Bishop Walter A. Hurley Coat
of Arms
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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.
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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.
Coat of Arms of The Diocese of Grand Rapids
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In 1882, Pope Leo XIII established
the Diocese of Grand Rapids out of the Catholic community
living in western Michigan which at that time was under
the jurisdiction and pastoral care of the bishop of Detroit.
The Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, which
was created under the administration of the first Bishop
of Grand Rapids, Henry Joseph Richter, gives witness to
the heritage of the Catholic faith in the western half
of Michigan’s lower peninsula as well as to the
topography of the region. |
This Coat of Arms is composed
of a silver (Argent) field on which are seen a triad of wavy
blue (Azure) bars that proceed from the upper right to the
lower left (bendy sinister). In heraldry, this is a classic
representation of falling water, as in rapids that would be
found in a river. This representation or “cant”
is used to recall the site of the rapids in the Grand River
where, in 1833, missionary priest Frederick Baraga (later
the first Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette) established
the first permanent Catholic mission while the area was still
a part of the Northwest Territory. From this missionary outpost
at Grand Rapids, and traveling mostly by water, Bishop Baraga,
his successor Bishop Ignatius Mrak and Father Andrew Viszosky
(the first resident priest at Grand Rapids) established mission
stations at Beaver Island, Grand Traverse, Cheboygan, Manistee,
Muskegon, Grand Haven and Ionia. Today, the Diocese of Grand
Rapids encompasses the Catholic community in eleven counties
in the mid-western part of Michigan’s lower peninsula.
This water image further underscores the defining presence
of Lake Michigan, the western boundary of the Diocese of Grand
Rapids, and in religious terms, the defining presence of Christ:
“Jesus stood up and exclaimed, ‘Let anyone who
thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture
says: ‘Rivers of living water will flow from within
him.’.” (John 7:37-38)
Emblazoned over the watery background of
the Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Grand Rapids is a red (Gules)
Cross Moline, the arms of which peel off into two curls at
the end. The word “moline” comes from the French
moulin or “mill” since this cross resembles the
curved extremities of a millrynd, the iron which supports
an upper millstone. The agrarian roots of this cross shape
suggest the wheat of the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit
of the Christian community. While interpretations of the Cross
Moline vary, some heraldic experts say that this particular
Cross symbolizes the mutual convergence of human society –
thus adding to its Eucharistic meaning. “As this broken
bread was scattered upon the hills, and was gathered together
and made one, so let thy Church be gathered together into
thy kingdom from the ends of the earth.” (Didache Apostolorum
c.110 AD).
In the context of the Diocese of Grand Rapids,
the shape of the Cross Moline also has an extended symbolic
meaning, which is an “anchor” firmly set in the
water. The anchor is an image of Jesus Christ, the security
of the soul, and a sign of hope in troubled waters: “...we
who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to hold
fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor
of the soul, sure and firm ....” (Hebrews 6:18-19)
Coat of Arms of Bishop Walter A. Hurley
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For his Coat of Arms, Bishop
Hurley has adopted a design that speaks of his ancestry
and his ministry as a priest and bishop. The basic gold
and blue shield is divided by a red band against which
the following symbols have been applied. At the top, against
a gold (Or) background, is placed a “galley”,
an ancient sailing ship, in this case colored blue (Azure).
This symbol is adapted from the Coat of Arms of the Canadian
Province of New Brunswick, the ancestral home and birthplace
of Bishop Hurley. |
By extension, the ship also represents the
Holy Church, the Bark of Peter. The full sail and the billowing
flags indicate that this heraldic ship, like the Church, is
en route to a destination driven by the winds of the Holy
Spirit. The oars tell of the human effort it takes to navigate
the ship, in cooperation with the Divine plan.
The red (Gules) center band contains three
gold “frets” (pins). This device comes from the
Hurley family Coat of Arms originating in Waterford, Ireland.
In heraldic terms, a fret is a symbol of perseverance. The
red background speaks of a martyr-like faith and courage.
The blue (Azure) bottom portion of the shield contains a star-like
symbol formed by seven swords pointed toward each other. This
references the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows where, as a priest
of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Hurley ministered at
the time of his call to the episcopacy by Pope John Paul II.
“Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold,
this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted. And you yourself
a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may
be revealed.’” (Luke 2:34-35). This symbol also
indicates Bishop Hurley’s reverence for the Blessed
Virgin Mary and his prayer that she who knew anxiety and suffering
for the sake of Christ, would call us through the sorrows
of this life to ultimate joy in Christ.
The gallero which tops this Coat of Arms has been a part
of clerical apparel for more than a thousand years. When colored
green (Vert) in heraldic terms, it indicates that this particular
Coat of Arms belongs to a bishop. The green cord and green
tassels, that is “fiocchi”, which emanate from
the gallero are a device signifying clerical rank, with bishops
being afforded the use of three rows of fiocchi. In Bishop
Hurley’s Coat of Arms, the gallero cord has been deliberately
designed in a particularly intricate pattern, indicating the
complex tasks often given to him to unravel.
The Jerusalem Cross behind the shield indicates that Bishop
Hurley is a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the
Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, an honor bestowed on him by His
Holiness, Pope John Paul II in 1994 at the request of Adam
Cardinal Maida. This is one of the few armorial achievements
allowed to be displayed in clerical heraldry. The Jerusalem
Cross consists of a large “Cross Potent”, called
that because of its resemblance to an ancient crutch and symbolic
of the Savior’s power to heal diseases of body and soul.
The four smaller crosses tucked into the corners of the Cross
Potent indicate the four cardinal compass points from which
the Gospel spread from the city of Jerusalem.
This heraldic insignia of a prelate of the
rank of bishop conforms to the instruction of the Holy See
of March 31, 1969. Bishop Hurley’s Coat of Arms was
researched and designed by Fr. Timothy Pelc of the Archdiocese
of Detroit, who also supplied the above heraldic information
and commentary.
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