Parish of St. John's, Cambridge

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Canada > Ecclesiastical heraldry

St. JOHN'S PARISH (Cambridge, Ontario)

Denomination : Anglican

Official blazon
Per saltire, first Azure charged with an eagle's head erased and nimbed Or, second wavy Azure charged with two piles wavy reversed in point Argent, third and fourth Argent each charged with a cross patté fitché Gules; Motto: IN THEE ARE THE SPRINGS OF OUR LIFE

Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on June 15, 2001.

The division of the shield by the saltire partition lines evokes the Greek letter chi, the initial letter of the name of Christ in Greek. Blue is a colour associated with St. John the Evangelist, whose traditional emblem is the eagle shown with a nimbus. The parish has long used an eagle as its symbol.

The bottom portion was inspired by the fountain (Preston Springs) found on the assumed arms of the former Town of Preston, where the parish is located. The spring or flowing water has a Christian significance as a baptismal symbol.

The crosses in the flanks of the shield, red on white, refer to the red cross on white of Anglicanism and to the two church buildings, the original parish church erected in 1890 and the present one built in 1953.

The motto comes from a prayer used at the dedication of the present church in 1953. It is based on Psalm 36:9 and refers to the famous Preston Springs.

Literature : Information and image from here