The ancient tradition, which traces back to medieval times, is a sign of the bishop's leadership within the Church and typically includes personal touches important to the new bishop's personal past, ancestry or family lineage.
Fr. Timothy Pelc, pastor of St. Ambrose Parish in Grosse Pointe Park, is one of a handful across the country trained in the ancient craft of creating ecclesiastical heraldry. Fr. Pelc has designed the insignia for several Detroit bishops, including Auxiliary Bishops Gerard W. Battersby and Robert J. Fisher, who were ordained to the episcopate Jan. 25.
Each part of a coat of arms carries a special significance: an outer portion denotes the owner's rank, while the shield, or inner portion, tells a personal story about the bearer. Below the shield is a motto, chosen by the bishop himself, on a scroll.
The outer portion of a bishop's coat of arms contains a green, wide-brimmed hat known as a "galero," with three rows of tassels; an archbishop's galero is typically violet with four rows of tassels, and a cardinal's galero is red with five rows of tassels.
Below is a short description -- or "blazon" -- of Bishop Battersby and Bishop Fisher's coats of arms, as written by Fr. Pelc.
The Most Rev. Gerard William Battersby
"In Sinu Patris" ("In the Bosom of the Father")
The Battersby family name traces back to at least two distinct English family groups and also to a number of Scots and Irish Battersbys. In the case of Bishop Battersby, his family lineage is clearly aligned with the Irish branch that settled in and around Dublin and Waterford at the time of Elizabeth the First (1533-1603). At some point lost to history, a part of the Anglo-Irish family branch was raised in status from freeman to knight, which resulted in a Coat of Arms being created for them. That coat of arms forms the basis for this Ecclesial Coat of Arms.
The yellow/gold shield is divided by a bold “Cross Soutoir” (i.e., “stirrup” owing to the triangular areas of the design). Red indicates valor. The other components of the cross are fur pelts, which are signified by the little black tail-tips accompanied by three black dots that represent the fastenings by which the pelts would have been attached onto a shield.
In the 1800s, the largest concentration of Irish Battersbys were located in the Dublin area. It is from there around 1850 that Bishop Battersby’s paternal great-grandparents the Battersbys and Mullallys immigrated to Essex County in Windsor, Canada. The Bishop’s maternal great-grandparents, the Buckleys and the McIlhargeys settled in Lucan, Ontario, near London about that same time.
Bishop Battersby’s parents, the late Christopher and Helen (Buckley) Battersby, came to the United States from Canada in 1929 and 1925 respectively and were married at St. Theresa Church in Detroit in 1944. The Buckley side of the Bishop’s family is honored on this Coat of Arms by the pair of buck antlers found on the left and right side of the Midpoint. In heraldry, antlers are emblems of strength, power and fierceness, as they are the chief means of attack and defense for the animals that possess them. “... we are challenged … to speak for the voiceless, to defend the defenseless, to impact on the poor…. As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response" (”Economic Justice for All” - United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, paragraph 16).
At the honor point of Bishop Battersby’s Coat of Arms is a wounded heart. This signifies his devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It also pays tribute to Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where he prepared for the priesthood and at which he served as vice-rector and dean of seminarian formation at the time he was called to the episcopacy.
At the top of the shield is a Celtic processional cross. This shape is attributed to Saint Patrick (386-461) who combined the circular pattern of the sun with the Christian cross as a way of associating light with Christ in the minds of his converts.
Grounding the bishop’s Coat of Arms in the base point is a lily in full bloom. This represents the Blessed Virgin Mary and the trust and confidence that Bishop Battersby has in her intercession and protection. In ancient times, the lily was the symbol of motherhood. (The Bishop’s Baptismal namesake, St. Gerard Majella (1726-1755), is an Italian Redemptorist brother who is the patron saint of motherhood.) In Christian iconography, the lily is a symbol of Mary. The stem symbolizes her faithful mind; the petals her purity; the leaves her humility; and the three stamens are a representation of the virtues, Charity, Hope and Faith.
MOTTO
For his Episcopal motto, Bishop Battersby has chosen “In Sinu Patris.” From John 1:18 – translated “In the Bosom of the Father” and as such honors the Blessed Columba Marmion (1858-1923), a Benedictine Irish monk whose writings center on the concept of “spiritual adoption.” Marmion reminded us that God sees in every baptized soul another “beloved child,” a person whom the Father recognizes as begotten by the Holy Spirit. Bishop Battersby did his doctoral dissertation on Marmion.
The Most Rev. Robert Joseph Fisher
"Per Caritatem Servite Invicem"
("Out of love, place yourselves at one another's service")
The chief point of the shield is derived from the Coat of Arms of the City of Poznań, Poland. It depicts a part of that city’s defense wall and gate. Poznań’s Coat of Arms dates back to 1253. Its use here is to honor the Bishop’s Polish heritage. Bishop Fisher’s maternal great-grandfather and great-grandmother were both born in villages close to Poznań. Bishop Fisher’s paternal grandfather’s parents were born in Galicia in southeastern Poland. His paternal grandmother was born in the village of Targowiska, also in southeastern Poland.
The center, or honor point, of Bishop Fisher’s Coat of Arms references his Baptismal patron, Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) who was an Italian, Jesuit Cardinal and one of the most important figures of the Counter-Reformation. The pine cone is found on the Bellarmine Family’s Coat of Arms. In Christian symbolism, the pine cone is seen as the crown of the Tree of Life and humanity. For ancient Romans, the evergreen tree symbolized long-suffering, steadfast friendship, and an enduring good reputation. In this context, the pinecone can also reference the White Pine tree of the State of Michigan, of which Bishop Fisher is a native.
The base point, or bottom part, of Bishop Fisher’s Coat of Arms features an area of wavy lines meant to express water, in particular the glacial waters that carved out the Great Lake Huron where he has a residence. Bishop Fisher also served as Director of Camping Services for the Catholic Youth Organization, which maintains summer camps for youth on Lake Huron.
In the base point there is what is known in heraldry as a “cant” or visual pun. Three fishes alert the viewer to the Bishop’s last name. When the Bishop’s great grandfather immigrated to the United States, his first job was in the coal mines of West Virginia. There the Englishman he worked for had trouble pronouncing “Wojtowicz,” so he took his nickname, “Fish,” and said “from now on you will be known as ‘Fisher.’” Since that time, the family has used the appellation “Fisher.”
The fishes in this base point are represented as a “triquetra,” a tripartite symbol marking the intersection of three circles. When used in this manner, the fish symbol (which is generally used as an icon of Christ) is used to represent the Holy Trinity. The pattern also generates an image of “the fisherman’s net.” Bishop Fisher was Director of the Vocations Office of the Archdiocese of Detroit for five years.
Covering the top of the shield is the “galero”. It is also known as a “pilgrim’s hat” because of its wide brim protecting the traveler from the elements. In this context, the galero indicates a bishop’s willingness to journey to distant places for the faith – while at the same time expecting the protection of the shadow of God. The galero has a cord attached to it. It is flanked by two sets of six tassels, or “fiocchi.” Originally this cord and tassels were simply the way of securing the hat to the traveler’s head. Tradition dictates that a bishop’s galero and cord are depicted in the color green, with six tassels arranged in three rows on either side, indicating the rank of bishop.
Above and behind the shield, there appears a processional cross in a shape called “vair.” The four sections roughly resemble that of a bell. “The Holy Spirit, through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church and through her in the world, leads believers to the full truth, and makes the word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness” (Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum 2.7).
MOTTO
At his ordination to the priesthood in 1992, Bishop Fisher chose a text from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verse 13, and he reiterated it on the occasion of his ordination to the episcopacy: “Per Caritatem Servite Invicem.” In translation: “Out of love, place yourselves at one another’s service.” “We must not forget that true power, at whatever level, is service, which has its luminous summit on the Cross…. For God, authority is always synonymous with service, humility, love. It means to enter into Jesus’ logic, who bends down to wash the feet of the Apostles” (Pope Francis ¬ Angelus on May 8, 2013).
Related stories
For more stories about the ordination and background of the Archdiocese of Detroit's new auxiliary bishops, Bishop Robert Fisher and Bishop Gerard Battersby, check out The Michigan Catholic's special section.
