Donald William Wuerl

From Heraldry of the World
Jump to navigation Jump to search

DONALD WILLIAM WUERL

Born: November 12, 1940
Deceased:

Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle, 1985-1988
Bishop of Pittsburgh, 1988-2006
Archbishop of Washington, 2006-2018
Cardinal : 2010

Arms (crest) of Donald William Wuerl

Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle
Arms (crest) of Donald William Wuerl

Bishop of Pittsburgh
Arms (crest) of Donald William Wuerl

Archbishop/Cardinal of Washington
Official blazon
English blazon wanted
  • (personal arms) Gules, a gold tower charged with a red cross globical convexed between two gold crosses bottony-fitchy.

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 symbols in Bishop Wuerl's coat-of-arms represent a rich religious and historical background and significance. The main charge, the gold tower, stands for the City of God; it also identifies the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception (Patroness of the Church in the United States) in some of her many attributes: Tower of David, Tower of Ivory, and House of Gold.

The red cross upon the tower is taken from the the official coat-of-arms of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, of which Bishop Wuerl is a native.

The two gold crosses bottony-fitchy, representing the Holy Trinity, are adopted from the arms of the Archdiocese of Seattle and were only used during his time ass Auxiliary Bishop there.

Red represents fire, and is used during the Church's season of Pentecost, which commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit. Gold is the emblem of the sun, and of divinity. The red and gold also are the colors in the personal coat-of-arms of the late Cardinal John Joseph Wright, for whom Bishop Wuerl served as secretary for ten years.

The motto "THY KINGDOM COME" is taken from Saint Matthew's recollection of the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:10), and represents Bishop Wuerl's commitment to the Church's conviction that the personal effort of each believer actually builds up in our life time the Kingdom of God.

Arms (crest) of Donald William Wuerl

The arms in the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Washington

Literature: Information from the Archdiocese of Seatlle.