Eusebius Joseph Beltran

EUSEBIUS JOSEPH BELTRAN

Born : August 31, 1934
Deceased :

Bishop of Tulsa, 1978-1992
Archbishop of Oklahoma City, 1992-2010

Bishop of Tulsa

Archbishop of Oklahoma City

Origin/meaning

The arms of a (non related) Beltran family of northern Spain feature a black eagle on a green field, together with five silver stars. In the version of these arms for Bishop Beltran's use, the eagle is shown grasping in its talons the segments of a broken chain - revering to Isaiah 61: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me … He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners." These lines, read in the Mass of Ordinations, say much about a pastor's role in the face of many kinds of captivity, not the least of which is that of persons involved in the struggle for their rights as citizens. In this sense, the motif of the broken chain alludes to Archbishop Beltran's dedication of his episcopate to the principle of social justice.

The stars in the Beltran arms have here been replaced by a field of silver Cherokee roses, the state flower of Georgia, and a component of the arms of the Diocese of Savannah and the Archdiocese of Atlanta where he served before his ordination to the episcopacy. It also refers to the Indian peoples in the Diocese of Tulsa, whose boundaries encompass the present-day Cherokee Nation. The three silver roundels on the eagle's breast refer to the martyr bishop and baptismal patron, Eusebius of Samosata, who met his death by stoning.

For his episcopal motto he has selected the phrase “WE ARE ONE IN CHRIST”. Archbishop Beltran's motto states his conviction that the differences among persons are as nothing compared to their unity in the grace of Jesus Christ.

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Literature : Diocesan website