Ramon Bejarano

RAMON BEJARANO

Born : July 17, 1969
Deceased :

Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, 2020-present

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

The personal coat of arms combines symbols that are meaningful to him reflecting his spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows a gold background on which are four wavy vertical lines. 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 chief is red because it is borrowed for the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, the Mercedarians, of which the bishop's patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted artistically holding a monstrance. Furthermore, the Eucharist is, for Bishop Bejarano, the inspiration for his priestly vocation. lt was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. lt 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. In particular, it is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas. This is for the bishop's Hispanic heritage.ln connection with the appearance of Our Lady to Juan Diego the miraculous blooming of roses in December occurred.

The motto below the shield is, "My Soul Is Thirsting For You" from Psalm 63. He chose this be cause he sees it as also connected with St. Augustine's phrase about our restless heart. ("Our hearts are restless, 0 God, until they rest in Thee") The human heart seeks God, and Bishop Be jarano sees the need for evangelization for so many thirsting souIs.