a coat of arms

[asakiyume]

The Diocese of Springfield, MA, has a new bishop, and bishops apparently get ecclesiastical coats of arms. ("They are princes of the church," Wakanomori said. "Their residences are called palaces." I wonder if that's even true in Springfield...)

The new bishop's coat of arms, as best as we could tell, seeing it via a televised Mass, looked like it was designed by a very imaginative child.

"Is that a rocket ship on the right?" I asked Wakanomori.

"Maybe it's a very thin castle?" he suggested in return.

"The stuff on the side looks like a genealogy--only a parthenogenic genealogy, because everyone descends from a single person instead of a couple.

"I think there's a flying saucer up top," Waka said.

We really, really needed to see the coat of arms up close, so we did some digging, and the interwebs came to our aid.

Behold! A flying saucer hovers above a shield, the left side of which shows a single-person skull rowing on a river and the right side of which shows a rocket to the moon. On either side of the shield are parthenogenic octopus genealogies, whose ultimate origins are The Flying Saucer



And my interpretation:

Comments

[marycatelli]

That's a candle. There's a large one like that in every parish that gets blessed on Easter and then is used throughout the year for certain Masses -- such as funerals.

[asakiyume]

I did recognize that it was a candle, once we saw it up close. But you have to admit it looks a good deal like a rocket, no?

[kore]

It is a really nice rocket!

[asakiyume]

Fly me to the moon, Easter candle!

[mallorys_camera]

That coat of arms is very weird looking. 😊

[asakiyume]

It has so many parts!

[minoanmiss]

*giggles delightedly*

[asakiyume]

^_^

[mount_oregano]

Don't forget the Latin motto! I've reached Level 2 of Duolingo Latin, and the motto says "I live in Spam." ("Spem" is the third-declension singular accusative for "Spam.") (I'm pretty sure.)

[asakiyume]

The spaceship comes from planet Spam!
(I trust your Latin implicitly ;-) )

[wayfaringwordhack]

ROFL

My quick-mind glimpse first saw the motto as something have to do with live sperm, so there you have it. "We need none of that here, sir, we practice parthogenesis!"

[asakiyume]

Hahaha, prefect!

[queenoftheskies]

I love your interpretation.

[asakiyume]

many thanks!

[cmcmck]

Unfortunately my knowledge of ecclesiastical heraldry............. :o)

[asakiyume]

Is nil? Or means you are in possession of a heartbreaking/awe-inspiring/zombie-creating revelation?

[cmcmck]

Is quite broad- the green galero means he isn't a cardinal (their's are red) The paschal candle means he has a fondness for Easter (as I suppose Christians would) 'in spem vivam'- to live in hope. It burns because his name is Byrne (heralds have a strange sense of humour).
The crescent moon is part of the arms of Washington DC and the cross style is St Michael's cross.

I'd guess that the cross and waves are part of his own heraldry. roundels per fess of six Argent & Azure. if you want the heraldic term (or even if you don't) :o)

[asakiyume]

Awww, thank you! I love the pun on burn/Byrne!

Waka observed that the part on the left represents the Diocese of Springfield, whose arms look like this:

[cmcmck]

Our town arms has the motto 'Deo Adjuvante' which could be translated as 'God help us.' :o)

[asakiyume]

Fancy!

[gale_storm]

It’s so rough to not parse ‘SPEM’ as either ‘SPAM’ or ‘SPERM*. Yeah, i don’t go to church anymore, so there wouldn’t be any giggling during services. B^D

[asakiyume]

:-)

[pjthompson]

Yes, that's precisely what it is. ;-)

[asakiyume]

I'm glad you concur!