George Vance Murry

GEORGE VANCE MURRY

Born : December 28, 1948
Deceased : June 5, 2020

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, 1995-1998
Bishop of Saint Thomas, 1999-2007
Bishop of Youngstown, 2007-2020

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago	Bishop of Saint Thomas
Bishop of Youngstown

Official blazon

(personal arms) Tierced per fess; in chief Azure the monogram of the Hole Name Or; in centre, Or, a phoenix Gules, each wing charged with fleur-de-lys of the field in base the Cross of St George.

Origin/meaning

As common in US episcopal heraldry, the arms show the arms of the diocese impaled with the personal arms of the bishop.

The upper part shows the monogram of The Holy Name (IHS). This is a central feature of the arms of the Bishop's religious community, the Society of Jesus, and it is by this symbol that Bishop Murry acknowledges the integral part of his life that is "as a Jesuit." In the central portion of the design,is a red phoenix with gold fleur-de-lis on each wingtip. This is a symbol taken from the arms of the Archdiocese of Chicago where he had the honor to serve as an Auxiliary Bishop. In the base is a Cross of Saint George and by its use Bishop Murry honors his baptismal patron.

For his motto Bishop Murry uses the phrase CHRIST MY LIGHT. By the use of this phrase, he expresses that for the Christian to find his way, one needs a light to follow or a light to find the path on which to go. In either case, that light is Christ, to show the way and to be the goal at the end of the journey.

The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop by instruction of the Holy See, of March 1969, confirmed in March 2001.