Auxillary Bishop Michael Pham became the first Asian appointed bishop in the diocese of San Diego, but his journey began decades ago in Vietnam.
At the young age of 13 years old, Michael Pham’s faith was already tested. Forced to flee from his home in Vietnam due to Communism, Pham and his family joined more than a hundred others on a boat looking for safety.
Pham says, “ Being on the boat for 3 days and 4 nights without food or water and then we got a pirate come into our boat crashing into our boat it almost split in half we were thinking we were about to die. “
Eventually they’d make it to a refugee camp in Malaysia. But this was just the beginning, as the journey took a toll on Pham who was physically, emotionally, and mentally drained.
Pham adds, “I wasn't able to walk because my body was so numb by the waves pounding the boat I just crawled.That's what we had to do to find freedom and opportunities.”
An American family would step in bringing him to Minnesota. A few years later he’d be reunited with the rest of his family from Vietnam.
They’d settle in San Diego where he graduated from San Diego High and San Diego State. But it was during his pursuit of Master’s Degree at State, when he’d start to question his future. He was on track to get into the aerospace engineering field, until he took a philosophy class.
Pham adds, “ Because of that I began to question all of that my life, my family, and I realized my faith began to unfold deeper and deeper.”
And after helping out at his church, Pham realized he wanted to become a Priest.
Pham says, “I felt this sense of peace I really wanted to share my faith with others.”
But Pham’s faith would be tested once again, it had been months since Pham sent in his application to the seminary. But he heard nothing. Unsure if this was a sign from above, he reached out to the University to follow up.
Pham adds, “My file went into another person's file with the same first nd last name and I said to myself if I dind't call that day I wouldn't be there today.”
Fast forward to more than a decade later, after serving parishes all over San Diego County. Pham was appointed as an Auxilary Bishop for the Diocese of San Diego.
Among his list of priorities, celebrating and highlighting all of the different cultures that make San Diego unique.
Pham adds, “That honor that I need to live out my life in the service of others not just the vietnames community or Asian community but the whole church throughout the world.”
