 Seán
Cardinal Patrick O'Malley, OFM Cap, Ph.D., D.D.
Sixth Archbishop of Boston
Blazon:
Arms impaled. Dexter: Azure, a cross fleurettee Or;
issuant from a base bary wavy of five, of the first and Argent, a mount of
three coteaux of the second. Sinister: Gules, a ship of three masts, at sail,
Or, between three stars Argent; on a chief of the third the arms of the Franciscan
Order; upon a Latin cross Sable two arms in saltak, the one to dexter uncovered
and the one to sinister habited of the Order of St. Francis, both hands displaying
the Stigmata, all Proper.
Significance:
The archepiscopal heraldic achievement, or archbishop's
coat of arms, is composed of a shield, with its charges (symbols), 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 12th century
terms, that are archaic to our modern language and this description is presented
as if being given by the bearer with the shield being worn on the arm. Thus,
it must be remembered, where it applies, that the terms dexter and sinister
are reversed as the device is viewed from the front.
By heraldic tradition, the arms of the Metropolitan Archbishop
are joined to the arms of his diocesan jurisdiction, seen in the dexter impalement
(left side) of the shield. In this case, these are arms of the Archdiocese
of Boston.
These arms are composed of a blue field on which is
displayed a gold (yellow) cross fleurettee. This cross of The Faith has each
arm terminating in a fleur-de-lis to honor the first Bishop of Boston, Jean
Legebvre de Cheverus, a French bishop who later became the Cardinal-Archbishop
of Bordeaux, The cross is also employed to represent the cathedral-church in
Boston, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The base of the archdiocesan arms
is five bary wavy bars of blue and silver (white), this traditional heraldic
representation of water is used to signify the waters of Boston Harbor that
is of such significance in American history. Issuant from the waters of the
harbor is a "trimount" ("mount of three coteaux") to represent
the See City, the original name of which was "Trimountaine," in reference
to the three hills (Beacon Hill, Pemberton Hill and Mount Vernon) on which
the city of Boston has been said to have been built.
For his personal arms, seen in the sinister impalement
(right side) of the shield, His Excellency has retained the arms that he adopted
at the time that he was selected to become a bishop in 1984. His Excellency
was serving in a pastoral ministry in the Archdiocese of Washington when he
was selected to become Coadjutor Bishop (with Right of Succession) of the Diocese
of Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. He retained the same design
during his tenure as Bishop of Saint Thomas, during his tenure as Bishop of
Fall River, in Massachusetts, during his tenure as Bishop of Palm Beach, in
Florida, and now as he come to be Archbishop of Boston,
The background of these arms is red and displays a three
masted sailing ship, at full sail, all in gold (yellow). This charge is taken
from the portion of the O'Malley "family" arms that is known
as "the crest" (the upper-most portion, usually above a helmet ...
like the "crest of a wave" is the upper-most portion, not the whole
wave). This ship is placed amid three silver (white) stars that are taken from
the arms of General George Washington, which arms are used as the device
of our federal capital city, where as it was said, His Excellency was serving
as a priest when he was selected to receive the fullness of Christ's most holy
priesthood as a bishop.
The upper portion of Cardinal O'Malley's personal
arms are the arms of the Order of Saint Francis, (O.F.M. - the Order of Friars
Minor - a loose translation of tile Latin for the Order of Little Brothers)
signifying that Cardinal O'Malley is a Capuchin
Franciscan. These arms show on a black cross, the crossed arms of Christ
and Saint Francis, each bearing the Stigmata,
Two special charges have been added to Cardinal O'Malley's
design to signify very special honors that His Excellency has received.
The shield of the Cardinal's design has been replaced
by the red and silver "Cruz de Cristo" to signify that Cardinal O'Malley
was named a Knight Commander of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator in
1974. This honor was conferred upon the Cardinal by the Portuguese government
for outstanding service to the Portuguese people.
Additionally, it will be noted that the Cardinal's
shield also rests upon a Maltese Cross in its proper colors of red and white.
The inclusion of this cross in the design signifies that at the request of
His Eminence James Cardinal Hickey, then Cardinal-Archbishop
of Washington, DC and Chaplain of the Washington Lieutenancy of the Sovereign
Military Order of Malta, Cardinal O'Malley was named as a Chaplain "Ad
Honorum" of
the Order in 1991. By this position the Bishop became a member of one of the
oldest chivalric order in Christendom, the Hospitaliers of St. John
of Jerusalem, who, at one time, had their headquarters on the Island of Malta
(the headquarters are now In Rome) and have thereafter been known as the
Knights of Malta.
For his motto, His Excellency, Cardinal O'Malley has
retained the phrase "QUODCUMQUE DIXERIT FACITE," which is taken from
Saint John's Gospel, Chapter 2, verse 5 and comes from the Blessed Virgin's
statement at the wedding feast at Cana, "Do whatever He tells you," This
statement by Mary, the first disciple, "the first Christian," sums
up the totality of the human commitment to Christ, regardless of what it
may be, we are to do "whatever he tells us."
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