San Diego Bishop Michael Pham is pictured alongside his parents and seven siblings, shortly after they all began their new life in Blue Earth in 1983.
When Michael Pham was appointed Bishop of San Diego by Pope Leo XIV, it marked the culmination of a long journey that began many years ago, including several years spent living in Blue Earth.
Bishop Michael Pham, originally named Cuong Pham, was born in Da Nang, Vietnam, on January 22, 1967.
In 1980, at age 13, Cuong (now Michael) Pham fled Vietnam as a refugee, accompanied by his older sister and younger brother.
They first arrived at a refugee camp in Malaysia. A year later, in 1981, they were sponsored by an American family and moved to Blue Earth, Minnesota.
A few months later, another sister joined them, and by 1983, the entire family—four more siblings and their parents—had all settled in Blue Earth.
Linda Willette, now residing in Minneapolis, lived next door to the Pham family during their time in Blue Earth.
“It was on the cul de sac on 13th Street,” she remembers. “They were a very nice family, always seemed to be smiling and happy.”
She cannot recall the name of the family that sponsored them.
With eight children in the Pham family next door, there was never a dull moment.
“My daughter, who was around the same age as some of the Pham children, became quite close to them,” Willette reflects.
She recalls that the Pham family was Catholic and attended Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Blue Earth.
“Father Brown took care of them,” she adds. “The Pham family’s father worked as a janitor at Coleman Hall at the church.”
The Pham children all attended Blue Earth Schools.
In 1985, Cuong Pham was a sophomore at Blue Earth High School.
Later that year, he and his family moved to San Diego, California.
According to his biography, Michael Pham pursued a bachelor’s degree and started a master’s in aeronautical engineering at San Diego State University, but eventually transferred to St. Francis Seminary at the University of San Diego.
He finalized his seminary training at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, where he earned degrees in Systematic Theology Baccalaureate and Master of Divinity.
He was ordained as a priest in the San Diego Diocese in 1999. In 2009, he completed a Master of Science in Psychology, and in 2020, he attained a Licentiate in Sacred Theology.
Bishop Pham has served as the associate pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish; diocesan vocations director; and pastor of Holy Family, St. Therese, and Good Shepherd Parishes.
His roles have included sitting on the College of Consultors, Diocesan Finance Council, Presbyteral Council, Personnel Board of Priests, Seminary Board, Priests Retirement Pension, Diaconate Council, Executive Board, Vicar for Ethnic and Intercultural Communities, and Vicar General.
Bishop Pham currently serves as the diocese’s Vicar for Clergy.
On March 17 of this year, the diocese’s College of Consultors selected him to act as diocesan administrator until a new bishop is appointed by the Pope.
Pope Leo XIV named Pham the seventh bishop of San Diego on May 22, making him the first Vietnamese American bishop in the nation.
He will be formally installed as bishop this Thursday, July 17.
“With profound gratitude and blessing, I receive my appointment to be the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego. I cannot express enough how grateful I am to God for blessing me with graces to serve God’s people. I am deeply thankful to Pope Leo XIV who entrusted me with this portion of the Lord’s vineyard. It brings an added sense of awe as I am a son to this diocese. It is an honor to serve ‘my home,’ where I received my call and vocation to the priesthood more than 31 years ago. My priestly ministry has been greatly nurtured and enriched all these years,” Bishop Pham stated.
Notably, he has also worked as Vicar for Ethnic and Intercultural Affairs, where he made significant strides in uniting over 20 of San Diego’s ethnic Catholic communities. Under his direction, the diocese initiated an annual Pentecost Mass for All Peoples in 2018, celebrating the region’s diverse ethnic and cultural heritage.
