Pope Francis Names 2 New Auxiliary Bishops of San Diego, California - One of whom Immigrated to the USA in his Youth

Pope Francis Names New Auxiliary Bishops of San Diego

June 6, 2023
WASHINGTON - Pope Francis has appointed the Rev. Michael Pham and Rev. Felipe Pulido as auxiliary bishops of San Diego. Bishop-elect Pham is a priest of the Diocese of San Diego and currently serves as vicar general of the Diocese of San Diego and pastor of Good Shepherd parish in San Diego. Bishop-elect Pulido is a priest of the Diocese of Yakima, and currently serves as vicar for clergy and director of vocations for the Diocese of Yakima, and as pastor of St. Joseph parish in Kennewick, Washington. The appointments were publicized in Washington, D.C. on June 6, 2023, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Father Pham was born January 27, 1967, in Da Nang, Vietnam. He graduated from San Diego University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in aeronautical engineering. He attended Saint Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, and in 2020 completed a Licentiate in Sacred Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of San Diego on June 25, 1999.

Bishop-elect Pham’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar at St. Mary, Star of the Sea parish in Oceanside (1999-2001); diocesan vocation director (2001-2004); pastor at Holy Family parish in San Diego (2004-2014); and pastor at St. Therese parish in San Diego (2014-2016). In 2016, he was named pastor of Good Shepherd parish in San Diego, where he currently serves. He has been episcopal vicar for ethnic and intercultural communities since 2017, and since 2018, he has served as vicar general of the Diocese of San Diego. Bishop-elect Pham is a native speaker of Vietnamese, and also speaks English and Spanish.

Father Pulido was born January 13, 1970, in Dos Aguas, Michoacan, Mexico. He began his priestly formation at Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon (1994-1998) where he graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1998 and continued at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy and received a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology with high honors at the Angelicum in Rome in 2000. He studied at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Rome from 2001 to 2002. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Yakima on June 28, 2002.

Bishop-elect Pulido’s assignments after ordination include: parochial vicar at Holy Family parish in Yakima (2002-2003) and at Our Lady of Fatima parish in Moses Lake (2003-2006); and pastor of Our Lady of the Snows parish in Leavenworth (2006-2008). In 2008, he was named pastor of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Moses Lake, and of Queen of All Saints parish in Warden where he served the two parishes concurrently until 2012. In 2011, he was appointed to serve the Diocese of Yakima as vicar for clergy and director of vocations, while continuing his service as pastor of two parishes. In 2012, he was appointed pastor of St. Joseph parish in Yakima where he served until 2020. Since 2020, Father Pulido has been pastor of St. Joseph parish in Kennewick, in addition to continuing his role as the vicar for clergy and director of vocations for the Diocese of Yakima. Bishop-elect Pulido speaks English and Spanish.

The Diocese of San Diego is comprised of 8,852 square miles in the State of California and has a total population of 3,478,336 of which 1,391,334 are Catholic.

Source: USCCB Release