The Most Rev. Louis Tylka (51) a priest of Chicago who became Coadjutor Bishop of Peoria in 2020 succeeded to the See on March 3 after the retirement of Bishop Jenky. The armorial bearings I originally designed for him in 2020 will now be displayed as impaled with the coat of arms of the See of Peoria.
The Most Rev. Donald Trautman (85) a priest of the Diocese of Buffalo, NY who served as Auxiliary Bishop there from 1985 – 1990 and from 1990 – 2012 as the 9th Bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania passed away on February 26.
On March 1 two new auxiliary bishops were ordained for the Archdiocese of New York. They are the Most Rev. John Samuel Bonnici (57), Titular Bishop of Arindela and the Most Rev. Joseph Armando Espaillat (45), Titular Bishop of Tagarbala. Their armorial bearings, rendered by Sig. Renato Poletti, are as follows:
The Most Rev. Luigi Renna (56) originally a priest of Andria, Italy and from 2016 until now Bishop of Cerignola-Ascoli Satriano, Italy will be translated and promoted to Metropolitan Archbishop of Catania and installed in that see on February 19, 2022.
The archbishop’s coat of arms is:
The field of silver stands for transparency of action. The crown of thorns recalls the relic of the holy Thorn kept in the cathedral at Andria. Rising from the crown is a branch terminating in a pomegranate symbolizing charity and, because of the tightly packed seeds inside the fruit, symbolizes the ecclesial communion of the Church. The blue fess is charged with three silver seven-pointed stars alludes to Our Lady and her virginity, before, during and after the Birth of Christ.
The motto, “Building In Charity”, is from Ephesians 4:16. It was a passage of Scripture used in the Office of Readings on the day he received word he was to be named a bishop in 2015.
The arms were designed by Sig. Renato Poletti.
Today, February 15, 2022 the Archdiocese of Catania in Sicily bade farewell to the Archbishop since 2002, the Most Rev. Salvatore Gristina (75). He will be succeeded on February 19 by Archbishop-Designate Luigi Renna. Gristina was born June 23, 1946 in Sciara and ordained a priest by St. paul VI in 1970. Named an auxiliary bishop of Palermo in 1992 by St. John Paul II he was consecrated by Salvatore Cardinal Pappalardo. In 1999 he became Bishop of Acireale until 2002 when he was elevated to Metropolitan Archbishop of Catania.
His armorial bearings were designed by the late Andrea Cardinal Lanza di Montezemolo.
Francisco César García Magán (59) a priest of Toledo, Spain was ordained as the Titular Bishop of Scebatiana and Auxiliary of Toledo on January 15.
The design of his arms is a bit amateurish and cliched; four quarters each with a symbol. The problem with that is that while it might seem an attractive idea from the point of view of design, affording four chances to include different symbols, the idea of quartered arms implies four separate coats of arms that have been marshaled together on the same shield by the method of quartering.
It is, as I said, an amateur’s mistake to think that a newly assumed coat of arms may start out being a shield divided into four quarters each bearing something different. Having said that the new bishop’s arms are aesthetically pleasant and the symbols used are, at least, appropriate.
In the first quarter the Jerusalem cross is used not to symbolize the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher. That cross, used by that order, is not exclusive to it. Here it represents the Passion of the Lord. The second quarter alludes to the Spanish territory of Castile. The third quarter is symbolic of Our Lady (star of the sea) and the fourth quarter alludes to justice and to Canon Law, the academic color for which is green.
On January 9 the Most Rev. Francis Duffy (63), since 2013 Bishop of Ardagh (and Clonmacnoise) was installed as the 50th Archbishop of Tuam, Ireland.
His excellent coat of arms:
On January 9 the Most Rev. Juan Antonio Aznárez Cobo (61), a priest of Pamplona y Tudela and an Auxiliary Bishop there since 2012, was installed as the Archbishop of Spain, Military.
His coat of arms, which is a little bit crowded but overall not too bad, is the following:
We see here the attributed coats of arms of the Three Magi, or Wise Men who are traditionally named Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar. Of course, we don’t really know their names and they also existed before heraldry did. In fact, some Biblical scholars question whether or not they even existed at all or are merely symbolic. We also don’t know from the Scriptures that there were three of them, only that they brought three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. It is assumed, safely I think, that they each bore one gift so that there must have been three of them.
This version of their arms is nicely rendered by Marco Foppoli.
The Most Rev. Joel Maria dos Santos (55) a priest of the archdiocese of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, was ordained Titular Bishop of Thenae and Auxiliary Bishop of Belo Horizonte on December 18, 2021.
His coat of arms is rather nice. It’s clear with a simple, if not a bit haphazard arrangement of the charges. The principal symbol represents the Holy Trinity while the star is for Our Lady and the sword and book a reference to St. Paul. The color scheme is good and the tinctures and metals are a good combination while not going nuts with multiple tinctures.
A very nice coat of arms. Bravo!
One of the better coats of arms borne by an American prelate in the 20th Century belonged to the Most Rev. Thomas Aloysius Boland, the 6th Bishop and 2nd Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey from 1952-1974. Boland had been a priest of Newark and served as Auxiliary Bishop there from 1940-1947 and then was translated to the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey as its 2nd Bishop from 1947-1952. Archbishop Boland retired from office in 1974 and died in 1979.
His very nice, simple and stylish coat of arms impaled very well with the equally simple and well-designed armorial bearings of the See of Newark. The contrast in tinctures and the composition of the charges made for an excellent overall appearance. Of course, in the time when he became a bishop and assumed these arms it was still the custom to include the mitre and crozier in the achievement of a bishop.
It’s not all that easy to find heraldic references to Advent. Nevertheless, one which I came across many years ago and of which I always think at this time of the year is the very fine coat of arms of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. This is the cathedral church for the Episcopalian Diocese. They had a devisal of arms produced for them by HM College of Arms in London. It is, overall, a most pleasing design and I particularly like how an Advent wreath was incorporated.
The Church enters into the final week Advent this week and I wanted to be sure to point out this excellently done coat of arms before the season had left us again.
Happy Advent (and a Merry Christmas) to you all.
On December 8 the Most Rev. Daniel Joseph Meagher (60), a priest of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Australia was ordained a bishop with the Titular See of Pocofeltus and assigned to serve as Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney. The arms he assumed, of which I was pleased to act as a consultant on the design, are the following:
In the United States the last Thursday in November is always observed as Thanksgiving Day. Ostensibly, it commemorates a 1621 event celebrating a good harvest shared by the new colonists arrived from Plymouth, England( now called “Pilgrims”) who came to these shores seeking religious and economic freedom and the Native American Wampanoags who lived here already. The observance as it exists now in the US and its Territories dates as far back as 1863 but having it fixed on the fourth Thursday in November occurred in 1941 under President Franklin Roosevelt. From 1939 to 1941 it had been fixed on the next to last Thursday in November for business reasons but a joint resolution in Congress changed it to the fourth Thursday in November where it has remained since.
Some armorial devices that are somewhat related to Thanksgiving include:
On November 8 the Most Rev. Wilhelm Schraml (86) Bishop-Emeritus of Passau passed from this life. His interesting and handsome coat of arms quartering the arms of the see with his personal arms is below. It is interesting that it incorrectly includes the crozier in the achievement.
US Army General Colin Luther Powell, who served as U.S. Secretary of State from 2001-2005, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989-1993 and as National Security Advisor from 1987-1989 died on October 18, 2021 at age 84 from blood cancer and Parkinson’s Disease both of which had been complicated by Covid-19.
Some people knew, but many didn’t, that Powell had British ancestry and that his father, Luther Powell, had been granted a coat of arms by Her Majesty through Lord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland. In addition, Lord Lyon granted a unique crest to General Powell. The achievement is:
When Lord Lyon Robin Blair travelled to Washington, DC to deliver the Letters Patent of the grant to General Powell in 2004 he attended a cocktail party the night before in suburban Virginia given by American members of the Heraldry Society of Scotland. I was at that party. Lord Lyon was kind enough to bring the Letters Patent with him to the party for all of us heraldic enthusiasts to see. So, we were all privileged to see the grant even before Colin Powell did!
May he rest in peace.
The version above was rendered by Andrew Stewart Jamieson.
On October 17 Pope Francis ordained his long-serving Master of Pontifical Ceremonies, Guido Marini (56) as Bishop of Tortona at a liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica. Bishop Marini, a priest of Genoa who served as Papal MC since 2007, will be installed in his cathedral church on November 7.
The armorial bearings he has assumed were prepared by Marco Foppoli.
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
Fr. Guy Selvester's blog of Ecclesiastical Heraldry
EXARANDORUM 