Chapter 11

Suppression Notice

Safe Environments
Victim Assistance
Credibly Accused List

MENU

Child and Youth Protection

We are committed to protecting children and youth in all parishes, Catholic schools, and Church ministries through education, training, and safeguarding practices while also providing support and services to victim-survivors of sexual abuse in the church.

Reporting Abuse

Our Commitment to Protect

As priests, educators and staff members at the Diocese of San Diego we have no higher responsibility than to protect the children and young people entrusted to our care.

Read More

Safe Environment Program for Children and Youth

The Catholic Church is absolutely committed to the safety of children. Together we can make a promise to protect, and a pledge to heal.

Read More

Protection by the Numbers/2025

0
Children Received Training
0
Adults Received Training
0
Employees Background Checks
0
Volunteers Background Checks

Reporting Abuse and Victim Assistance

Anyone who believes they were the victim of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy, church or school staff may contact the Victim Assistance Coordinator. A report may be made regardless of when the abuse occurred. Reports may be made in English or Spanish.

Read More

News

Resources

A group of people sitting around a classroom table. One person, smiling, holds a sheet of paper, while the others are engaged in conversation. Classroom supplies and furniture are visible in the background.
Diocesan
National
A person is sitting at a dark wooden table, signing or reviewing a set of documents spread out in front of them. The scene is dimly lit, highlighting the papers and their hand.
Accountability

Our Team

Mary Acosta

Manager
Safe Environment and Victim Assistance

(858) 490-8353

Rodrigo Valdivia

Advisor

(858) 490-8310

Pia Montemayor

Administrative Assistant

(858) 490-8277

Our Team

A person wearing glasses, a pinstripe suit, and a patterned tie is smiling against a plain background.
Rodrigo Valdivia

Director, Child and Youth Protection

A person with short brown hair is smiling, wearing a pink top, dark blazer, and a circular blue pendant necklace, set against a plain gray background.
Mary Acosta

Victim Assistance Coordinator

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.

Topics