Today, the Holy Father announced to transfer of Robert Cardinal McElroy (70), the Bishop of San Diego, to succeed Wilton Cardinal Gregory (77) as Metropolitan Archbishop of Washington, DC.
I did not design the Cardinal’s coat of arms but I did prepare the current emblazoning on his elevation to the College of Cardinals.
In addition to a new impalement and the addition of an archiepiscopal cross it will be interesting to see if the Cardinal modifies his personal arms at all. The two charges in chief represent two California historic Mission Churches in San Francisco (where he served as a priest) and in San Diego (where he has been serving as diocesan bishop).
Of course I’m no fan of bishops modifying their arms when they move but I could see how he might wish to eliminate these two very Californian references. On the other hand, they both also serve to honor the places of his origin and previous ministry. So, retaining them could also be a good thing. Time will tell.
Below is how his coat of arms may appear after he is installed in Washington:
EXARANDORUM 
I don’t see need for changing the personal symbols in the second half. This show the past for far of the cardinal, in addition to the diocesan half “Washington. The sinister and dexter halves together show the entire life so far of the new archbishop.
You obviously don’t have a lot of experience dealing with American bishops and the way that they think or you wouldn’t have made that comment. In the case of this prelate there is already a precedent: he changed his personal arms by re-arranging them and eliminating some charges and adding another one when he moved from being Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco to being Bishop of San Diego. I have a great deal of experience with the thought process of the American bishop.
Thanks for your notices. Yes, I have no experience in dealing with USA-bishops, simply because I am not a USA-heraldist. But as a ‘heraldist from abroad’ I could make some notices. I have the coa of McElroy as an aux from San Francisco in my archive. I think the changes in his personal-half for San Diego are quite well chosen. I have no problems with the two chapels .
Kindly greetings
How would you even emblazon the two missions in chief?
“In chief Azure the stylized silhouette of Mission San Francisco above, in base, that of Mission San Diego both Argent”. That’s how.