James Francis Stafford
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Born: July 26, 1932 Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, 1976-1981 |
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Previous arms:
Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore
Bishop of Memphis
Archbishop of Denver
| English | Or, a chevron gules: at the nombril point a pierced dexter hand of the last. |
Origin/meaning
As common in US episcopal heraldry, the arms show the arms of the (arch)diocese impaled with the personal arms of the bishop.
The arms are based on a certain Stafford family arms. These arms have been differenced by the inclusion of the red right hand which is pierced to remind us of the Stigmata that was borne by the Archbishop's baptismal patron Saint Francis of Assisi. The red hand is used to honour the Archbishop's Northern Irish Catholic heritage since the "Red Hand of Ulster" has been used to signify this region of Ireland since the reign of King Henry V (1413-22)
The motto, "In the Beginning the Word" is taken from the beginning of the Holy Gospel according to Saint John (1:1). This phrase expressed the Archbishop's deep Christian and Catholic belief that all things come from God and that the Truth, His Word, is above all other things.
The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop, archbishop or cardinal by instruction of the Holy See, of March 1969, confirmed in March 2001.
Literature: Information from the Archdiocese of Denver, 2007
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