Saturday, March 31, 2007
The heraldry reflects personal and historical ties in a graphic representation.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
History and heritage combine in a coat of arms.
The phrase probably brings to mind knights in shining armor. Or, if you're into genealogy, you might have discovered a long-lost family coat of arms.
Aside from royal lineages that sport coats of arms, each Catholic diocese has such a symbol that reflects its roots. Also, the leaders within the church -- bishops, archbishops, cardinals and the pope -- all have coats of arms.
When a new bishop is installed in a diocese, his coat of arms is merged with the diocese's coat of arms.
Though it's not part of his official duties of supervising the 104 deacons in the diocese, Deacon Paul J. Sullivan, director of deacons in the Diocese of Providence, R.I., is the man many people around the world seek out when they want a coat of arms.
In fact, he was asked to incorporate the coat of arms of Youngstown's new bishop, George V. Murry, with the Diocese of Youngstown's emblem.
Designs
He has created some 400 designs. Aside from being in American dioceses from coast to coast, his designs are in such places as Albania, the Vatican, Liberia, the Congo in Africa and South America.
Coincidentally, Deacon Sullivan works a couple offices away from Bishop Murry's predecessor, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, who served the Youngstown Diocese from 1996-2005.
Bishop Tobin, now bishop of the Diocese of Providence, R.I., asked Deacon Sullivan to re-do his coat of arms when he was installed in Rhode Island. A Providence symbol replaced the Youngstown one, Deacon Sullivan said.
"I saw a coat of arms when I was a boy of 10 and was fascinated," said Deacon Sullivan, whose background includes degrees in business management and theology and work in computer programming.
This hobby, known as heraldry, has blossomed over the years. Deacon Sullivan credits his "mechanical ability" more than his "artistic skills."
There are three aspects to a coat of arms, he explained. They are the artwork, the description of what it means, and the blazon or the technical description.
"The blazon is a mix of Old English, French, Greek, Latin and Saxon," he said, "and doesn't mean much unless you understand what's being said."
The origin of the coat of arms is traced to medieval times and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. "A metal helmet was developed that covered the man's face," Deacon Sullivan said. "This presented a problem because you couldn't tell friend from foe. One of the knights -- no one knows who -- used a color on his armor so that his men would know him."
The idea caught on but led to fighting among knights and lords who sometimes selected the same symbol or color, he noted.
"The king established a College of Arms and it still exists in England," Deacon Sullivan said, and explained that the king gave permission for the design of a coat of arms. Queen Elizabeth approves them now.
Questions
And where did the term "coat of arms" come from?
Deacon Sullivan said that evolved when knights dressed in the armor and jousted. "On an August afternoon, they were probably poaching in their own fluids because of the heat," he said. To keep the sun from heating up the plate armor, cloth panels were placed over the armor.
There were four panels: one over the front, the back and arms. Each panel was embroidered and appliqu & eacute;d with the appropriate symbols. "This became known as a coat of arms," he said.
So how did a coat of arms become part of religious tradition?
"The eldest son was the inheritor [of land and wealth]. A younger son was traditionally given to the church as a thank-you for what the family had," Deacon Sullivan said.
"This younger son might be appointed a bishop or abbott. He kept the heritage of the coat of arms and it became his official seal," he said.
"Documents, for example, from the bishops to the pope, were sealed with this graphic representation of who and what he was."
linonis@vindy.com