The Force may not have been with Bishop Michael M. Pham on July 17.
But the Holy Spirit certainly was.
"You may be used to seeing a tall bishop and cardinal ... but now, you can envision before you a shorter bishop, like Yoda in 'Star Wars,' getting ready to lead," Bishop Pham said in the homily for his installation Mass, humorously referencing his own short stature.
"Whether we are tall or short ... we are all called to be bearers of hope and beacons of Good News to peace, justice and love for all," he said.
St. Thérèse of Carmel Church was filled to capacity by an estimated 1,200 faithful, as Bishop Pham was solemnly installed as the seventh bishop of San Diego by Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles. He became the first Vietnamese-American to lead a diocese in the United States.
Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, was on hand, as was Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington, and Cardinal Roger Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles.
Twenty-five bishops and archbishops participated in the liturgy, including San Diego Auxiliary Bishops Ramón Bejarano and Felipe Pulido, and Bishop John P. Dolan of Phoenix, a former auxiliary bishop of San Diego and a long-time friend of Bishop Pham. There were more than 200 concelebrating priests and 10 deacons vested for Mass.
Cardinal McElroy, who served as bishop of San Diego for 10 years until this past March, offered a salutation near the beginning of the Mass.
Addressing his successor in San Diego, he said, "I am so proud of the leadership you have shown in proclaiming the Gospel in its entirety, in reaching out to the poor and the marginalized, in pointing to the limitless reservoir of grace that lies within the sacramental life of the church, and of teaching that, for the disciple and for the pastor, love and truth can truly meet."
"I now welcome you to your new role, with great happiness and joy, to the diocese that I have loved and led, and to the diocese which you have loved and now lead," he said. "May you always, in Christ's grace, lead this wonderful flock to the glory that lies ahead of them."
Subsequently, Cardinal Pierre publicly read the apostolic mandate in which Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Pham as bishop of San Diego. Upon accepting the mandate, Bishop Pham ceremonially presented it to the diocese's College of Consultors, Chancellor Marioly Galván, and to the entire assembly, which responded with extended applause.
After this, again to the applause of the assembly, Bishop Pham was seated by Cardinal Pierre and Archbishop Gomez and presented with his crosier, the staff symbolizing that he had assumed pastoral leadership of the diocese.
The new bishop was then welcomed by representatives of the clergy, religious and multicultural laity of the diocese, and by religious leaders of other faith traditions, after which the liturgy then proceeded as usual at a Catholic Mass.
In his homily, with humility and humor, Bishop Pham, 58, accepted his new position.
He began by acknowledging the "tremendous honor and privilege" of being appointed bishop, and he expressed his "deepest gratitude" to God, his parents and siblings, those who oversaw his priestly formation, and those with whom he has collaborated over his quarter-century in ministry.
"Even though having lived here in San Diego for over 40 years in which I call home, I still have much to learn about life and service to God's people," said Bishop Pham. "As I begin this new responsibility as the shepherd of the Diocese of San Diego, the chosen Gospel of John today becomes the guiding principle for my ministry: Jesus says, 'My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life.'"
In English, Vietnamese and Spanish, he asked the faithful to pray for him that, as bishop, he might "stay centered on Christ, the Good Shepherd, the source of eternal life."
Bishop Pham emphasized justice and peace throughout his homily message.
"Jesus was sent to us by the Father to give us his Spirit of love," the bishop said. "We, too, are sent by Jesus to bring the same Spirit of love to the world filled with division and hatred, through our active participation in justice and peace, in forgiveness and reconciliation actualized now in the Eucharist."
He said that listening to God and to one another is essential if, guided by the Holy Spirit, we are to right the injustices prevalent in the world and to bring peace.
"Peace is possible only when there is justice," he said. "Justice also requires love and compassion. We are challenged to live justly and bring justice to our society as we are mindful of our sisters and brothers who are being neglected, who are being thrown away on the side of the road, and who are incapable of defending themselves."
Bishop Pham, prior to his installation, joined his fellow San Diego bishops, priests and other clergy at a June 20 interfaith witness at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in the city, the location of both an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office and the Department of Justice's San Diego Immigration Court, in an act of accompaniment and spiritual solidarity.
Two of Bishop Pham's siblings spoke before the Mass with The Southern Cross, the newspaper of the San Diego Diocese, sharing their insights into their brother's personality and reflecting on what his installation means to their family.
"We're so happy for him. It's just a momentous occasion, and we're just so thrilled," said Ann Pham, 43, the youngest of the bishop's nine siblings and a member of Good Shepherd Parish.
"We can't even say enough about how we feel or how the family feels because we are truly, truly blessed and honored," added Valerie Pham, 51, a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Rancho Peñasquitos.
The Pham sisters said that their brother, whose episcopal motto is "United in Christ," has long demonstrated a commitment to bringing people together.
"He has had such a wonderful journey throughout his entire life to try and gather everyone together," said Valerie Pham. "His mission is unity."
Bishop Pham has even been a source of unity within his own family, his sisters shared.
Valerie Pham noted that he has dinner with the family every Saturday evening.
"He makes the time and commitment to come and be with the family," she said. "Regardless of how busy he is, that is his priority."
Ann Pham said that, by seeing how their brother makes time for family dinner despite his demanding schedule, his siblings are inspired to be there, too.
"So, we feel really united when he's home," she said.
Prior to the installation Mass, Cardinal McElroy shared his thoughts about Bishop Pham's appointment, describing his successor as "the ideal selection to be the bishop of San Diego" at a time when "synodality is emerging in the life of the church."
"Bishop Pham, in a unique way, in his life, embraces so many of the elements of synodality," he said. "Synodality emphasizes that our life is a journey here on this earth together, walking in faith with God leading us and understanding that we walk not as individuals, but as a community of faith."
He pointed to the Vietnam-born bishop's refugee experience after the Vietnam War. As a boy, young Michael Pham and his family fled the oppressive regime in Vietnam. They lived in a refugee camp in Malaysia before being sponsored by a U.S. family and relocating to Blue Earth, Minnesota. A few years later, they moved to San Diego, where he would go on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering before applying to the diocese's seminary.
"This idea of journey," Cardinal McElroy said, "that we're heading, not exactly where we know where we are going, but knowing that God is with us, has been so much part of his life."
"Bishop Pham is a man of deep collaboration and consultation and, then, of action, and that's very much in the spirit of synodality," he said. "He's brought great unity in our cultural communities and made a great contribution there and, as a pastor, he really acted on the principle that every Catholic is called to participate deeply in the life of the church. … He'll continue to do that as a bishop and work well with our priests here in San Diego."
Since being ordained a priest of the San Diego Diocese June 25, 1999, Bishop Pham has served in four parishes, served as vocations director, as vicar for ethnic and intercultural communities, and as auxiliary bishop, among other leadership posts.
Bishop Pham was appointed as the new bishop of San Diego May 22, in one of Pope Leo XIV's first appointments since the May 18 Mass inaugurating his Petrine ministry.
The nearly 9,000-square-mile diocese of San Diego has 96 parishes and 13 missions. Out of a total population of over 3.4 million, there are nearly 1.4 million Catholics.
