|
The
Coat of Arms of the
Most Reverend Edward Joseph Gilbert
By
Deacon Paul J Sullivan
Blazon
Arms impaled. Dexter: Azure, above
three piles couped at the Nombril point, two in front of one Argent, a
mullet of eight points emitting four rays toward base Or. Sinister: Per
pale Argent and Gules, to dexter an abbot's crozier Tenne and to sinister
a carpenter's square Or; on a chief Azure the monogram of the Congregation
of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) all of the first.
Significance
The archiepiscopal heraldic
achievement, or archbishop's coat of arms, is composed of a shield, with
its charges (symbols), a motto scroll and the external ornaments. The
shield, which is the central and most important feature of any heraldic
device, is described (blazoned) in 12th century terms, that are archaic to
our modern language, and this description is done as if being given by the
bearer with the shield being worn on the arm. Thus, it must be remembered,
where it applies, that the terms dexter and sinister are
reversed as the device is viewed from the front.
By heraldic tradition, the arms of the
archbishop of a territorial archdiocese, called a
"Metropolitan," are joined to the arms of his jurisdiction, seen
in the dexter impalement (left side) of the shield. In this case, these
are arms of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, of the
West Indies.
These arms are composed of a blue field
on which are displayed three silver (white) peaks to recall that
Christopher Columbus named the island for "The Trinity" when he
discovered it in 1498. Above the three peaks is an eight-pointed star,
emitting ray toward the base, to honour the Blessed Virgin Mary in her
title of the Immaculate Conception, titular of the Cathedral-Church of the
diocese.
For his personal arms, seen in the
sinister impalement (right side) of the shield, His Excellency, Archbishop
Gilbert, has retained the arms that he adopted at the time that he was
selected to receive the fullness of Christ's Most Holy Priesthood, as he
became Bishop of the Diocese of Roseau, in the Commonwealth of Dominica,
also in the West Indies. These arms are composed of three sections. To the
lower left is a silver (white) field on which is seen a simple, wooden
(brown) abbot's crozier to honour Saint Gilbert who was an abbot. This
symbolism is placed beside a red field on which is placed a gold (yellow)
carpenter's square to honour the Archbishop's baptismal patron, Saint
Joseph, the worker.
All of these symbols are placed below a
blue field on which are placed the symbols of the Archbishop's religious
order, the Redemptorists, the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. This
is composed of a cross that is placed on a lance and a pole with a sponge
on the end. These are symbolic of the price that Christ paid for our
redemption. These are placed between the abbreviations of the names of
Joseph and Mary.
For his motto, Archbishop Gilbert uses
the phrase "The Lord is my Strength." It is through the use of
this phrase taken from the Prophet Isaiah (Is 12:2) that His Excellency
expresses his deep belief that for any of us to really accomplish anything
of meaning, it must be done through, with and by the power of the Lord,
Jesus Christ.
The device is completed with the
external ornaments which are a gold archiepiscopal processional cross
(having two cross members) which is placed in back of the shield and which
extends above and below the shield, and a pontifical hat, called a gallero,
with its ten tassels, in four rows, on either side of the shield, all in
green. These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of
archbishop by instruction of The Holy See of March 31, 1969. Deacon
Paul J Sullivan is a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode
Island.
|
