Category Archives: Bishops

Bishop O’Connell of Albany

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On December 5 the Most Rev. Mark William O’Connell (61), a priest and, since 2016, an Auxiliary Bishop of Boston will be installed as the 11th Bishop of the Diocese of Albany, New York.

BLAZON: Arms impaled. In the dexter: Azure, a beaver springing Tenné holding in its dexter paw a bishop’s crozier Or; in chief to sinister a crescent Argent. In the sinister: per fess Argent and Vert, a saltire between in chief and in base two trefoils facing the centerpoint all Counterchanged; overall a stag’s head erased Tenné. On a chief barry wavy Azure and Argent; overall a fish naiant Or. The shield is ensigned with an episcopal cross Or and a bishop’s galero with cords and twelve tassels flanking the shield disposed in three rows of one, two and three all Vert. On a scroll below the shield is the motto, “Invenimus Messiam”.

The armorial bearings of Bishop Mark O’Connell impale the coat of arms of his episcopal See with his personal coat of arms. These evoke his family and heritage as well as his ministry. The coat of arms is composed of a shield with its charges (symbols), a motto and the external ornamentation.

The arms of the Diocese of Albany are composed of a blue field on which are placed a beaver standing on one foot and holding a bishop’s crozier below a silver (white) crescent in the upper right corner.  The beaver holding a crozier in the arms of the See come from the fact that the original name of Albany was “Beaverwyck” as it was a major outpost on the route for traders. In addition, the beaver is an animal closely associated with Canada, where the Bishop was born. It holds a crozier as an indication of Albany as the seat of a bishop. The crescent alludes to the Immaculate Conception, the titular of the cathedral church. 

Bishop O’Connell’s personal coat of arms was originally assumed when he became a bishop in 2016. That design has now been modified by the bishop so that his personal arms have a rather different appearance. I think I have commented on this blog numerous times in the past about how I generally do not favor the idea of an armiger later redesigning and changing his arms. I think it is done far too often, especially among the American episcopate. Nevertheless, it is sometimes strongly desired especially when there may be circumstances involving the adoption of the original coat of arms that influenced that original design. Upon further reflection it may sometimes occur that an armiger has second thoughts about the arms assumed, or simply has a strong desire to try to improve the coat of arms. Under such circumstances a move such as this one—being transferred to become a diocesan bishop—provide a kind of “natural” occasion to modify the existing coat of arms. In this case, the bishop had a clear desire to simplify the design of his personal arms because he was cognizant of the custom in N. America for impaling the personal arms with those of the See. Sometimes, such an impalement renders the personal arms—when they are an especially complex design—difficult to see clearly. So, right from the start of this commission the Bishop requested that some modifications be made in order to simplify the overall look of his personal coat of arms to make it more easily discernable when impaled with those of Albany. After discussing my usual attitude towards modifying existing arms I reluctantly agreed to do what I was being asked and then, I must admit, took to the task with enthusiasm.

The basic design of the main part of the field is based on the arms traditionally associated with the name O’Connell but with some significant changes in order to “difference” them from the original and make them unique to Bishop O’Connell. So, the background divided in half with the upper portion silver (white) and the lower portion green is taken from the O’Connell arms. To this is added a saltire (a cross in the shape of an “X”) as a symbol of St. Andrew, to whom the Bishop has a great devotion, and who was crucified on an X-shaped cross. This saltire is “counterchanged” meaning it’s colors are reversed with the background colors. Above and below the saltire are two trefoils (which also resemble shamrocks). These are also counterchanged to maintain the green and white color scheme. They are depicted facing each other, as it were, with their stems in an attitude towards the center of the shield. In this way they appear to be mirror images of each other. They, too, are taken from the original O’Connell arms. While there are three in the original only two are depicted here for a sense of symmetry. They allude to both the Holy Trinity and the Bishop’s Irish heritage. In addition, the color green is an allusion to the bishop being a canon lawyer because green is the academic color usually associated with Canon Law.

Placed in the center overall there is a stag’s head. This is retained from the arms the Bishop assumed in 2016 where it served there, as it does again here, as a reference to the full stag usually depicted in the arms of O’Connell. For purposes of creating another difference from the original while at the same time hearkening back to the coat of arms the Bishop first assumed, the head of the stag cut off at the neck, rather than the whole animal, has been depicted. Instead of being depicted facing the viewer and colored red it is shown in profile and is colored Tenné. This tone is used in heraldry as a representation of the color brown, which doesn’t exist in heraldic art. The closest approximation of brown that can be used while maintaining heraldic tradition is this “stain”, as opposed to a tincture, called Tenné.

On the upper third of the shield, called a “chief” we see a background composed of blue and silver (white) wavy bars. This is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Boston where Bishop O’Connell served as a priest and an Auxiliary Bishop. The two white lines also represent the two rivers of Albany. Over the wavy lines there is a gold (yellow) fish. This symbol is borrowed from the arms associated with the name Delaney which was the Bishop’s mother’s name. In the Delaney arms it represents the “Salmon of Wisdom” associated with the legend of the mythical warrior, Fionn. In addition, it is worth noting that the fish was the earliest symbol used by the infant Church as a symbol of the faith. The word for fish is ICHTHUS in Greek. Using the letters of the Greek alphabet to spell the word fish, early Christians secretly bore this symbol as it created an acronym with the hidden meaning “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”. The fish was a pictorial representation of this phrase and thereby formed a secret symbol for the first Christians.

The fish upon the waves, therefore, alludes to the Bishop’s maternal family, the Archdiocese of Boston, the Diocese of Albany as well as the concept of the Apostles—and their successors, the bishops—are called to be “Fishers of Men”. In a further allusion to St. Andrew we know that St. Andrew was present during the miracle of the loaves and fishes, where he identified a boy with five loaves and two fish, which Jesus then multiplied to feed a crowd of five thousand people. This event highlights Andrew’s role in bringing others to Jesus and his participation in the early ministry of Christ.

The external ornaments include a gold episcopal cross placed vertically behind the shield. This is often mistaken for a processional cross like the one used in liturgical processions. However, like other heraldic ornaments the episcopal cross has its origins in something which is no longer actually used. At one time all bishops had, in addition to the processional cross at the head of the procession, another cross carried directly in front of them by a cleric. This other cross was a sign of the office of bishop. While no longer actually used it has remained a symbol of the episcopal office in heraldry.

Similarly, the broad-brimmed green galero was, at one time, worn by bishops in outdoor processions and cavalcades. No longer used it remains a heraldic symbol of the office of bishop and takes the place of the helmet, mantling and crest that would appear in the coat of arms of a layman. In Catholic heraldry the color and number of tassels on the galero indicates the rank of the bearer. The single barred episcopal cross and the green galero with twelve tassels signifies the coat of arms of a bishop according to the Instruction of the Holy See, “Ut Sive” issued in 1969.

The motto chosen by Bishop O’Connell appears on a scroll below the shield. “Invenimus Messiam” which translates to “We Have Found the Messiah” is taken from John 1:41. The words are attributed to Saint Andrew who purportedly used them when greeting people for the first time as a way of announcing the coming of the Lord, His great work of Redemption, and his Resurrection. Bishop O’Connell’s spirituality is deeply rooted in this spiritual dictum.

I was very pleased to assist the Bishop with the modifications to his original coat of arms and to do the current artwork as well.

Jefferson City’s New Bishop

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On October 28 the Most Rev. Ralph Bernard O’Donnell (56), a priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha since 1997, will be ordained a bishop and installed as the 5th Bishop of Jefferson City, Missouri.

The arms that he has assumed which are impaled to the recently redesigned arms of the See of Jefferson City were designed and emblazoned by Dom Pachomius Meade, OSB of Conception Abbey. He also worked on the redesign of the diocesan coat of arms.

Checchio to be Coadjutor of New Orleans

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Today it was announced that the Most Rev. James Checchio (59), the 5th Bishop of Metuchen, New Jersey has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to become the Coadjutor Archbishop of New Orleans, Louisiana. He expects to take up his new responsibilities in late November. His current coat of arms will need slight modification to add another row of tassels to the galero and a second horizontal bar to the cross. However, it is customary for a Coadjutor Archbishop or Bishop to use his personal arms alone on the shield until such time as he succeeds to the See and then he may marshal his personal arms with those of the See on the same shield.

Bishop Checchio has served as Bishop of Metuchen since 2016. He will assist the Most Rev. Gregory Aymond (75) in the duties of shepherding the Archdiocese of New Orleans until the conclusion of their current bankruptcy proceedings which are expected to last until the end of this year. As Coadjutor Archbishop, Checchio will then automatically have the right immediately to succeed to the See.

It just so happens that it was my great privilege and pleasure to prepare the armorial bearings for Archbishop Aymond when he became Archbishop of New Orleans in 2009.

Bishop Chau

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On September 8 the Rev. P. Bismarck Chau (58) will be ordained a Bishop in the Church and become the Titular Bishop of Catrum and Auxiliary Bishop to HE, Joseph Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Newark, NJ.

BLAZON: Argent on a triple mound issuant in base Sable a Latin cross Azure charged with a fleur-de-lis Argent; on a chief wavy Azure flanked by oak leaves Argent a human hand couped with the first two fingers raised in an attitude of benediction Or. Shield ensigned with an episcopal cross Or behind the shield and a bishop’s galero Vert cords and twelve tassels disposed in three rows of one, two and three all Vert. On a scroll below the shield the motto: “Dios Es Mi Fuerza”. (God is my strength)

EXPLANATION: The armorial bearings of Bishop Bismarck Chau reflect his family name, his Baptismal patron, the country of his birth and his ministry. The shield is composed primarily of the colors blue and white. These are the colors of the flag of Nicaragua where the bishop and his family originate. In the lower portion of the shield on a silver (white) background we see rising from the bottom of the shield a mound of three black hillocks. The three stylized hills represent that Nicaragua is known as a land of volcanoes. The hills create a kind of stylized mountain and the black color represents the black volcanic ash.

In addition, this stylized mound of rocks is also a nod to St. Peter whom Jesus called “the rock” on which He would build His church. Pedro (Peter) is the Bishop’s baptismal name. The black color of the rocks also has another meaning. The Chau–or Zhou–dynasty in China from which the family name is derived, was known for establishing an
extensive system of bronze metal-working. The black color emulates the dark color of bronze and so pays tribute to the Bishop’s family name.

Rising from the mound is the blue cross of faith charged with a silver (white) fleur-de-lis. The Bishop sees this as symbolizing the fact that he is who he is because of Christ; because he died on the Cross to give us life and made us all into a new creation. The cross not only symbolizes salvation and freedom, but also strength. God gave Jesus strength to carry his cross to the end. The fleur-de-lis has long been used in heraldry as a symbol of Our Lady. Mary was also a source of strength for Jesus, at calvary especially, at the foot of the Cross. It is worth noting that of all the symbols of Our Lady that could have been chosen the fleur-de-lis was used because it is a heraldic charge that also appears in the coat of arms of Pope Leo XIV who appointed Bishop Chau to the episcopacy as well as the coat of arms of Cardinal Tobin, whom the Bishop will serve and support by his own episcopal ministry. Thus, it honors those two figures important in the life of Bishop Chau.

The upper third of the shield, called a “chief” is separated from the rest by a wavy line representing water. The water alludes to Nicaragua being also known as a land of lakes, and is also symbolic of the waters of Baptism through which we all pass to become part of the Body of Christ. On this chief we see a gold (yellow) colored hand in blessing. This is symbolic of the divine blessing on all the Bishop’s endeavors. Gold is a color often used in heraldry to evoke divinity. In addition, this divine hand in blessing is also an allusion to the Bishop’s work with the Deaf Community. American Sign Language uses the hands arranged in different gestures to communicate. The hand is flanked by two silver (white or gray-ish) oak leaves. These are borrowed directly from the coat of arms of Bismarck as a representation of the Bishop’s given middle name which he most often uses and by which he is most commonly known and called.

The motto below the shield is taken from Isaiah 49:5 saying (in Spanish), “Dios Es Mi Fuerza”,  which, in English, translates to: “God is My Strength”.

It was my great pleasure and honor to design the Bishop’s armorial bearings and to prepare the artwork as well.

Bishop Pham of San Diego

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On July 17, 2025 the Most Rev. Michael Pham (58), a priest of the Diocese of San Diego who, since 2023 has also served as Auxiliary Bishop there, will be installed as the VII Bishop of San Diego.

The arms that he assumed when he became a bishop in 2023 remain unchanged, as is most correct. They have, however, simply been marshaled with the existing, and very nice, coat of arms of the diocese.

BLAZON: Arms impaled. In the dexter: Or, a cross throughout Gules between in the dexter chief quarter a Spanish stew pot and in the other three quarters a nail all Sable (San Diego) In the sinister: Per fess wavy Argent and Azure; in base fretty Argent; in chief a fishing boat Gules with a sail unfurled Argent charged with a beehive Gules flanked by two palm branches to dexter and sinister Vert; in chief eight tongues of fire all Gules. Shield ensigned with an episcopal cross Or behind the shield and a bishop’s galero Vert cords and twelve tassels disposed in three rows of one, two and three all Vert. On a scroll below the shield the motto: “United in Christ”.

EXPLANATION: The Bishop’s coat of arms, is composed of a shield upon which there are symbolic charges, a motto and the external ornaments of rank. The shield which is the most important feature of any heraldic device is blazoned (i.e. described) in heraldic language from the point of view of the bearer with the shield being held on his arm. Thus, where it applies, the term “dexter” (right) and “sinister” (left) are reversed as the device is viewed from the front.

By heraldic custom observed in North America, the arms of a diocesan bishop are “impaled” side by side on the same shield to the arms of his jurisdiction, in this case, the Diocese of San Diego. This signifies that the diocesan bishop is “married” to the See. The same method of impalement is employed in the coat of arms of two married people who are armigerous.

The coat of arms of the See of San Diego is composed of a gold (yellow) field and symbols of San Diego (St. Didacus in Latin), the diocesan patron saint. Diego was born to poor Spanish parents shortly before the year 1400. His love of poverty never left him. As a Franciscan brother he was a selfless servant of the poor and was known to heal the sick with the Sign of the Cross, the central charge of the diocesan coat of arms. The Spanish stew pot in the upper left quadrant indicates Diego’s boundless charity and tireless efforts to feed the hungry. San Diego had a special devotion to the Lord in his Passion, symbolized by the three nails in the other three quadrants. Diego died on Nov. 12, 1463, at the Franciscan monastery in Alcalá, Spain, pressing a crucifix to his heart and repeating the words of the Good Friday chant: “Dulce lignum, dulce ferrum, dulce pondus sustinet” (Precious the wood, precious the nails, precious the weight they bear.)

The personal coat of arms assumed by Bishop Pham when he was made Auxiliary Bishop in 2023 combines symbols that are meaningful to him. The shield is divided horizontally to depict a silver (white) sky above a blue wavy ocean. The ocean is criss-crossed by diagonal lines in order to create a pattern suggestive of a fisherman’s net. It represents that after 1975 while still living in Vietnam the bishop’s father became a fisherman to provide for his family. In addition, the net indicates not only the task of an apostle (or a successor to an apostle) of being a “fisher of men” but it also alludes to the New Evangelization where we are exhorted to put out into the deep (Duc in Altum). This symbolizes both the bishop’s priestly and episcopal ministry. 

In the upper part of the shield the boat also alludes to the work of a fisherman. In addition, a boat, in heraldry, is often used as a symbol of the Church itself, often referred to as the barque of Peter, who was himself, a fisherman. On the sail of the boat in the center is a red beehive flanked by two green palm branches. The beehive is a symbol of St. John Chrysostom, the bishop’s baptismal patron saint who was renowned for his inspiring preaching. So, he was known as a “honey-tongued” preacher. The palm branches are an ancient symbol of martyrdom. The bishop’s family comes from the first diocese in the north of Vietnam where his ancestors were among the first martyrs for the faith in that part of the world.

On either side and above the boat are eight red tongues of fire. They are symbols of the Holy Spirit which descended on the Apostles as tongues of fire at Pentecost. This was the beginning of their ministry to go out into the world to preach the Gospel so it is another symbol of Evangelization. Several flames represent a diversity of communities. Bishop Pham strengthened the cultural communities found in the diocese and shared them with the larger Catholic community. He has served as Episcopal Vicar of the Office of Ethnic & Intercultural Communities. So, symbols of the Holy Spirit were seen to appropriately reflect this ministry. It also reflects how, on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended, people from different places, languages and cultures heard the Apostles speaking in their own languages. The red of the boat, the beehive and the tongues of fire is a further allusion to the blood of the martyrs.

It was my great pleasure to design and emblazon the bishop’s arms in 2023 when he became a bishop. At this time it was also my pleasure to marshal them to the arms of the See and emblazon them once again.

Bishop Eckman of Pittsburgh (UPDATED)

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Today, His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV appointed the Most Rev. Mark Anthony Eckman (66), a priest of Pittsburgh and since 2021 the Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh, as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

His armorial bearings, which not only allude to St. Mark but also, by use of the checkerboard taken from the arms of the See of Pittsburgh (and which, in turn, are borrowed from the arms of William Pitt, where they allude to his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer) now line up with the same checkerboard when his arms are impaled with those of the See.

It looks a bit odd, however, that the fess in his personal arms is more narrow than that in the arms of the See. It would probably work better artistically, if the two were of the same width. That would give the appearance of a single fess that crosses the two impaled arms but that’s simply the way it will appear. That’s one of the pitfalls of choosing charges and ordinaries directly from another coat of arms. Of course, it must be said that at the time Bishop Eckman assumed his own arms he could have no idea that one day he’d be named Bishop of Pittsburgh and impale his arms with those of the diocese. His personal arms, in my opinion, harmonizes nicely with the diocesan coat of arms making for a pleasing achievement.

NOTE: I have now been reliably informed that the bishop has, in fact, decided to slightly modify the fess in his personal arms so that it is identical to the one in the diocesan arms. So, problem solved!

Bishop Lewandowski, CSsR of Providence

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On May 20, the Most Rev. Bruce Lewandowski, CSsR (57), a Redemptorist and formerly Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, will be installed as the 10th Bishop of Providence, R.I. I had previously written about the bishop’s coat of arms when he was first made Auxiliary Bishop.

Now that he is moving to become a diocesan bishop his armorial bearings will now be marshaled to those of his diocese. The Bishop had employed his sister, a Felician Sister who “works in media” for her Province to design his coat of arms. As they were back then, so too, are they something of a dumpster fire, heraldically speaking.

In an interview for The Catholic Review, the Baltimore archdiocesan newspaper, in 2020 the Bishop said, “Why would I ask anyone else?” when asked why his sister was designing his coat of arms. I think I can answer that. How about: in order to turn to someone with knowledge of a specific topic that isn’t really a DIY project? How about that? In her own part of the same interview, Sr. Lewandowski remarked about some of the particular elements of her design:

“The Holy Spirit is depicted as breaking the upper edge of the shield ‘as it is the privilege of the Holy Spirit to inspire new life and envision endless possibilities for the Church, God’s people,’ the description says. The designer noted that she was not sure if that was “allowed” but in her research she did not find any parameters that said it couldn’t be done that way.” (emphasis added)

All I can say is that must have been one quick and not very diligent Google search. Even the most cursory bit of online research should have clued her in to the fact that charges emerging through the edges of the field was a puerile and amateurish mistake. Quite frankly, I don’t see how she could have done any research and reached the conclusion that she did! There are numerous resources out there for someone unfamiliar with good heraldic practices, to say nothing of the huge online presence of groups and organizations that could have happily offered her assistance in her project.

But, this, instead, is the worst kind of so-called heraldry: heraldry as logo. (It summons up the bile just by thinking about it!).

In the same aforementioned article she said:

“…she believes a bishop’s coat of arms should tell people who he is and what he stands for. And I believe it should be a more spiritual piece, not just a historical piece,” she said. “And a lot of the coats of arms that I’ve seen and that I kind of read into, it’s a real historical document, but it doesn’t always tell you who the bishop is. She said she tried to tie in Bishop-designate Lewandowski’s spirituality into the symbols she used.”

Well, she got the first part right. A coat of arms should tell people who the armiger is. But, then she rode that right off the rails with the second part. A coat of arms does not tell people what the armiger stands for. It is for identification alone. I have often mentioned that a coat of arms is not one’s C.V. in pictures. Similarly, it isn’t an expression of personal ideology; a manifesto of one’s own spirituality or (for the clergy) a catechetical tool that expresses one’s personal beliefs as a kind of pictorial homily. Unfortunately, that’s precisely how the Lewandowski kids decided to view this project, with disastrous results.

In the latest rendering the overcrowded and poorly composed original coat of arms now falls victim to, perhaps, my second favorite pet peeve: they were changed in order to combine well with the diocesan arms. That’s not an option, full stop. (I suppose Sister didn’t find anything in her research that said she couldn’t do that either!) In addition, the charges form the personal arms are still going beyond the divisions and boundaries of the shield and/or spilling over from one impalement to the other. Clearly, this is also the classic mistake of thinking that the diocesan arms now somehow “become” part of the bishop’s coat of arms rather than being an example of two distinct and separate coats of arms marshaled together on one shield so as to express the relationship between the two!

The list of things wrong with this just goes on and on, and on…

Suffice it to say that he had a poorly designed coat of arms to begin with which would have and could have benefitted greatly from some expertise and advice from an organization, an individual, or even a decent book on the subject in order to take the elements and arrange and depict them according to good heraldic practices. Now, that poorly designed coat of arms has been badly modified and marshaled inexpertly to the point that the diocesan coat of arms of the See of Providence is depicted incorrectly!

EPIC FAIL!

But…what do you expect when a coat of arms is approached as an exercise in graphic design to tell us who the armiger really is? I’ll leave that question unanswered, thank you.

One of “The Quints” for Chicago

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On Wednesday, February 26 the Most Rev. Lawrence John Sullivan (59), a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago for the last 33 years, will be ordained as the Titular Bishop of Lamphua and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Bishop-Elect Sullivan is one of five new auxiliary bishops appointed for the archdiocese by Pope Francis.

The blazon of the arms is: Vert, between two bars in chief and in base, four fleurs-de-lis fess wise all Argent; on a chief wavy Or between two Tau crosses the winged head of the lion of St. Mark all Gules.Shield ensigned with an episcopal cross Or behind the shield and a bishop’s galero Vert cords and twelve tassels disposed in three rows of one, two and three all Vert. On a scroll below the shield the motto: ”Walk Humbly With God”.

The armorial bearings of Bishop Sullivan symbolize his birthplace, his personal devotions and the place in which he has spent his life and ministry as a priest.

The basic design of the field echoes the design on the flag of Chicago, his native place. The background color has been changed to green as a nod to the Irish heritage of the Bishop. The two blue bars and four red stars on the Chicago flag have been differenced here and changed to two silver (white) bars and four silver (white) fleurs-de-lis. These fleurs-de-lis represent multiple things. One fleur-de-lis is taken from the coat of arms of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin who ordained the Bishop a priest; the second is taken from the coat of arms of Blaise Cardinal Cupich who will be the principal consecrator ordaining him to the episcopacy; the third is from the coat of arms of Mundelein Seminary where he received his priestly formation; the fourth is not from a coat of arms but is a heraldic symbol of St. Joseph, the patron saint of his College Seminary. It goes without saying that the fleurs-de-lis also figure prominently in the coat of arms of the archdiocese of Chicago. So, the design combines symbols from the city and the archdiocese where Bishop Sullivan was born, grew up and has served as a priest and will now serve as a bishop. Lastly, the fleur-de-lis is, itself, a heraldic symbol of Our Lady.

The upper third of the shield, called a “chief” is separated from the rest of the field by a wavy line alluding to both Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. On this gold (yellow) chief are two red crosses in the famous Tau shape. These represent the Bishop’s devotion to St. Francis of Assisi. This shape of cross is associated with the saint because he himself used it. Whenever writing anything, St. Francis placed a Tau cross at the top of the page.

Between these two crosses is the haloed head and wings of the Lion of St. Mark also depicted in red. This magnificent creature is symbolic of St. Mark as referenced in the prophecy of Ezekiel 1-2 and also in the Book of Revelation. St. Mark is the Bishop’s favorite evangelist and he likes and is drawn to the very human side of Christ depicted so well in Mark’s gospel. In addition, in his own personal spirituality Bishop Sullivan feels we are called to see Christ present in the world and that we see this in others and we, too, are called to be that presence of Christ for others, revealing the face of God–the very human God in Christ– to them. The combination of the colors green, gold and red are also used on the national flag of Lithuania and so they are a recognition of the Bishop’s Lithuanian ancestry as well. 

The motto below the shield is “Walk Humbly With God”

The shield is also ensigned with those external ornaments that indicate the bearer is a bishop. The gold (yellow) episcopal cross, not to be confused with a processional cross, is placed vertically behind and extending above and below the shield. In former times archbishops, and later all bishops, had a cross mounted on a staff carried immediately in front of them while in procession or on solemn occasions. This cross was a symbol of their rank as bishop. While such an episcopal cross is no longer used practically it has been retained heraldically. In fact, there are other clerics who make use of the ecclesiastical hat with its many tassels but the one true heraldic emblem of a bishop, and the only essential one, is the episcopal cross placed behind the shield.

Above the shield is the ecclesiastical hat, called a galero which, in heraldry, replaces the martial helmet, mantling and crest. “The hat with six pendant tassels (green, purple or black) on each side is universally considered in heraldry as the sign of prelacy. It, therefore, pertains to all who are actually prelates.” (Heim, Bruno B., Heraldry in the Catholic Church 1978, page 114) The galero is green with green cords pendant from it and twelve green tassels arranged in a pyramid shape on either side of the shield. At one time in history bishops and archbishops wore green before adopting the more Roman purple we see today. In heraldry the green hat and tassels was retained for prelates with the rank of bishop according to the Instruction of the Secretariat of State, “Ut Sive” of March, 1969.

It was my pleasure and my privilege to assist Bishop-Elect Sullivan with the creation of his coat of arms. I was responsible for the design and also provided the artwork.

New Bishop in Oslo

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The Most Rev. Frederik Hansen (45) was ordained a bishop on January 18 and became Coadjutor Bishop of Oslo, Norway with the automatic right of succession to Bishop Bernt Ivar Eidsvig, CRSA, who is currently 71. When he succeeds to the See, Bishop Hansen will be the 9th Bishop of Oslo.

In the interests of full disclosure, the new bishop, who spent some time working for the diplomatic corps of the Holy See and was in residence in a parish in my native diocese of Rockville Centre, NY contacted me upon his appointment to design his coat of arms. However, he later was informed that the diocese of Oslo had already secured the services of another heraldist, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta.

The Bishop’s arms are quartered with those of the Diocese of Oslo, somewhat unusually for someone who is not yet the diocesan bishop but more of a “diocesan bishop-in-waiting”. This will, of course, save him the trouble of having a new rendering made when the time comes that he succeeds to the See. nevertheless, it is unusual because he does not yet possess jurisdiction over the See.

For his personal arms, seen in the second and third quarters, the heraldic colors, blue and silver, are from Drammen’s city coat of arms. The “IHS” is the monogram of the name “Jesus” and points to Jesus’ holy name and Bishop Hansen’s devotion to “the name above all names” (Phil 2,9–10) which is given to mankind for salvation (see Acts 4,12). The open book refers to Bishop Hansen’s work in church administration and in priestly formation and teaching. The two croziers allude to two Norwegian saint-bishops: St. Torfinn, bishop of Hamar, and St. Eystein, Primate-Archbishop of Nidaros.

Despite not having worked on this project I’d say the bishop was in good hands and has achieved an excellent result (pun intended).

Cardinal McElroy Translated to Washington, DC

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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:

Feast of St. Nicholas

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Some years back there was a discussion about the devisal of attributed arms for St. Nicholas of Myra (aka Santa Claus). My fellow heraldry enthusiast, Michael Quigley, proposed this design.

Attributed arms are created for individuals who didn’t bear a coat of arms themselves. Either, they are fictitious characters, they simply didn’t have a coat of arms or they may have lived prior to the development of heraldry.

St. Nicholas was definitely a real person but he lived from A.D. 270 – 343, roughly nine hundred years before heraldry existed.

This fanciful coat of arms employs an Eastern mitre and the traditional 3 gold coins associated with St. Nicholas from the story of him ransoming three children from being sold into slavery. It also uses deer (reindeer) supporters, fir twigs and the colors green and red so associated with the legend of Santa Claus and Western Christmas lore and custom.

December 6 is the feast of St. Nicholas.

Bishop Dennis Spies

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On November 6, 2024 the Most Rev. Dennis Spies, (56) a priest of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois will be ordained as the Titular Bishop of Cenculiana and Auxiliary Bishop of Joliet. The Bishop-Elect’s appointment by the Pope was announced only on September 27 and he will very quickly be ordained to the office of bishop, well before Advent and the holiday season is upon us.

The armorial bearings he will be assuming are as follows:

The blazon of his coat of arms is: “Per saltire Or and Azure; overall two spears in saltire points upward tipped with fleurs-de-lis Counterchanged between, in chief and in base a heart facing the centerpoint Gules; and to dexter and sinister a garb of wheat, Or. Shield ensigned with an episcopal cross Or behind the shield and a bishop’s galero Vert cords and twelve tassels disposed in three rows of one, two and three all Vert. On a scroll below the shield the motto: “I Call You Friends”.

The main colors of the shield, blue & gold, are the colors primarily used in the coat of arms of the Diocese of Joliet. So, by means of their use the diocese the bishop has served as a priest (and now as a bishop) is alluded to. The shield is divided in a saltire (an “X” shape) and the two main charges are two spears crossed in saltire. The surname Spies is German in origin and in German and Dutch it is a metonymic occupational name for a spear maker. It is derived from Middle High German “spiez”, meaning ‘spear pike’ or an occupational name from the same word in the sense of a ‘soldier armed with a spear’. So, the two spears allude to the family name. They appear slightly different from the typical spear in that their heads, rather than depicting the usual blade, have heads that are shaped like the fleur-de-lis. This, too, is taken from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Joliet where two fleurs-de-lis appear. This is an ancient heraldic symbol of both the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Most Holy Trinity. Counterchanging (where the color of an object and the background are alternated) serves as a symbol of conversion…the daily conversion to which we are all called as followers of Christ.

Above and below are two red hearts symbolizing the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The hearts are depicted with their points toward the center of the shield. The two hearts–in a sense–“facing each other” symbolize the love that God has for all His creation and the love that His children return to Him by their faith and devotion. Love is both given and received. The disposition of the hearts indicates this.

A heart shape, although with different symbolism, also appears in the coat of arms of Bishop Hicks, the Diocesan Bishop whose ministry Bishop Spies will assist and support. It is an old custom in heraldry to borrow a charge from the coat of arms of a superior or patron as a way of honoring them. So, the heart shape being repeated in the coat of arms of Bishop Spies honors this custom.

To the left and right are two gold (yellow) garbs of wheat. The garbs of wheat are symbolic of agriculture generally and the Bishop grew up on a farm. In addition, they are also symbolic of the Eucharist, the center of our lives as Christians. So, they are a fitting symbol of both his background and his faith.

The motto below the shield is, “I Call You Friends” from John 15:15 where Jesus says, “I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I call you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.”

The shield is also ensigned with those external ornaments that indicate the bearer is a bishop. The gold (yellow) cross is placed vertically behind and extending above and below the shield. This is often mistakenly thought to be a processional cross like those used in liturgical processions. That is not entirely right. In former times archbishops, and later all bishops, had a second cross mounted on a staff carried immediately in front of them while in procession or on solemn occasions. This cross was a symbol of their rank as bishop. While such an episcopal cross is no longer used practically it has been retained heraldically. In fact, there are other clerics who make use of the ecclesiastical hat with its many tassels but the one true heraldic emblem of a bishop, and the only essential one, is the episcopal cross placed behind the shield.

Above the shield is the ecclesiastical hat, called a galero which, in heraldry, replaces the martial helmet, mantling and crest. “The hat with six pendant tassels (green, purple or black) on each side is universally considered in heraldry as the sign of prelacy. It, therefore, pertains to all who are actually prelates.” (Heim, Bruno B., Heraldry in the Catholic Church 1978, page 114). The galero is green with green cords pendant from it and twelve green tassels arranged in a pyramid shape on either side of the shield. At one time in history bishops and archbishops wore green before adopting the more Roman purple we see today. In heraldry the green hat and tassels was retained for prelates with the rank of bishop according to the Instruction of the Secretariat of State, “Ut Sive” of March, 1969.

It was my great privilege and pleasure to work with Bishop Spies on the design and execution of his armorial bearings and also preparing the blazon and explanation.

Archbishop Henning of Boston

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It has been very gratifying as a heraldist to have one project that I have been able to stay with through all its permutations. On October 31, the Most Rev. Richard G. Henning (60) who has served for the last 17 months as Bishop of Providence, R.I. and who was also Coadjutor of Providence for a further four months before that, and who was previously Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre, N.Y., his native diocese where he became a priest in 1992, will be installed as the 10th Bishop and 7th Metropolitan Archbishop of the See of Boston, Massachusetts.

Back in 2018, the then Bishop-elect Henning contacted me to design a coat of arms for him. That’s not an unusual thing for me (I have designed coats of arms for three other bishops from Rockville Centre) but this one was more personal. I’m also a Long Island native and Archbishop Henning and I attended the same high school, Chaminade in Mineola, and we graduated together in the class of 1982. While not close friends, we have been acquainted with one another since we were teenagers. I was very happy to design his coat of arms for him. He entered the task with great enthusiasm and I think the coat of arms that we ended up with was simple, bold and very clear, all marks of good heraldry. On a personal not: at his episcopal ordination which I attended, the new Bishop, in his post-Communion remarks, thanked me publicly for assisting him in preparing his coat of arms. As I told him afterwards, that was very gratifying because in 39 years of doing this kind of work no bishop had ever done that before. I think it speaks volumes about what kind of person he is.

In late 2022 after he received the news of his appointment as Coadjutor of Providence I actually reached out to him to let him know that, as a Coadjutor, his coat of arms wouldn’t need any changes but that at some point in the future when he succeeded to the See, he’d have to modify his arms by marshaling them to the arms of the Diocese of Providence. He then asked me to begin on that right away because it was not certain when his succession would occur and he wanted to be prepared for that eventuality. I also thought that was “done and dusted” as they say and he was now set for the rest of his life.

However, in August of this year I was surprised and delighted to hear that the Holy Father had appointed him Archbishop of Boston. For the third time he contacted me. He said that several people in Boston assisting him with the needs of his transition had proposed people to prepare his coat of arms. But, he politely declined all those and said that he already had someone in mind. Again, I was really very pleased and honored at that. I see my designs as sort of my intellectual property. True, the coat of arms, once designed, is given over to the armiger to whom it truly belongs, but I feel like I still have a stake in it. So, I was very glad that I’d be able to assist Archbishop Henning yet again.

He retains the arms he first assumed in 2018. For this version, the escallop shell has been redrawn to a slightly more round shape and the bordure wavy has been slightly reduced in order to make more room for the shell which now occupies a much smaller field on one half of the shield. This is impaled with the arms of the See of Boston, designed by the great Dom Wilfrid Bayne, OSB of Portsmouth Abbey, R.I. in 1944. Because of the preponderance of blue in both coats of arms, the division line between the two is rendered in dark blue. It was decided that a black line looked a bit too jarring and the solution used for the same problem with the arms of the See of Providence which also has a blue field—a light, “bleu celeste” line—was seen as undesirable this time around. The blazon and explanation of the arms is as follows:

“BLAZON: Arms impaled. In the dexter: Azure, a Latin cross fleurettée Or, in base barry wavy of five Azure and Argent, issuing therefrom a mound of three coupeaux Or; In the sinister: Azure, within a bordure wavy parted wavy Argent and Gules an escallop shell Argent. The shield is ensigned with an archiepiscopal cross Or and an archbishop’s galero with cords and twenty tassels flanking the shield disposed in four rows of one, two, three and four all Vert. On a scroll below the shield is the motto, “Put Out Into The Deep”.

EXPLANATION: The armorial bearings of Archbishop Richard Henning impale the coat of arms of his archiepiscopal See with his personal coat of arms. These evoke his birthplace, his ministry and his personal devotion. The coat of arms is composed of a shield with its charges (symbols), a motto and the external ornamentation. The shield is described (blazoned) in terms that are archaic to our modern language, and this description is presented as if given by the bearer with the shield being worn on the arm. Thus, where it applies, the terms dexter (right)  and sinister (left) are reversed as the device is viewed from the front.

It is customary in heraldry that the arms of a Diocesan Bishop, or Ordinary, are joined side by side on the same shield with the arms of his See. In this case, these are the arms of the Archdiocese of Boston. Such marshaling is called impalement and employs the same method used when joining the coats of arms of two people who are married. In this way, the coat of arms, like the episcopal ring, is symbolic of the archbishop being “married” to his archdiocese.

The arms of the Archdiocese of Boston are composed of a blue field on which are placed a gold (yellow) cross fleurettée, that is a Latin cross the arms of which are decorated on the ends with fleurs-de-lis. This is in honor of the titular of the cathedral, the Holy Cross as well as the  first Bishop of Boston being from France. The cross is above a gold (yellow) mound composed of three smaller hills as a reference to Boston’s original name: Trimountaine which is, itself, a reference to the three hills on which the city is said to have been built. At the bottom the five wavy lines of blue and silver (white) alludes to Boston being a port city and that it is populated by people who arrived here from across the sea.

Bishop Henning’s personal coat of arms is composed of a design depicted in red (Gules), white (Argent) and blue (Azure) which are the national colors of the United States.

Both the blue background and the single escallop shell allude to the sea as evoking the Bishop’s own background and the shell is also borrowed from the coat of arms of the See of Rockville Centre, the diocese in which he was born and raised and which he served as a priest and auxiliary bishop. In addition, this same field of blue also recalls the blue field of the coat of arms of the See of Providence where he served as Coadjutor Bishop and later Diocesan Bishop. The shell image also recalls the Bishop’s heritage in the Diocese of Brooklyn, dedicated to its patron, St. James. The episcopal ordination of Bishop Henning took place on the eve of the Feast of St. James. In concert with the Bishop’s motto, the shell is a traditional symbol of baptism and pilgrimage. It is in the depths of these waters that Christians find their salvation in Jesus Christ.

The white wavy line surrounding the blue field is also taken from the arms of Rockville Centre and it alludes to the diocese’s location on Long Island, NY. Furthermore, it indicates the sea as the place where the barque of St. Peter, an image used to evoke the Church, is located.

The blue background also evokes the Bishop’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and his years of service as a Professor and Rector at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY. The red wavy portion of the border evokes the Bishop’s devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and his former service as the Director of the Sacred Heart Institute for the Ongoing Formation of the Catholic Clergy.”

It was, indeed, my profound pleasure , and my honor, once again to assist my old classmate, Archbishop Henning, with the preparation of his coat of arms.

Remembering 9/11

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Even in the world of ecclesiastical heraldry the horrible events of 9/11/2001 are commemorated. The Most Rev. Josu Iriondo, Auxiliary Bishop of New York, was ordained a bishop late in 2001 during the aftermath of that horrible terrorist attack on the city. A well-known cross formed by the intersection of two steel I-beams in the wreckage of the twin towers made up the principal charge in his assumed coat of arms.

May we always remember the tragic loss of innocent lives in that fateful day.

Marshaling is Everything! (Bp. Martin UPDATED)

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You may recall that in a post about several new bishops’ installations I wrote the following about the coat of arms of Bp. Martin of Charlotte, N.C.:

“May 29 saw the ordination and installation of the Most Rev. Michael Martin, OFMConv (62) as the fifth Bishop of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The diocesan website describes his personal arms, “To the viewer’s right is the Franciscan coat of arms. Featuring the traditional Franciscan Tau cross with two arms crossing one another, it is rich in symbolism. The two arms, one Christ’s and the other St. Francis of Assisi’s, both bear the stigmata. They symbolize God’s love and Francis’s loving response to the Word made incarnate, Taberski explained. It is an image found throughout the ministries, friaries, missions and sites served by the Franciscan order.

On the right side of the shield, the top (known as the “chief”) and the bottom (the “base”) feature references to George Calvert and his son Cecil Calvert – the first and second barons of Baltimore. The Calverts were among the first Catholics to arrive in colonial America. They established the then Province of Maryland as a safe place for English Catholics to emigrate to since they were no longer able to freely practice their faith at home. In the coat of arms, the use of six vertical stripes – alternately gold and black, with the diagonal stripe in color – recalls Bishop Martin’s hometown of Baltimore.”

A nice simple design but perhaps the arms of Calvert would have looked better depicted once in the main part of the field with the Franciscan symbols occupying a chief?“

Well, my friend and frequent collaborator, Mr. Sandy Turnbull of the Australian Heraldry Society, read that post and decided to have a bit of fun and create a new emblazonment of Bp. martin’s coat of arms that followed my advice. I’d say the result (below) speaks for itself. I was right! The whole achievement does look better as I suggested. See? One can’t just throw things onto a shield and call it heraldry. How the design is arranged—to be aesthetically pleasing as well as heraldically correct—is a large part of good heraldic design.

Bishop Beckman of Knoxville, Tennessee

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The Most Rev. James Beckman, (61) a priest of the Diocese of Nashville since 1990 was ordained a bishop and installed as the Fourth Bishop of Knoxville on July 26. For reasons I don’t fully understand, his installation Mass took place in a local convention center despite the fact that only a few years ago in 2018 the diocese undertook to build a $30 million dollar new cathedral with an area of 28,000 feet and a seating capacity of 1,358. It begs the question: what was the new cathedral for?

The armorial bearings he assumes upon becoming a bishop are the following. The diocesan coat of arms, designed when the diocese was established in 1988 are a dumpster fire and the less said about them the better. After all, this bishop had no hand in designing them and he wisely conformed to the convention of not changing them since they have been in use for 36 years already.

According to information from the Diocesan website his personal arms contain what they do because…

“Bishop-elect Beckman is an avid hiker and has a deep appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. His coat of arms reflects this part of his life, in which he has found much solace and communion with God in prayer. His personal arms display a symbolic natural setting on a field of green (vert), which also has ties to the bishop’s heritage, and to Sacred Scripture.

The bishop’s surname is German, and derives from the word beck, which means a stream or brook. This is depicted by the wavy vertical lines (pale wavy) painted white and blue (argent and azure) in the center of the shield. This also recalls the prophecy related by St. John the Evangelist about the City of God, the New Jerusalem, which he sees in a vision near the end of the Book of Revelation: “Then the angel showed me, the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city” (Rev 22:1).  

John also saw, “on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev 22:2).  The tree of life and its fruit are alluded to here by twelve leaves of the tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). This was chosen as the state tree of Tennessee in 1947.  It is an appropriate symbol for the state that comprises both the Diocese of Nashville, where Bishop-elect Beckman was born and served as a priest, and the Diocese of Knoxville, which he will serve as its bishop.

The charges were chosen for good reasons. The coat of arms is clear and uncomplicated. The only real down side is that they are impaled with the awful coat of arms of the See.