John Gerard Noonan

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JOHN GERARD NOONAN

Born: February 26, 1951
Deceased:

Auxiliary bishop of Miami, 2005-2010
Bishop of Orlando, 2010-present

Arms (crest) of John Gerard Noonan

Auxiliary bishop of Miami
Arms (crest) of John Gerard Noonan

Orlando first arms
Arms (crest) of John Gerard Noonan

Orlando second arms
Official blazon
English blazon wanted

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 division of the shield is in tribute to Pope Benedict XV, who elevated Msgr. Noonan to the episcopacy. It is divided in the same way that the pope's arms are displayed.

In the upper section appears a deep red background representing the precious Blood of the Eucharist. Upon this field is displayed the "pelican in her pride," one of the special heraldic emblems set aside to represent the Catholic Church. As the pelican strikes her breast to feed her young with her blood, so, too, does the church feed her young (the faithful) with the Blood of Christ.

The brilliant red phoenix that fills almost the entire field. Am Irish (non related) Noonan family used a coat of arms with red falcons. As the mythical phoenix derives from the falcon, in Bishop Noonan's arms a phoenix replaces these Noonan falcon. The phoenix represents the risen Christ, the redeeming act of resurrection, Christ triumphant. This is why the phoenix in Bishop Noonan's arms bears a halo it specifically represents the resurrected Christ. The flames also represent man's triumph over sin, purgatory and hell.

The black cross moline honours St. John Vianney as he came to the episcopacy as rector of a seminary that bore this name. In a homily to the people of Ars, France, where he was a simple parish priest, St. John told of a farmer's faith in God and how he would place small crosses in the earth as he sowed the seeds for the plants on his farm. Many months later, when itinerant workers would come to reap the farmer's harvest, they would find these crosses buried in the earth. Holy but mainly unchurched, these farmworkers took this event as a sign of God's protection over them and his love for them. The farmer would stop the harvest and hold an impromptu religious service for the workers, who otherwise seldom prayed in common. Msgr. Noonan's commemoration of St. John Vianney honors this story. On a gold field (God's wisdom) are found two garbs of lavender-the crop St. John described in his homilies. Between these two garbs stands a black cross, representing the priesthood of St. John Vianney- who is the patron of parish priests - and holy poverty, also a priestly virtue.

The palm tree of the Archdiocese of Miami has been included to bring honor to the fact that Msgr. Noonan rose to the office of bishop as a priest of Miami.

Msgr. Noonan also wanted to honor St. Raphael the Archangel, who has been a patron of St. John Vianney Seminary for years, as well as Msgr. Noonan's patron as well. To honor him two pilgrim's staffs have been placed behind the palm. The first of these pilgrim's staffs represents the archangel, one of whose symbols it is. The second represents Msgr. Noonan himself, who like all of us on earth, does not walk this pilgrim's journeya lone.

The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop.


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Literature: http://www.miamiarchdiocese.org, 2005