AN IMPERSONAL COAT-OF-ARMS
BACKGROUND AND EXPLANATION
Following longstanding tradition, Ecclesiastical heraldry encompasses the use of heraldry within Christianity for dioceses, organisations, and Christian clergy. Initially used to mark documents, ecclesiastical heraldry evolved as a system for identifying people and ecclesiastical territories. Ecclesiastical heraldry is most formalized within the Catholic Church, where most bishops, including the Pope, have a personal coat of arms.
Ecclesiastical Territories, such as a Diocese or an Archdiocese or an Abbey, have long been identified and represented by Impersonal Coats-of-Arms which are distinct and different from the Personal Coats-of-Arms of the Ordinary of that Territory at any given time. The two styles of Coats-of-Arms (Impersonal and Personal) are therefore different in composition and look.
Clergy in Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches follow similar customs, as do institutions such as schools and universities. The Diocesan Coat-of-Arms for the Ecclesiastical Territory of the Latin Rite Catholic Diocese of Oudtshoorn, is such an Impersonal Coat-of-Arms, designed for the particular Ecclesiastical Territory of the Diocese of Oudtshoorn., respecting Ecclesiastical heraldic norms.
HERALDIC PARTS OF A COAT-OF-ARMS AND THE ECCLESIAL EQUIVALENTS
CREST: None; not applicable to Ecclesial Heraldry.
WREATH: None; not applicable to Ecclesial Heraldry. The lappets of the mitre could be regarded as the wreath)
MANTLING: None; not applicable to Ecclesial Heraldry.
HELMET: THE MITRE depicts the authority of the bishop or abbot and replaces the helmet and is a required element for an Ecclesial Coat-of-Arms. The Episcopal mitre and lappets belonging to a bishop or an abbot, are the proper equivalents.
In addition to the mitre, a CROZIER and PROCESSIONAL CROSS are placed at an angle above and behind the shield, to the left and right of the mitre; the mitre obscuring the rods of both if necessary. These two symbols are used in almost all Ecclesiastical Impersonal Coats-of-Arms. The significance of the two symbols is:
- THE CROZIER appearing on the right of the mitre points outwards, reflecting the Diocesan Bishops’ care for a larger community of faithful, unlike an abbot whose crozier points inward, depicting the smaller group of faithful that he is responsible for.
- THE PROCESSIONAL CROSS appears on the left of the mitre and for a Diocese, only one cross bar is depicted instead of two, as would be the case for an Archdiocese and equivalents.
SHIELD: A solid SHIELD in Marian blue with the following representations:
- THE SACRED HEART OF MARY in the centre. Mary is the Patroness of the Diocese, and the Diocesan Patronal Feast is celebrated on the Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary.
- THE THREE OSTRICH PLUMES represent:
- The long-associated industry with the town of Oudtshoorn where the Diocese is situated.
- From a heraldic context patience, tranquillity, vigilance and endurance.
- From the time of ancient Christianity, regarded as an emblem representing the three virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.
MOTTOS: None; not applicable to Ecclesial Heraldry.
Project Leader: Rt. Rev Bishop Noel A. Rucastle
Concept and Research: Fr. Vernon D. Macaskill Meyer CO
Design: Fr. Dominic Helmboldt