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Bishop McGrattan's coat of arms
Catholic Register Staff
January 15, 2010
The field of the shield is divided into sections by a heraldic division called a saltire enhanced. This reflects the form of the traditional arms of the name McGrattan.
In the “X” is also seen the Greek letter Chi which is the first letter in the Greek for Christ.
In the “X” is also seen the Greek letter Chi which is the first letter in the Greek for Christ.
The gold (yellow) and red from the shield represents those used by St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ont., while the red and blue from the shield represent the City of London.
The charges on the shield symbolize the following:
Keys are found in the coats of arms of the bishop’s home diocese of London and in the shield used by St. Peter’s Seminary where he ministered as an educator and served as rector for many years. A key opens a lock and so is a fitting symbol for education and here celebrates the bishop’s role in the training of priests at St. Peter’s Seminary. Keys are also an attribute of St. Peter (Matthew 16.19) and so may be taken to represent the papacy and the Roman Catholic Church.
The wards and the bows have been embellished with the traditional emblem of Ireland, the trefoil or shamrock, and indicates his ancestry. The trefoil is also a symbol for the Holy Trinity.
The charges on the shield symbolize the following:
Keys are found in the coats of arms of the bishop’s home diocese of London and in the shield used by St. Peter’s Seminary where he ministered as an educator and served as rector for many years. A key opens a lock and so is a fitting symbol for education and here celebrates the bishop’s role in the training of priests at St. Peter’s Seminary. Keys are also an attribute of St. Peter (Matthew 16.19) and so may be taken to represent the papacy and the Roman Catholic Church.
The wards and the bows have been embellished with the traditional emblem of Ireland, the trefoil or shamrock, and indicates his ancestry. The trefoil is also a symbol for the Holy Trinity.