Ramon Bejarano (born July 17, 1969) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of San Diego in California since 2020.

Biography

Early life

Bejarano was born in

Seagraves, Texas Seagraves is a city in Gaines County, Texas, United States. Its population was 2,417 at the 2010 census. History A post office at the home of S.J. Blythe occupied the area known as Blythe, Texas. In 1917, the Santa Fe Railroad moved into the vic ...

on July 17, 1969. Soon after his birth, Bejarano's family moved to Juan Aldama, Chihuahua in Mexico. In 1987, when he was 18, the family moved to Tracy, California. Bejarano worked in Tracy sorting tomatoes and as a hotel janitor. At age 20, Bejarano applied to become a seminarian with the

Diocese of Stockton The Diocese of Stockton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Central Valley and Mother Lode region of California in the United States. Its cathedral is the Cathedral of the Annunciation, a Mar ...

. Bejarano then entered the Diocesan Seminary of Tijuana in Tijuana, Mexico, earning a Master of Philosophy degree. He received a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree from Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon.

Priesthood

On August 15, 1998, Bejarano was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Donald Montrose. Bejarano is incardinated in the Diocese of Stockton. After his ordination, Bejarano served as parochial vicar in St. George Parish in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, and Sacred Heart Parish in Turlock, California. When Holy Family Parish was founded in

Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

, Bejarano server there. In 2005, he became pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto, serving there for the next 11 years. In 2019, Bejarano was named pastor of the Cathedral of the Annunciation Parish in Stockton. During his tenure in the

California Central Valley The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California. It is wide and runs approximately from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast of the state. It covers ...

, Bejarano served as chaplain to the Migrant Ministry, celebrating mass for families and workers in migrant camps, providing the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...

s and counseling. He served as the spiritual director for the Spanish Catholic Radio in the area. His leadership positions in the diocese included membership on the Presbyteral Council, the Diaconate Board, the Preparatory Commission for the Diocesan Synod of 2005, and the College of Consultors.

Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego

Pope Francis appointed Bejarano as auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of San Diego and titular bishop of Carpi on February 27, 2020. His consecration, initially scheduled for April 21, 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was consecrated on July 14, 2020, in a liturgy celebrated in English, Spanish, and Latin.

References

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