Chapter 11 Court Required Notification

Special Needs

Catholics of all ages with varying abilities are integral members of our faith community.

A clergyperson in a gold robe holds a communion wafer, facing a person with a name tag. Several others stand nearby inside a church with stained glass windows in the background.

Parishes

All parishes are called to adapt their programs to the diverse needs of our children, youth, young adults and families.

Parishes, in consultation with families, assess the needs of the individual and provide guidance on how best to minister to each person. Some options include Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, one-on-one instruction, mainstream instruction with additional support, and home-schooled. For individuals preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist), parishes may adapt the celebration.

Each parish community may offer additional programs to assist and support families, including learning activities, Masses, or service projects.

Families in need of support should contact their local parish faith formation office.

Catholic Schools

Catholic schools in the Diocese work hard to meet the individual needs of each student in a faith-filled, nurturing school community. Using research-based best practices, teachers work to differentiate instruction to ensure that each student reaches his or her fullest potential.

A number of Catholic schools have Learning Support Programs that provide additional services to students that have identified needs. These programs vary from school to school but are designed to provide appropriate accommodations to students that have special learning needs. While schools do not discriminate against students with special needs, a full range of services may not always be available to them, due to the resources a particular school may have at its disposal.

We encourage parents to contact individual schools to find out what services they offer and discuss the needs of their child. 

 

The following schools in the diocese have Learning Support Programs:

  • All Hallows Academy
  • Notre Dame Academy
  • Our Lady of Grace
  • St. Francis
  • St. John School
  • St. James School
  • St. Michael’s School
  • Stella Maris Academy
  • Cathedral Catholic High School
  • Mater Dei Catholic High School
  • Good Shepherd
  • Sacred Heart Parish School
  • St. Martin of Tours
  • St. Charles Borromeo
  • Holy Trinity School
  • St. Pius X School
  • Nazareth School
  • St. Katharine Drexel Academy
  • St. Rita’s School
  • Santa Sophia Academy

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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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