Robert Francis Garner

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ROBERT FRANCIS GARNER

Born : April 27, 1920
Deceased : December 25, 2000

Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, 1976-1995; Titular Bishop of Blera

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

Bishop Robert F. Garner’s coat of arms combines symbols of his English-Irish ancestry, of his religious training and his parish ministry, and of the Holy Spirit, to whom he always prays before any important action.

The two shells and the lion are taken from the arms of some (unrelated) Garner and O'Keefe family arms respectively and symbolise here the name of the bishop and of his mother (O'Keefe).

The carpenter’s square between the shells honors the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, with whom Bishop Garner has worked for more than 25 years, first at Blessed Sacrament. Newark, then at Our of Mercy, Jersey City.

The pelican with its young, symbol of unselfish Christian love, appears at the bottom of the shield for the Sisters of Charity of Convent Station, who taught the bishop in St. Patrick’s School, Jersey City. St. Patrick’s parish, where Bishop Garner was raised, made his decision to enter the priesthood under inspiration its priests, and celebrated his first Mass, is symbolized by the shamrock in the shield’s top section.

The shamrock also appears in the arms of Immaculate Conception Seminary where he studied for the priesthood. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary, patronness of the seminary. The dove in the center of the top section is the symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The motto "Come Holy Spirit", is taken from the prayer Bishop Garner has been saying for years, and is used as a symbol of his conviction that this post-Vatican II period is “the age of the Spirit.