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Description of the Coat of Arms of H.E.
The Most Reverend Msgr. Bernard Anthony Hebda
Bishop elect of Gaylord, MI – U.S.A.
In accordance with the heraldic tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, the Coat of Arms of a
Bishop is normally composed by:
-
a shield with its charges (symbols) coming from family, geographic, religious and
historical meanings and/or referred to the name of the Bishop;
-
a golden processional cross, with one traversal bar, to represent the rank of the Bishop,
“impaled” (vertically) behind the shield;
-
a wide-brimmed green pilgrim’s hat (galero) with 12 attached tassels, (six on each side)
ordained 1; 2; 3; from the top;
-
a scroll with the Bishop’s motto, written generally in black and appearing below
everything.
For his shield, Bishop Hebda has chose a gothic shape, frequently used in Roman Catholic Church
heraldry, and a processional cross with five red stones to represent the Five Wounds of Christ.
Motto
“ONLY JESUS ”
(Mk 9,8)
For his motto Bishop Hebda has chosen “Only Jesus”, found in the English translation of the ninth
chapter of the Gospel of Mark, in which the Evangelist recounts the Lord’s Transfiguration. The
phrase is accentuated in a prayer written by the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman, much
admired by Bishop Hebda. The prayer, moreover, is offered every morning by the Missionaries of
Charity, according to a practice established by their Blessed Foundress, Mother Theresa of Calcutta.
The Motto was chosen to remind Bishop Hebda of the exemplary humility, obedience and fidelity
of the Missionaries of Charity, who had a profound influence on him in the course of his years in
Rome as a student and priest. It is intended moreover as a reminder that the Episcopal ministry of
teaching, sanctifying and governing is ultimately to lead the Faithful to an encounter with Christ
Himself.
Blazonry (heraldic description) of the Coat of Arms of Bishop Hebda
“ Impaled. Dexter: Azure, a chevronel Argent between two six- point stars of the last in chief and a
crosslet Or in base, all within a wavy bordure of the second. Sinister: Or, an elderberry tree
fructed, all proper, issuant from a fess chequy Azure and Argent and surmounted by a seven points
star of the second”
Interpretation
In the right side of the shield (the observer’s left, being that in the heraldic shield, one needs to
consider the right and the left from the perspective of the soldier who, in ancient times, held his own
shield) we find represented the Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Gaylord: the “argent” wavy
bordure, recalling that the Diocese is nearly surrounded by the two Great Lakes, Michigan and
Huron, and the Straits of Mackinac, the Diocese. The two “argent” six-point stars are reminiscent
of the stars that appear on the crest of the Carmelite Order, recalling that the Church of Gaylord is
under the patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: the two stars also represent the Dioceses of
Grand Rapids and Saginaw, which yielded territories to establish the Gaylord diocese in 1971. The
“chevronel” (a reduced-in-width form of the “chevron”, one of the most ancient heraldic pieces)
surmounting the “or” (golden) Cross, was chosen to symbolize the new presence of the Church of
Our Lord in the City of Gaylord, the city highest in elevation in Michigan’s lower Peninsula;
indeed, the “chevron,” whose shape recall the truss of a roof, has been adopted in heraldry since the
time of the Middle Ages to symbolize the building where the population assembles; for Catholics
this building is the Church.
In the left side of the shield (the observer’s right) we have the personal arms of Bishop Hebda as
follows.
Predominant is the image of the elderberry tree, which “cants” or serves as a visual pun that
plays on the Bishop’s name. The surname Hebda bears obvious similarity to “bez hebd”, the Polish
term for the type of elderberry tree that is widespread in the area of Southeastern Poland from
which Bishop Hebda’s paternal grandparents emigrated. This name is also particularly common
among those who lived and worked in the vicinity of the vast lands of the Norbertine Monastery of
Our Lady of the Assumption founded in Hebdów in the XII century.
The elderberry tree is included on the coat of arms both to give honor symbolically to the
Bishop’s parents and family as well as to represent the Bishop’s episcopal ministry. Given that the
elderberry tree is one of the first plants to show signs of life after winter, it has often symbolized
the hope for a season of fertility, of gifts and of graces. Being strong and fruitful, the elderberry has
also been identified with constancy and pastoral zeal, fundamental traits expected of any Bishop. In
addition, the berries of the tree are reminiscent of the beads of the Rosary, recalling that the Bishop,
named to the episcopacy on October 7th , has entrusted his episcopal ministry to the Blessed Mother
under her title “Our Lady of the Rosary” .
The tree bearing four clusters of fruit, one for each of the Cardinal Virtues, Prudence,
Justice, Strength and Temperance, which will sustain the pastoral activity of the Bishop.
Over the elderberry tree appears an “azure”star, the shining symbol of Mary, to underline
that Bishop Hebda has placed his new pastoral ministry under her maternal protection. The symbol
also recalls that the Norbertine monastery at Hebdów was dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption
The “azure” and “argent” chequy fess is taken from the coat of arms of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh. Placed as the foundation for the elderberry tree, the juxtaposition recalls that Bishop
Hebda has his roots in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and has drawn his strength from that local Church.
The background is gold , the most noble metal, and is symbolic of the primary Virtue, Faith; it is
faith, in fact, that will provide the strength which will support the pastoral ministry of Bishop
Hebda.