After posting about the use of the coat of arms of the martyr, Blessed Oscar Romero, on the vestments used at the ceremony of his beatification last Saturday some noted how there really is no good image of his coat of arms available on the internet. So, I have undertaken to prepare something (above) which at least more clearly depicts the coat of arms as it seems to appear.

The coat of arms can be blazoned as follows: Per fess in chief per fess again the chief Azure a palm branch Or and below that chequy Or and Argent a triple-barred cross Sable; in base Argent a triple sprig of rosemary Proper. The shield is ensigned with a patriarchal cross pale wise behind the shield and a galero with cords and twenty tassels arranged on both sides in four rows of one, two, three and four all Vert. On a scroll below the shield the motto reads, “Sentire Cum Ecclesia”.

I noted with interest that the vestments worn by the bishops for the May 23 beatification ceremony for martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero were martyr’s red and emblazoned with the coat of arms of the slain archbishop. I’m not usually a big fan of heraldry on vestments but in this case I think it was a nice touch.

On March 14 the Most Rev. Stefan Hesse, 48, was ordained and installed as the 5th Archbishop of Hamburg, Germany.

This morning Pope Francis appointed The Most Rev. Blase Cupich up until now Bishop of Spokane, Washington to be the 13th Archbishop of Chicago, Illinois. The arms of Archbishop-Designate Cupich allude to his baptismal patron, St. Blase. Traditionally, on the feast of that saint, the patron of those with diseases of the throat, two candles are used in the blessing of throats by placing them on either side of the throat and reciting the blessing. The arms of the venerable See of Chicago depict a phoenix rising from the ashes as an allusion to the famous Chicago fire and also include symbols of the French settlers in that area and the titular of the cathedral: The Most Holy Name. Cupich will be installed in Chicago on November 18.

UPDATE: The archbishop has decided slightly to modify his coat of arms (below)

Because of the indefinite, and very likely merely temporary, suspension of the Cause for the Canonization of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen I thought some might be curious to see what the archbishop’s coat of arms looked like. It was a simple design playing on the name “Sheen” which is similar to “Shehan” in Gaelic and means “peace”. Hence, the dove. Sheen was Titular Archbishop of Newport, Wales a diocese that no longer exists as such but when it did had as its cathedral the abbey church at Belmont Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in the UK which still does exist to this day.

Below is the coat of arms of the Most Reverend Leo William Cushley, Metropolitan Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland. He was installed in the position last year but just this past Sunday received his pallium from Pope Francis.

On May 1 the Most Rev. Malcolm McMahon, OP, formerly bishop of Nottingham, was installed as the 12th archbishop of Liverpool, England. His coat of arms is depicted on the cathedra of the metropolitan cathedral. It is interesting how the personal arms impale the arms of the See but both are then placed under one chief.