San Diego

Father Guillermo Hernandez as associate pastor of St. Michael Parish, San Diego

Father Edward Horning as pastor of St. Richard Parish, Borrego Springs

Father Clement Iorliam as pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Ramona

Father Ricardo Juárez Frausto as pastor of St. John of the Cross Parish, Lemon Grove

Father Brent Kruger as pastor of St. Thérèse of Carmel Parish, Carmel Valley

Father Niranjan Kanmury as pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, San Diego

Father Bernardo Lara as pastor of Our Lady of Angels Parish

Father Emilio Magaña as pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Lakeside

Father Reynaldo Manahan as pastor of Mary, Star of the Sea Parish, La Jolla

Father Antonio Morales as pastor of Sacred Heart and St. Margaret Mary parishes in Brawley, and St. Joseph Parish, Westmorland

Father Patrick Mulcahy as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Coronado

Father Roldan Nuñez as pastor of St. Columba Parish

Father Dominic Obour as associate pastor of St. Mark Parish, San Marcos

Father John Phan as associate pastor of Holy Spirit Parish

Father Anthony Saroki as pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, El Cajon

Father Anthony Stanonik as pastor of Christ the King Parish

With the permission of his provincial, Father Andrés Ernesto Torres, CJM, as associate pastor of St. Jude Shrine of the West Parish.

Father Christopher Tozzi as pastor of St. Gabriel Parish, Poway

Father Derek Twilliger as pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, Oceanside

Father Matthew Vasquez as associate pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, San Diego

December 2025

The Office of the Bishop has announced the appointments of:

Father Lauro Minimo as canonical pastor of St. Adelaide of Burgundy Parish, Campo, and Mission St. Mary Magdalene, Jacumba, effective immediately. (Deacon Fred Thornton was appointed pastoral administrator, effective Nov. 24, 2025.)

With the permission of his prior provincial, Dominican Father William Marquis as associate pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Carlsbad, effective Dec. 12, 2025.

September 2025

The Office of the Bishop has announced the following priest assignment:

With the permission of his provincial, Father Pedro Lucia Reyes, Sch. P., as associate pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Calexico, effective Sept. 1.

August 2025

The Office of the Bishop has announced these appointments:

Bishop Felipe Pulido as Vicar for Clergy, effective July 18

Father Emilio Magaña as associate pastor of St. Mark Parish, San Marcos, effective Aug. 1

With the agreement of their superiors:

Father Ramiro Sanchez Chan, CS, as pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, San Ysidro, effective Aug. 1

Father George G. Perez, CJM, as pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Carlsbad, effective Sept. 1

Father Ronald M. Bagley, CJM, as senior associate pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Carlsbad, effective Sept. 1

Father Azam Mansha, CJM, as associate pastor of St. James, effective Sept. 1

And, in addition to their current assignments:

Father Elmer Mandac as Vicar General, effective July 21

Father Pat Mulcahy as Vicar for Priests’ Activities, effective July 21

Father William Zondler as Vicar for Synodality, effective July 21

Father Efrain Bautista as Vicar for International Priests, effective Aug. 1

Father Devadhasan Masillamony as Interim Administrator for St. John of the Cross Parish, Lemon Grove, effective Aug. 1

Father Guillermo Hernández as chaplain for Mater Dei Catholic High School, effective Aug. 4

Father Matthew Vasquez as chaplain for Cathedral Catholic High School, effective Aug. 13

July 2025

The Office of the Bishop has announced the following priest assignments:

Bishop Felipe Pulido as canonical pastor of St. Luke Parish, El Cajon

Father Peter Vu Lam as canonical pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish

Father Marc Gandolfo as director of priestly vocations, effective Aug. 1

Father Christopher Bongato, in addition to his assignment as parochial vicar of St. Martin of Tours Parish, La Mesa, as secretary for the Office for Ethnic and Intercultural Communities

And, with the permission of their provincial superiors:

Father Juan Diego Lopez Perez, TOR, as associate pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Vista, effective July 1

Father Miguel Romero Mozo, MSP, as spiritual director of the formation program at St. Francis Center, effective Aug. 1

May 2025

The Office of the Bishop has announced the following priest assignments, effective July 1:

Father Brian Frulla, who will be ordained June 14, as associate pastor of St. Therese Parish, Del Cerro

Father Anthony Jimenez, to be ordained June 14, as associate pastor of St. John of the Cross Parish, Lemon Grove

Father Jesse Lopez, to be ordained June 14, as associate pastor of St. Mark Parish, San Marcos

Father Raymond Philip Napuli as associate pastor at St. Mary Parish, Escondido

Father Jorge Mante as associate pastor of St. Mary Parish, National City

And, with the agreement of their superiors:

Father Juan Pablo Barragan, TOR, as associate pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Vista

Father Boniface lssaka, SVD, continuing as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish

Father Kizito Ndugbu, SMMM, as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Valley Parish, El Centro

Father Lan Anh Ngo, SJ, as pastoral associate at UCSD Catholic Newman Center

Father Van Tinh To, CS, as associate pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, San Ysidro

Father Martin Achi Yusaf, OSA, as associate pastor of St. Patrick Parish, San Diego

March 2025

Father Boniface Isaaka, SVD, as associate pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish, effective Jan. 18, 2025.

Father Theodore E. Gabrielli, SJ, as associate pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, San Diego, effective immediately.

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.

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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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