Category Archives: Work of Other Artists

Cardinal Gibbons

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The varied armorial bearings of James Cardinal Gibbons. I often speak about the incorrect practice of a prelate deciding to change or modify his existing coat of arms. Even when arms are assumed (as opposed to granted by a heraldic authority) the bearer should not feel free to completely change them. Sometimes arms are augmented to reflect a new honor received or a change in status. However, completely changing a coat of arms, once assumed, should be avoided.

Gibbons was made Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina which did not yet have its own diocese, in 1868 and served there until he was made Bishop of Richmond, Virginia from 1872-1877. He bore the first coat of arms in both of those places. When he was made archbishop of Baltimore in 1877 he simply modified the external ornaments to reflect his promotion but still used the same shield depicting the seated Virgin Mary. Over the course of the next 44 years of his tenure in Baltimore he then changed his coat of arms no less than three times!

He adopted the arms showing the Holy Spirit descending from a cloud over the globe and also made use of an impalement depicting a pall (pallium). This would have been before the archdiocese had a coat of arms for itself and Gibbons was simply doing with this variant what many an archbishop had done. Namely, using an impalement with a pallium to indicate the status of a metropolitan archbishop.

In 1911, however, he changed his arms entirely again and adopted the coat of arms he bore until his death in 1921. These were done for him by Pierre Chaignon La Rose and I would think that what brought about the last change was the adoption of an archdiocesan coat of arms with which Gibbons’ personal arms were impaled. No doubt La Rose, who was fond of “correcting” coats of arms he didn’t like, convinced Gibbons to adopt the last design which was based on the arms of Gibbons used in Ireland (by a family the cardinal may or may not have had any connection to) differenced by the escallop shell, a symbol of St. James.

I have to admit his original coat of arms wasn’t very good and the final one he ended up with was rather good. But, the process of making many and varied changes throughout his life is not good at all.

Notker Wolf, OSB – RIP

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The Most Rev. Notker Wolf, OSB (83) the former Abbot-Primate of the Benedictine Confederation (2000-2016) who, before that, served as the Archabbot of St. Ottilien Archabbey in Germany from 1977-2000 passed away in Frankfurt on April 3, 2024. He had been leading a pilgrimage to Italy but felt unwell. In trying to return home he stopped off overnight in Frankfurt awaiting a morning flight to Munich but passed away during the night in his hotel room.

His arms (rendered by the late Michael McCarthy) were slightly modified after he originally assumed them (second image). In addition, the artist chose to give his galero an extra row of tassels since he was Abbot-Primate of the Order but there is no precedent for such a decision. Abbot-Primate and Archabbots usually use a galero with twelve tassels as other Abbots do. The arms reflected his love of music as well as his own Benedictine monastic life.

May he rest in peace.

Bishop Barbosa

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On Saturday, February 3, the Most Rev. Christiano Barbosa (47) a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, was ordained as the Titular Bishop of Membressa and Auxiliary Bishop of Boston by His Eminence Sean Cardinal O’Malley, OFM Cap.

The anchor is a fitting charge and placing it overall is also fine heraldically but having it right up against the rather unnecessary “diminished” bordure when they are both gold is heraldically questionable and artistically awkward. The use of the constellation of the Southern Cross as a symbol for Brazil is also a bit odd since it’s usually associated with Australia or New Zealand owing to its inclusion on the flag of those nations.

Other than that the rest of the achievement is fine.

Bishop Dorsonville RIP

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The Most Rev. Mario Dorsonville (63) a native of Bogotá, Colombia who incardinated as a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC in 1999, and who also served as Auxiliary bishop of that same archdiocese from 2015-2023 before being appointed as the 5th Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux on February 1, 2023, sadly passed away on January 19, 2024. His funeral will take place on February 1 exactly one year after the announcement of his appointment as bishop of the diocese. May he rest in peace.

Bishop Maekawa, OP

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On October 12, the Most Rev. Stephen Maekawa, OP (55) a priest of the Order of Preachers (i.e. the Dominicans) living and working in Alaska was ordained a bishop and installed as the 10th Bishop of Fairbanks, Alaska.

His coat of arms is:

According to the diocesan website:

“In the right side of the shield (to the observer’s left), we find represented the coat of arms of the Diocese of Fairbanks. At the base, the North Star is suspended on a blue field over the mountains of Alaska, which appear in white. In the upper section, between two red roses on a field of gold, is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, titular symbol of the Cathedral of the diocese. The roses, representing St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of the Alaska Missions, recall her promise, “After my death I will let fall a shower of roses.

In the left side of the shield (to the observer’s right) is the personal coat of arms of Bishop Maekawa. The black and white cross is the from the coat of arms of the Order of Preachers founded by St. Dominic in 1216. The waves represent the waters of baptism and the family name Maekawa which means “before the river.” The episcopal motto “Duc in Altum” is Jesus’ command to the Apostle Peter, “Put out into the Deep” which reminds us to trust in the Lord Jesus believing that all creation belongs to God: “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it.” (Ps 24:1)“

I think, unsurprisingly, the bishop has chosen a simple coat of arms reflecting his Religious community. It harmonizes well with the diocesan arms with which it is impaled. A nice design that doesn’t try to do too much–perhaps the single biggest error made by most new American bishops.

The L.A. “Quad”

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On September 26, in an unprecedented liturgy, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles received four new Auxiliary Bishops at the same time. While it is unusual for any diocese to receive so many new bishops at once it seems almost fitting for the U.S.’s largest archdiocese of well over 4 million Catholics to receive the needed assistance in episcopal ministry in order to serve the people of southern California adequately. Bishops Albert Bahhuth (66), Matthew Elshoff, OFM. Cap.(68), Brian Nunes (58) and Slawomir Szkredka (49) were all ordained to the episcopate by the Most Rev. José Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles.

Their armorial bearings were all designed by James-Charles Noonan. As he usually does he makes a great deal about the shape of the episcopal cross in each achievement as well as the “significance” of the shape and color of the gemstone in each one. None of that is heraldically supportable. It may be his favorite idea but, as I have written about extensively in the past, the external ornaments in a coat of arms are not personalized not do they contain unique and special symbols particular to the armiger. That would require they be blazoned as such and would then have to be copied by any artist rendering the coat of arms. Only the charges on the shield are unique to the armiger.

Even there, Mr. Noonan has placed his own stamp on these four coats of arms. Acknowledging the unusual nature of four bishops being ordained at once he has included a similar chief in all four coats of arms as a means of tying them all together by the use of this similar charge. The idea in and of itself has some merit. The occasion was unique; something unique to mark it is a nice idea.

However, the coats of arms of auxiliary bishops do not contain charges that represent the jurisdiction in which they will serve as auxiliary bishop. A heraldic representation of possessing jurisdiction over a diocese belongs to the Ordinary of the diocese alone. In addition, a reference to the diocese (by borrowing a charge from the diocesan coat of arms) is quite common in heraldry. But, that isn’t what has occurred here. Instead of each coat of arms borrowing some charge from the arms of Los Angeles the four new bishop’s arms all bear an almost identical chief–an ordinary charge–in a manner not unlike those used to signify membership in a Religious Order or an Order of Chivalry.

Don’t misunderstand me: my criticism is not of the idea of heraldically marking the unusual circumstance of four bishops being ordained all at the same time. Rather, it is of the use of a near-identical charge, and one that sort of implies a kind of jurisdiction, that I am criticizing. It’s a clever devise. But, perhaps a bit “too clever” for its own good. In addition, one has to consider that all four of these bishops may not–indeed very likely will not–remain as auxiliaries of Los Angeles permanently. Once one of them is translated to another diocese the whole unifying symbolism uniting all four coats of arms begins to fall apart. Perhaps the use of a single similar charge employed differently in each of the coats of arms would have been a better solution?

The design of each of the rest of the four coats of arms is quite correct and very nice. As usual, Mr. Noonan’s regular collaborator in producing the artwork has shown herself capable of creating very fine work.

The following are the coats of arms of Bishops Bahhuth, Elshoff, Nunes and Szkredka:

Marshaling Various Coats of Arms During A Lifetime

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Throughout the course of my priesthood, after my time as a Parochial Vicar concluded and I began to be placed in charge of my assignments I also began the practice of 1) devising armorial bearings for the different places in which I have served and 2) marshaling those newly-devised coats of arms with my own. Having jurisdiction over the church or parish was then illustrated heraldically.

In the image above the first coat of arms (upper left) is my personal coat of arms assumed at ordination in 1997. The next image (upper right) shows my arms impaled with those of the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Raritan, NJ where I served as the Sixth Rector (hence the four tassels instead of only two) from 2009-2015. The image at lower left shows my arms impaled with those of St. Joseph Church in Washington, NJ where I served as Administrator and then as the Twenty-Second Pastor from 2015-2023. During the last part of that time I was also Dean of the Morris Canal Deanery. The final image (lower right) shows my coat of arms impaled to the newly-devised parish coat of arms of St. Mary, Star of the Sea in South Amboy, NJ where I will serve as the Ninth Pastor from 2023 onwards.

(Artwork: Xavier Garcia)

Lovely Heraldic Achievements from Spain

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One of my readers, Jorge Hernández Sánchez, from Seville who is also a heraldist has completed some 100 coats of arms specifically for ecclesiastical clients. He sent me quite a few of his creations. Many of them are wonderful examples of the coats of arms of prelates of various types below the rank of bishop. We see a preponderance of episcopal and archiepiscopal heraldry. It’s nice to see the armorial bearings of other ranks in the Church. The following are just a sampling of Jorge’s work…

Bishop Lohse of Kalamazoo

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On July 25, the Feast of St. James, Rev. Mons. Edward M. Lohse (61) a priest of the Diocese of Erie, PA since 1989 (and a man who was two years ahead of me at St. Vincent Seminary) is being ordained and installed as the Fifth Bishop of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The cross in chief is from the attributed arms of St. Edward the Confessor. The division line wavy is from the arms of the See of Erie and it represents the lakeshore where Erie lies. On the fess are symbols of the Jesuit Order and the Benedictine Order both of which profoundly influenced the bishop’s formation and spirituality. The base uses the blue and silver fusils from the arms of Wittelsbach and, by extension, of Bavaria to symbolize his family and faith, both of which have their origins in Bavaria.

The arms are simple, clear and contrast nicely with the somewhat unfortunate arms of the See of Kalamazoo. I think a better composition of the arms would have been to place the Bavarian fusils in chief with the wavy division line beneath them and then have blue field with the cross throughout and the two symbols of the orders in the first and fourth quarters. That’s merely an opinion, mind you, and in matters of taste there can be no real dispute. However, the pattern of fusils in bend looks better at the top of the shield where the eye is first naturally drawn. A solid chief with a patterned base makes a weak composition, in my opinion, because it looks top-heavy.

In addition, the essentially silver (white) backgrounds of both of the roundels placed on a silver fess looks washed out and weak. They would have contrasted better being on a blue field and “popped” a bit more. Also, the cross and lettering on the medal of St. Benedict should be black, rather than blue. I suppose the same could be asserted for the letters on the Jesuit symbol as well.

Overall, it is still a good design and Bishop Lohse certainly has a coat of arms that is better than many other US bishops. That’s not saying much, however, given the appallingly bad heraldry employed by most US bishops. Nevertheless, I think this is a decent coat of arms. My criticism is intended to convey only that it could have been a little better without changing any of the symbolism, but just arranging it better.

Bishop Senior of Harrisburg

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The Most Rev. Timothy C. Senior (63) a priest of Philadelphia who has served as Auxiliary Bishop there since 2009 was installed as the 12th Bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His arms, assumed in 2009, are now impaled with those of his See. The black and white bordure in his personal arms are an interesting allusion to his love of playing the piano.

Archbishop Sheehan of Santa Fe

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On June 3 the Most Rev. Michael Sheehan, Archbishop Emeritus of Santa Fe where he served from 1993-2015, passed away. He was 84.

His armorial bearings had a rather unusual charge. “Issuing from the bottom of the Archbishop’s arms is the silver (white) dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, in Rome, which is placed below a gold (yellow) Roman Numeral two (II) to signify that Archbishop Sheehan was in St. Peter’s on the day that Vatican Council II opened.”

Uh-huh.

All I can say, while meaning no personal disrespect to the deceased archbishop, is: nice try.

Archbishop Ravelli

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Father Diego Giovanni Ravelli (57) a priest of the Suburbican Diocese of Velletri-Segni who currently serves as the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations of the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, in other words, the Pope’s Master of Ceremonies, will be ordained as the Titular Archbishop of Recanati, a new Titular See established in 2022 on June 3 at St. Peter’s basilica in the Vatican by Pietro Cardinal Parolin, papal Secretary of State.

The armorial bearings he is assuming were prepared by Giuseppe Quattrociocchi. The make use of simple and bold symbolism. The grid in base is a reference to St. Lawrence the Martyr.

Archbishop Jackels of Dubuque Retires

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On April 4, the Holy Father accepted the resignation due to health reasons of the Most Rev. Michael Jackels, (68) Archbishop of Dubuque Iowa. His personal arms reflect his baptismal patron, St. Michael the archangel, combined with the unicorn from his paternal family’s coat of arms. When he first became a bishop his assumed arms impaled these two elements which was an odd choice. When he was translated to Dubuque he impaled his arms with those of the archdiocese and marshaled the other two elements in a manner that worked out to be aesthetically pleasing.

New Archbishop of Toronto

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On March 25 the Most Rev. Frank Leo (51) a priest of Montreal, Canada who has served there as an Auxiliary Bishop only since September of 2022, was installed as the 14th Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto. His coat of arms is:

Quoting the website of the Archdiocese the achievement is explained as follows:

“Bishop Leo’s coat of arms is drawn from four principal aspects and devotions of his life and ministry, and is depicted on the shield in four quarters.

In the upper left (dexter chief) is found one of the most widespread Christological and Eucharistic symbols in Christian iconography: the pelican depicted opening its own flesh with its beak to feed its young with the blood that flows from it. This symbol refers to Christ himself as being the “Pie pellicane”, words found in the Adoro Te Devote, an ancient Eucharistic hymn attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas: “Pie pellicane, Jesu Domine, me immundum munda tuo sanguine, cuius una stilla salvum facere totum mundum quit ab omni scelere” — “O loving Pelican, Jesus Lord, Unclean though I am, but cleanse me in your blood. One drop of which can free the entire world of all its sins.” It speaks of Christ shedding his own blood for all of humanity and how he continues to nourish us with his own flesh and blood in the Holy Mass. In the Gospel passage reported in. John 6:30, there is depicted a dialogue that took place in the synagogue at Capernaum. The Jews asked Jesus what sign he could perform so they might believe in him. They noted: “our ancestors ate manna in the desert.” Jesus replied that the real bread from heaven comes from the Father and it is himself, Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:53-56). The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist as the One who nourishes us with his Sacred Body and Precious Blood is a fundamental doctrine of the Catholic faith.

A seven-point star is found on the upper right (sinister chief) and is the traditional and well-known Marian symbol par excellence. It refers to the invocation of the Virgin Mary as the Morning Star or “Stella matutina” found in the Litany of Loreto. The Morning Star is a sign of the coming day, preceding the rising sun. It is a promise of light, announcing the coming of the “sun of justice” (Malachi 4:1-3), the “daybreak from on high visiting us” (Luke 1:78). We know that the Blessed Mother is the Morning Star not for and through herself; she is indeed the reflection of God, her Creator and Redeemer. She exalts his glory and points to his light and salvation. According to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the great Troubadour of Mary, a star is a fitting comparison since it radiates light without losing its brightness, just as Our Lady, in giving birth to Christ did not lose her virginity. The symbolism of the star also refers to Our Lady as the Star of the Sea or “Stella Maris”, a title found in the medieval hymn Ave Maris Stella and whose praises are sung by the same Saint Bernard, famous for the invocation: Respice stellam, voca Mariam – Look upon the Star, call upon Mary. “If the winds of temptation arise; if you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary. If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.” Moreover, she is referred to as the Polar Star, or North Star, which navigators in antiquity looked to in seeking the right course so as to arrive safely to their destination. She is therefore our guiding light, our heavenly Mother, who is accompanies us as a loving companion on the journey of holiness in reaching Heaven, interceding for us. Finally, the Blessed Mother is also called the Star of the New Evangelization, which means she inspires and guides the Church’s apostolic efforts in bringing the Gospel to all peoples. The star is in silver (“argent”), a colour which depicts an array of heavenly attributes, personified in Our Lady’s purity, mercy and love. Bishop Leo entrusts his life, vocation and new pastoral ministry to her maternal mediation and intercession.

On the lower right (dexter base) is a boat floating on the waves and navigating amid the tempests. This is a well-known and clear reference to the Catholic Church established by Jesus Christ, the barque of Saint Peter. It is an ancient Christian symbol and reminds one of the struggles the Church endures, tossed about by raging winds, amid storms on the many rough seas of darkness and persecution but remaining set on its course and mission to bring to the harbour of salvation all of the travellers. Biblically, the imagery finds its origins in Noah’s ark in the deluge (Genesis and 1 Peter 3:20-21), and more clearly in the Gospel scene of Jesus protecting the boat of Saint Peter with him and the other apostles amid the stormy sea of Galilee (cf. Mark 4:35-41). 

The depiction of a lion is found on the lower right (sinister base) and is meant to recall the Bishop’s surname, Leo, which is Latin for lion. The lion is depicted as rampant, meaning “on its hind legs”, with the head in profile. Biblically, the lion is a symbol of courage, power and strength, the victory of God (cf. Genesis 49:9-10; Revelation 4:7). The lion is the emblem of dignity, of a powerful and fearless ruler, of majesty and strong leadership. It is likewise an image of Christ, the King of Kings. The Messianic title, the Lion of Judah, is applied to Christ himself as we read in the Book of Revelation (5:5): “Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed.” Finally, there is an ancient belief that lion cubs were born dead and after three days were brought to life by their father’s roar. The lion is in red, the colour of blood and also of charity, a reminder of the ardent and infinite love of the Father who sent to us his Only Begotten Son and who shed his blood for our redemption and for the forgiveness of sins. It signifies also that the virtue of charity is key and an integral part for the pastoral zeal of the new Bishop, as a successor to the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.

Blue is the colour symbolizing the incorruptibility of the heavenly vault, of the ideals that rise upward, and represents detachment from the earthly and passing, and the soul’s ascent toward God. The colour gold, the first among the “noble” metals (those resistant to corrosion), is symbolic of the first virtue: faith. For it is through faith that we can fully understand the love and salvation that the eternal and loving Father offers to all of us, his beloved children in Christ Jesus.”

(Designed and emblazoned by Renato Poletti)

Bishop of Trieste

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The Rev. Enrico Trevisi (59) a priest of Cremona was ordained a bishop on March 25 and will be installed as the 59th Bishop of Trieste on April 23. His coat of arms is:

I love the simplicity and boldness of the whole achievement. However, impalement is an odd choice considering the dexter impalement is not the diocesan coat of arms. Also, can you have Argent (silver) swords–keeping in mind grey is not a heraldic tincture or metal–on a field Argent?

No, no you can’t.

(The arms were designed and emblazoned by Renato Poletti and Gianluigi Di Lorenzo.)

Bishop Neary of St. Cloud

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On February 21, the Most Reverend Patrick Michael Neary, C.S.C. (age 59) a priest of the Congregation of the Holy Cross (the gang that runs Notre Dame) originally from Indiana was ordained a bishop and installed as the 11th Bishop of St. Cloud, Minnesota.

The armorial bearings he has assumed were designed and marshaled to those of his diocese by Fr. Pachomius Meade, OSB, a monk of Conception Abbey.

I had nothing to do with this coat of arms but Fr. Pachomius, a friend of mine, was kind enough to show me the sketches while he was working on them. I think he has done excellent work on this achievement.