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May 7, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
THANK YOU BISHOP MCGRATH
The Coat of Arms of Bishop Patrick Joseph McGrath Bishop of San Jose
(Reprinted fom The Valley Catholic, October 20, 1988)
Blazon
Gules, at the nombril point, on a bar wavy argent,
a barlet wavy azure; to chief above and between to
dexter an eagle’s head couped and to sinister an escal-
lop, distilling three drops, all of the second, a cross
patee £itched of the third fimbriated of the second;
and to base fleur-de-lis of the second.
Significance
The Episcopal heraldic achievement, or as it is
more commonly known, the bishop’s coat of arms, is
composed of a shield, with its charges, 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 the 12th century
terms as if it were being worn on the arm and is being
viewed from the rear.
Thus, it must be understood that, the terms dexter
and sinister are reversed as the design is viewed from
the front. For his personal arms His Excellency, Bishop
McGrath has selected a design
that tells the history and heritage of his life, his
family and his call to serve God as a priest and, now,
as a bishop. The shield is red, to reflect His Excellency’s
call to the fullness of Christ’s Holy Priesthood, as a
bishop, in that tradition tells us that each bishop, by
accepting the call to episcopacy, must pledge to be
willing to shed his blood for Christ, the Church and
for God’s people.
About one-third of the way up the shield is a silver,
white, wavy bar on which is placed a smaller wavy
blue bar. This is the heraldic presentation of water
and it is used here to represent the Atlantic Ocean,
the body of water that lies between the land of the
bishop’s birth, Ireland, and the land of his life, the
United States.
Above the wavy bars is a blue cross patee £itched,
outlined in silver, white, which is taken from the
McGrath. Below the cross to the left, heraldi~ dexter,
is a silver, white, eagle’s head to honor St. John, the
Evangelist, patron of St. John Seminary, in Waterford,
Ireland, where the bishop received his priestly train-
ing, and to the right, heraldic sinister, is a scallop
shell and three drops of water, all in silver, white,
for St. John the Baptist, the patron of St. John Lateran
University, in Rome, where His Excellency received
his doctorate in Canon Law. Below the wavy bars is
a silver, white, fleur-de-lis, the traditional symbol of
the French heritage and culture, to honor the bishop’s
mother, Eileen Gaule McGrath, who was of French
heritage.
For his motto, Bishop McGrath has selected the
phrase “Together in Christ,” which expresses the
main theme of the twelfth chapter of St. Paul’s first
Epistle to the Corinthians. By the use of this phrase,
His Excellency, Bishop McGrath wishes to state his
firm belief that all of us, regardless of race or ethnic
origin, are brothers and sisters in the work of human-
kind and of salvation, “Together in Christ.” The device
is completed with the external ornaments which are
a gold processional cross, 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
six tassels, in three rows, on either side of the shield,
all in green. These are the heraldic insignia of a prel-
ate of the rank of bishop, by instruction of The Holy,
See of March 31, 1969.
- P. Sullivan