Editor’s Note: When a priest becomes a bishop, he chooses an episcopal motto and coat of arms that reflects his spirituality and devotion to God. Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger chose his motto, “Ecce Agnus Dei” (“Behold the Lamb of God”) and coat of arms when he was ordained a bishop on Feb. 6, 2012, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Salina, Kansas.
'Ecce Agnus Dei'
('Behold the Lamb of God')
A cleric’s personal motto, frequently grounded in Sacred Scripture, represents his personal spirituality and theologically based philosophy of life. Archbishop Weisenburger’s motto symbolism is deeply rooted in those sacred words: “Behold the Lamb of God,” which is rendered in Latin as “Ecce Agnus Dei.” References to the lamb are found throughout the Old Testament, in the Gospels, and in the Book of Revelation. St. John the Baptist was the first to apply this title to Jesus, when he proclaimed: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Coat of Arms
The primary emblem (known as a “charge” in heraldry) is the devotional image of the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. This emblem sits in a space of primary importance on the shield. This particular homage to Our Blessed Lord is so central to the archbishop’s spirituality that he chose it for the main theme and emblem in his coat of arms and also as the words for his personal motto: “Behold the Lamb of God,” which is rendered in Latin as “Ecce Agnus Dei.”
The base of the archbishop’s coat of arms is worked entirely in gold, a metal in heraldry reserved as symbolic of the purity of the Triune God, divinity, and truth. Upon this gold field appears a stone arrowhead, symbolic of the archbishop’s profound respect for the native peoples of the Americas. In heraldry, a downward facing arrowhead denotes peace and turning away from war and strife. Moreover, the arrowhead is worked in red, one of the colors used in devotional art for the vesture of Saint Anne, a subtle homage to the archdiocese and its patron saint.
Rising on a golden staff from behind the shield is the archiepiscopal cross, the symbol of the office of an archbishop of the Latin Rite, with deep blue and pearl stones honoring the Blessed Virgin.
The galero (pilgrim’s hat) appears above the shield and the archiepiscopal cross, rendered in dark green, the heraldic color for bishops and archbishops, with a deep red, recalling the same symbolism applied to the cardinals who may be called to martyrdom for their vocation and station within the Church. The roping of the hat is known as cordiere, from which ten tassels, or fiocchi, are suspended.
A rendering of a pallium appears below the base of the archbishop’s shield, representing the archiepiscopal vestment presented to the newly elevated archbishop by either the Pope himself or by his legate (typically the Apostolic Nuncio). It is made of natural white lamb’s wool and marked with six black crosses (five of which appear artistically on the rendering). So important is the pallium that when the incumbent dies, his pallium is buried with him.
The impalement of the arms of residential bishops and archbishops of the Latin Rite is an ancient custom still common in the Church in America today. Archbishop Weisenburger has chosen to impale his personal arms with the time-honored coat-of-arms of the See of Detroit from 1937, in tribute to the legacy of the Archdiocese of Detroit and through his privilege as Ordinary of the Metropolitan See.
