Chapter 11

Schools 1

About Us

A group of five people standing on grass in front of a light-colored building with a tiled roof.

Our Team and Schools

Our Catholic Schools’ team consists of Superintendent Leticia Oseguera; Assistant Superintendents Elijah Bonde and Elizabeth Kramer; and Lana Hitchcock and Erika Yanez, Administrative Assistants. They have years of professional experience working with children in schools and a passion to support schools that are Christ-Centered, Student-Focused and Forward-Thinking.

Catholic Schools in Diocese Offer:

  • Every child the opportunity to develop a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ.
  • Instruction that teaches and celebrates Catholic values — such as faith, moral excellence, and compassion — that serve as a source of strength and peace throughout the students' lives.
  • Strong academics, with elementary school students significantly exceeding grade level standards for math and reading compared to their public-school peers.
  • School environments that allow for personalized instruction, including for students with learning needs.
  • Student populations that are strengthened by a diversity of cultures and backgrounds.
  • Motivated teachers and administrators that continuously hone their professional skills. They consider their students gifts from God and strive to serve them as such.
  • Powerful partnerships with leading institutions. For instance, the University of San Diego guarantees admissions to qualified Catholic school students through the Torero Promise. 
A group of schoolchildren in uniforms walk on a path, some holding hands and smiling. They wear blue plaid skirts or pants, with sweaters and ties. Trees and other students are visible in the background.
A group of children sit closely together on a colorful carpet, smiling and facing forward. They wear school uniforms with gray tops and dark bottoms, and the setting appears to be a classroom.
  • Parents with shared values who create a warm school community that supports each other’s families at school, weekend events, and at church.
  • A secure environment, where every adult who comes in contact with children is thoroughly vetted and continually screened.
  • Low-cost day care and a variety of after-school enrichment programs and sports to build well-rounded students ready to succeed in high school and beyond.
  • Schools that work hard to find ways to reduce the cost of tuition, enabling as many students as possible to attain a Catholic education.

We invite you to visit one of our schools. You will see a community that not only teaches academics but enables students to develop into confident, respectful individuals able to think critically and act morally, in school and beyond. It’s one of the best gifts you could give your child.

Contact Information

Staff

Send Us A Message

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