Bishop's Episcopal Coat of Arms
Faith, History, Ministry and Ancestry Symbolized in a Shield
Developed during the Middle Ages, heraldry was a visual method of communication intended to be used to convey essential information about a person or a place. As such, the Episcopal Coat of Arms of Bishop Walter Hurley, the 11th Ordinary of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, speaks without using words.
The Catholic Church preserves this medieval custom of heraldry and attributes a Coat of Arms to every Diocese and Archdiocese in the world, as well as to every bishop, archbishop, cardinal and pope who oversees these portions of the worldwide Church. By learning to read the nonverbal language of heraldry, we can learn many things about our faith, our local Church’s history, our bishop’s ministry and his ancestry. Even the smallest detail of heraldic communication can indicate a wealth of information. In our highly visual age, perhaps the graphic communication of heraldry can serve us well.
Blazon
In the world of heraldry, it’s customary to describe the images and colors of the shield, or “blazon” using archaic language. For Bishop Hurley, this would read in the following manner: Arms: party per pale. Dexter: bendy wavy sinister Argent and Azure; overall a Moline Cross Gules. Sinister: Or and Azure on a fess Gules, between a lymphad Azure with oars Or in action proper, flags Gules, sail Argent, on sea Light Azure and Argent; seven swords converged at points Argent; three frets Or.
Significance
The above description of Bishop Walter Hurley’s Coat of Arms, is blazoned (described) in 12th Century terms which describes in verbal form the two halves (party per pale) of the shield with their colors and charges (symbols).
In conformity with the current custom of the Roman Catholic Church, other external ornaments of this episcopal Coat of Arms include a processional cross placed behind the shield proper; a “gallero” or pontifical hat placed over the shield; a cord connected to the gallero ending in six tassels or “fiocchi” in three rows on either side of the shield; and at the bottom, a banner with a Scriptural motto on it chosen by the Bishop to characterize his personal mission..
According to a long-standing tradition, the personal Coat of Arms of a bishop, is joined (wed) to the arms of his jurisdiction. In this case the “dexter impalement” (left side of the shield) indicates the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Note that in heraldry, the terms “dexter” (right) and “sinister” (left) are reversed as the shield is meant to be read from the vantage point of the person holding or standing behind it.) The “sinister impalement” (right side of the shield) is the “heraldic achievement” of Bishop Hurley adopted at the time of his Ordination to the Episcopacy in 2003.