Mace & Crozier: Cathedral Heraldry in The Episcopal Church

Coat of arms of Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal), Hartford, CT
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

In the Episcopal Church, external ornaments for diocesan and cathedral coats of arms differ for identification.  For bishops and dioceses, the key and crozier are placed behind the escutcheon in saltire, while a mace and crozier are arranged accordingly for a cathedral's coat of arms.  Both, however, are ensigned with the bishop's mitre with infulae fringed and draped to the sides of the shield.

External ornaments for an Episcopal diocese and cathedral
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

External ornaments in ecclesiastical heraldry add touches of dignity while also providing additional identification of the arms themselves. 

During the late 1960s, Col. Harry D. Temple (1911-2004) was commissioned by the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC to render arms for ornamentation of the various cathedrals in The Episcopal Church.  As I understand it, many of those cathedrals did not bear coats of arms and Temple successfully designed around 30 or so cathedral arms for decoration.  

As a retired US Army Colonel, Temple likely appreciated design uniformity and widely used the mace, crozier, and mitre as external ornaments in his new designs for cathedral arms.  These additions help identify the cathedral as such with a militaristic flair.  Not every designer would follow suit.

Coat of arms of Vergers in the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Why a mace?  Symbolically, its a sign of authority and mimics the virge or verge, carried by vergers.  The mace would be used by a minister to clear a pathway for the procession.  The ministry of a verger is now found widely across the Episcopal Church.  Click here to learn more about the Verger's Guild in the Episcopal Church.

Arms of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Trenton, NJ
Designed by Col. Harry D. Temple
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Temple would go a step further with his cathedral template by creating a systematic method for charging the cathedral's mace with a symbol for additional identification.  De Kay(1993) cites the lion passant on the mace in Temple's design for Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Trenton, is a reference to the arms of the State of New Jersey (110).

Examples from Temple's designs with charges on cathedral maces
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

In addition to the charges on the mace, Temple would sometimes vary the shape and style of the cross itself adorning the top.

The Advisory Committee on Heraldry created during the 1982 General Convention, stated that cathedrals should not bear arms, but simply use those of the diocese.  Wright (2005) further notes the committee agreed that the only "mandatory ornament exterior to an episcopal coat of arms should be the mitre, of which the infulae are essential."  Temple was an appointed member of the committee who probably created the most designs for cathedrals across the US.  I wonder his opinion regarding cathedral coats of arms.

Arms of St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral, Boise, ID
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Conversely, the arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, CT as seen above, were designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) in the early 1920s without any known external ornaments.  As far as we know, la Rose did not use any external ornaments in his 1916 design for the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore, MD as well (The Living Church, 1916, 150).

However, I do believe we see an example of la Rose using the key and crozier as external ornaments in the arms of St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral in Boise, Idaho as seen above.  The illustration in De Kay (1993) shows the key and crozier in saltire but does not attribute the designer--I believe la Rose designed these arms.  

Arms of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, San Jose, CA
Designed by the Rev. Canon Eckford J. de Kay
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The Rev. Canon Eckford J. de Kay (1923-2012), a former cathedral dean and military man, continued Temple's use of the mace and crozier in his designs for cathedrals.  De Kay also employed Temple's method of charging the mace with an additional symbol for identification.  In the arms of Trinity Cathedral in San Jose, de Kay uses the "mission bell" on the mace (De Kay, 1993, 100).

Arms of Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal), Houston, TX
Designed by the Rev. Canon Edward N. West
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The Rev. Canon Edward N. West (1909-1990), as far as we know, did not use external ornaments in his designs for cathedral arms.  In 1966, West designed the arms of Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, TX which de Kay (1993) shows as a seal (p.119).

It seems most likely that the commission may have dictated whether or not external ornaments were created, as several cathedrals appear to use seals containing arms within a matrix rendering external ornaments obsolete with certain layouts.  Within the vesica pieces design widely used by dioceses, the key and crozier with the bishop's mitre works rather well.  

Another variation can be found in a commission by the Rev. Henry Martyn Medary (1871-1962), who designed an armorial flag for St. Matthew's Episcopal Cathedral in Laramie, Wyoming (De Kay, 1993, 122). 

Armorial flag of St. Matthew's Episcopal Cathedral, Laramie, WY
Designed by the Rev. Henry Martyn Medary 
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Arms of St. Paul's Cathedral, Erie, PA
Designed by the Very Rev. Frederic R. Murray
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 

The Very Rev. Frederic R. Murray (1910-1996) would create his own external design to support his creation of the arms of St. Paul's Cathedral in Erie, Pennsylvania where he served as dean.  De Kay (1993) provides an illustration of Murray using two swords--points to base--supporting the escutcheon, a phoenix rising from its flames as the crest, and adds the motto, "Press On."  Altogether something different.

Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I wanted to see if I could add another touch, in hopes of providing identification of the see itself on the crozier for cathedrals.  As such, I've placed the escutcheon of the arms of the appropriate see within the crook as an additional ornament.  Hopefully, the addition does not make the design too fussy. 

Arms of Washington National Cathedral and the Diocese of Washington
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Here's an up close view of how these two pair together.  The arms of Washington National Cathedral were designed in the late 1940s by Alanson H. Sturgis, whose sister was married to the dean of the cathedral (Washington National Cathedral, 1949).  The Diocese of Washington's coat of arms were designed by la Rose and illustrated in Christian Art (1907, November, 59-71). 

As seen, each designer added their unique touch when designing arms for cathedrals in the Episcopal Church--but the quest for uniformity in the Church's heraldry continues.  

Works Cited

DeKay, Eckford. (1993).  Heraldry in the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1907 November).  Ecclesiastical heraldry in America II.  Diocesan arms.  In R.A. Cram (Ed.), Christian Art, 2(2), pp. 59-71.

The Living Church (1916, May 27).  Maryland.  The Living Church, 55(4), 150.

Washington National Cathedral (1949).  The Cathedral Age, 24(1).

Wright, J.R. (2005 May 26).  Heraldry of the American Episcopal Church [Lecture summary].  New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. https://silo.tips/download/heraldry-of-the-american-episcopal-church

The Episcopacy and Personal Heraldry

The impaled arms of Bishop Peter Mews of Winchester
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Following my recent article regarding the personal coats of arms for members of the clergy below the rank of bishop in the Episcopal Church and Church of England, I am presenting a few examples of personal and impaled arms of bishops.  Click here to read my previous post regarding personal arms for the clergy in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition.  As the reader will see, I'm also playing around with various ribbons, legends, and mitre colors as I attempt to standardize diocesan arms.  Please bear with me! 

A few observations.  The arms I've rendered, interestingly enough, would be considered historical as these prelates have long since fulfilled their earthly ministry.  In my data of personal arms for bishops, I have but only one design for a present-day bishop in the Episcopal Church who bears these in addition to those of his see.  Perhaps the idea of having personal arms, much less displaying an impaled version, have become a relic of the past in the Episcopal Church.

Ensigning personal and/or impaled coats of arms of bishops with a mitre rather than a galero is an Anglican method used widely to this day.  While nothing prevents a bishop in the Episcopal Church from ensigning arms with the galero and pendant tassels, those arms would certainly stand out in a crowd of episcopal heraldry.

I liken this option to what can be seen in choir dress for bishops whose piety and theology is firmly rooted in the Anglo-Catholic tradition--while they might wear the rochet and chimere, a zuchetto finds its way into the ensemble.  In other words, without regulation for coat armor in the Episcopal Church, anything goes.  

The image above illustrates the impaled coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. Peter Mews (1619-1706) as Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of the Order of the Garter.  The arms of the See of Winchester are located in dexter (viewer's left) and Mew's in sinister (viewer's right).  The arrangement of corporate arms on the left (dexter) with personal arms located to the right (sinister) is the template for impaling ecclesiastical arms.  Translation to another diocese, thus, would only cause the dexter impalement to change as the prelate's personal arms typically do not.     

The blazon for the personal arms of Bishop Mews: Or, three bars Gules on a chief Azure three crosses crosslet Argent.  There is a version where the crosses crosslet in chief are rendered as gold (Or).  

Impaled arms of Bishop Thomas John Claggett
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 

The impaled coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. Thomas John Claggett (1743-1816) as seen on a memorial plaque inside Canterbury Cathedral.  Bishop Claggett was the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland and the first to be ordained bishop on US soil.   

Impaled arms of Bishop Arthur Cleveland Coxe
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Zieber (1984) shares an illustration of the impaled coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe (1818-1896), Bishop of Western New York and cites the blazon as, "Argent, a chevron Sable between three cock's heads erased proper" (p. 209).  The good bishop had canting arms, an abstract pun upon the surname and seen through the "cock's heads."

Historical coat of arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The historical arms of the Diocese of Western New York, as far as I know, are the only ecclesiastical arms to incorporate a rainbow in the design.  The arms of the see have since changed.  Zieber (1984) provides the blazon for the Diocese of Western New York as, "Sable, a rainbow proper between three crosses Argent" (p. 209).  

Personal arms of Bishop Charles Todd Quintard
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The personal coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. Charles Todd Quintard (1824-1898) found in Zieber (1984), but without the chief of the Order of St. John (p. 210).  I omitted the chief so as to match the other arms without extra fussiness.

Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Quintard was a medical doctor and Second Bishop of the Diocese of Tennessee.  He is commemorated at my alma mater, The University of the South.

Personal arms of Bishop Edward Makin Cross
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The personal coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. Edward Makin Cross (1880-1965), Third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane.  The arms are unusual but simple and clear at the same time.  It is interesting to see the pallium used as a charge, and my guess is that it was an attempt to show unification with the See of Canterbury.  I could be wrong.     

Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The arms of Episcopal Diocese of Spokane have evolved into its present day design.  Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1871-1941) created both designs for Spokane.  Click here for more regarding the story of the arms of the Diocese of Spokane.

Personal arms of Bishop James Henry Darlington
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The personal coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. James Henry Darlington (1856-1930), First Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Harrisburg, now Central Pennsylvania.  

Personal arms of Bishop Joseph Blount Cheshire
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The personal coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. Joseph Blount Cheshire (1850-1932), Fifth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina (Zieber, 1984, 211).

Personal arms of Bishop William K. Crittenden
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The personal coat of arms of the Rt. Rev. William K. Crittenden (1908-2003), Fifth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Erie, were designed by the Very Rev. Frederic R. Murray (1910-1996) who served as Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral (Erie, PA) during Crittenden's episcopate. 

Coat of arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Erie/Northwestern Pennsylvania
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Diocese of Delaware (1911) credits the Rev. Henry Martyn Medary (1871-1962), as designer of the arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Erie, later renamed in 1981 as the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Works Cited

Diocese of Delaware (1911).  Journal of the 125th convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Delaware.  Mercantile Printing, 22.

Pryor, M. (2018 October 16).  Heraldry brings Sewanee a sense of “community” for residence halls. The Sewanee Purple, https://thesewaneepurple.org/2018/10/16/heraldry-brings-sewanee-a-sense-of-community-for-residence-halls/

Zieber, Eugene (1984).  Heraldry in America.  Crown Publishers.

Personal Arms of the Clergy: A Study

Impaled arms of the Rev. Canon Edward N. West with
the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

For the longest time, I've been delaying any sort of work requiring the impaling (or marshalling) of arms.  Why?  I've simply never been much of a fan.  The symmetry is ruined; charges get distorted in order to fit into smaller areas and the whole design just looks muddled in my mind.  Well, I'm beginning to evolve on this very subject after finishing a study on several, forcing my hand to practice and learn.

This post will focus on several impalements for clergy below the rank of bishop in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition.  I have another article in the works concerning personal arms of bishops

Simply put, the practice of impaling arms for clergy is a way to illustrate both the cleric's rank and office.  Furthermore, the action of impaling two separate coats of arms shows a marriage of sorts--the cleric is "married" in a way to her or his cure.  

The galero, cords, and tassels (external ornaments) provide the viewer with the cleric's rank denoted by the color and number of tassels surrounding the escutcheon.  The office, more abstractly speaking, can be understood by the dexter (viewer's left) impalement of the arms themselves.  While the rank and office may change over time and reflected by different external ornaments, the personal arms in sinister (viewer's right) and the armiger's motto do not.    

Personal arms of the Rev. Canon Edward N. West
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Take, for example, the arms of the Rev. Canon Edward N. West (1909-1990) who served as Canon Sacrist, and had a stint as sub-dean, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.  As a canon, West was permitted to display three red tassels illustrating his rank.  Moreover, I believe Canon West held six doctoral degrees (earned and honorary), and is shown with red skein in the cords pendant from the galero.

For illustrative purposes only, purple cords reflecting
the rank of dean with red skein for the D.D. degree
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Finally, impaling the canon's arms with those of the cathedral he serves identifies the office.  If West was the dean of the cathedral, his cords would be purple with red skein for the D.D. degree.

Impaled arms of the Rev. Canon John G.B. Andrew, OBE with St. Thomas Church
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The personal arms of the Rev. Canon John G.B. Andrew, OBE (1931-2014) impaled with those of his parish, St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City, showing the same arrangement of three red tassels for a canon, but on a black and white cord based on one artifact I found.  Andrew was an honorary canon and held an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree--the armiger decides whether or not to show the red skein for the D.D. which in the US is an honorary degree.

Personal arms of the Rev. Canon John G.B. Andrew, OBE
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The black and white cords identify the armiger as a priest in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition.  Both Andrew's personal arms and those of St. Thomas Church were devised by the College of Arms (Andrew's was a grant of arms). 

Impaled arms of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten with the College of Guardians
of the Holy House of Walsingham
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The impaled arms of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten (1885-1958) are a bit unique.  Father Hope is commemorated as the restorer of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in England.  While he was a priest in the Church of England, Father Hope was also the administrator of the Shrine and preferred two tassels indicating the rank of a dean in the Roman Catholic tradition.  

Click here to learn more about the arms of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Impaling Father Hope's arms with those of the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham shows his relationship as head--or dean--of the college.  Fitting and appropriate.  

Arms of the Rev. Alfred Hope Patten
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

In fairness to Father Hope, the schedule and use of ecclesiastical hats for clergy was not codified by the College of Arms until 1976.  Click here to see those renderings from the College of Arms.

Impaled arms of the Rev. Garron Daniels, OCS with those of Episcopal Parish of Alton
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I had the honor of designing both the personal arms of the Rev. Garron Daniels, OCS, Rector of the Episcopal Parish of Alton, and his parish.  As a priest, one tassel is pendant from the galero along with a cord of black and white indicating a presbyter in the Episcopal Church.

Click here to learn more about the arms for the Episcopal Parish of Alton.

Personal arms of the Rev. Garron Daniels, OCS
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Father Garron's arms are blazoned:

Arms: Argent, on a fess Sable two Mayflowers (epigaea repens) Argent barbed Vert charged with a fleur-de-lis Azure debruised by a pile Azure thereon a dove descending Argent haloed Or;

Motto: Dum Spiro Spero, “while I breathe, I hope.”

To help clearly illustrate all these differences, I've created a schedule which is more appropriate for use in the Episcopal Church.

Illustration of rank most appropriate for use in the Episcopal Church
CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I'm beginning to get the hang of all this marshalling business, practice certainly helps.  

Arms of the National Shrine & Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham

Armorial ensigns of the National Shrine & Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Walsingham is truly an ecumenical place.  You feel this as soon as you enter the village; Orthodox, Anglican, and Roman Catholics all venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Walsingham.  I've long felt that Walsingham is the key to fruitful ecumenical relations for the Body of Christ.

As I've posted before regarding the arms granted to the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham--the Anglican Shrine--it's time to examine its nearby Roman Catholic cousin, the National Shrine and Basilica.

Click here to learn about the arms of the College of Guardians.

The "Slipper" Chapel

The National Shrine and Basilica of Walsingham.
Source: ExploreWestNorfolk.co.uk

Long known as the "Slipper Chapel," this structure dates to the mid-14th century and dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria.  Located roughly one mile from Walsingham, the chapel served as the last stop for those making their pilgrimage to the Holy House.  With bare feet as an act of humility, the faithful would removed their shoes at the chapel before proceeding onwards to Walsingham.

"When this chapel was built, Walsingham was second only to Canterbury in the ranks of English pilgrimage. The replica of the Holy House, where Mary had received news of her pregnancy from the Angel Gabriel, contained the precious statue of Our Lady of Walsingham. Thousands of people made their way here, down the muddy tracks and over the rolling Norfolk fields. 

"At Houghton St Giles, they would enter the orbit of Walsingham, their goal now almost in sight. It may be that they took off their shoes here, and walked the last stretch barefoot. It might also be the case that this is why it is called the Slipper Chapel. And it may be that it is not true, or even likely, for many of the pilgrims here would probably have been barefoot long before they reached Houghton" (Knot, 2023).

The chapel's history waxed and waned through the years and eventually fell into disrepair.  A wealthy lady, Miss Charlotte Pearson Boyd discovered the property and quickly purchased it on June 26, 1896. and gave it to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton for use.  The bishop charged the Benedictines at nearby Downside Abbey to care for the place.

In time, a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham was commissioned and stayed at the nearby Roman Catholic church in Kings Lynn.  Knott recounts that on occasion, pilgrimages from Kings Lynn to Walsingham took place as the statue of Our Lady was carried in procession.

Knott continues his story of the chapel:

"And so things might have remained, if it had not been for the emergence on to the Walsingham scene of one Alfred Hope Patten. In 1921, he became Anglican Vicar of Little Walsingham. A devout and energetic Anglo-catholic, Hope Patten found himself to be the right person in the right place at the right time. Everything came together, in this decade when Anglo-catholicism reached the peak of its influence in the Church of England, and the Church itself was the most vivid it would ever be in the national consciousness. He installed an image of Our Lady of Walsingham in the Anglican parish church of St Mary. 

"Throughout the 1920s, visits to the statue grew in popularity, until thousands of Anglo-catholics each year were coming to pray in the church and to process around it. As you may imagine, the Anglican Bishop of Norwich was outraged, and demanded that Hope Patten remove the image from his church. Hope Patten being the kind of man he was, he acceded to this request by building a new replica of the Holy House on the other side of the Priory ruins, and placing the statue inside it. 

"At last, the Shrine of Our Lady had been returned to Walsingham - but, much to the the chagrin of the Catholic Church, it was an Anglican one" (Knott, 2023).     

Good old Hope Patten!  From here the National Shrine's presence grows, aided by two important papal actions.  The shrine was elevated by a canonical coronation decreed by Pope Pius XII in 1954, and later Pope Francis elevated the National Shrine to a minor basilica in 2015.

Arms of the National Shrine & Basilica

Arms of the Augustine Priory of Our Lady of Walsingham
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

So now the heraldry bit.  Upon the elevation of the shrine to a basilica, external ornaments are required in order for the arms to show its new status, by adding the papal umbraculum or "big umbrella" and crossed keys.  

Ordinariate News provides the following information:

"Dr. David Woolf has been a longstanding pilgrim and supporter of the Shrine and remains a member of the Order of Our Lady of Walsingham. He has links with the Rector of the Basilica, Monsignor John Armitage, who has since asked him to ensure that heraldically suitable Arms might be adopted by the Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham.

"A manuscript dating from c. 1510 records the Arms of the Priory of Walsingham as Argent on a cross sable five lilies slipped argent, i.e. a black cross on a white background, with five lilies superimposed on the cross. The Basilica is now the modern day successor of the Priory of Walsingham, and as such it is appropriate that the Basilica has assumed the Arms of the Priory. These Arms have been augmented to include the ombrellino and the Papal crossed keys: one gold, the other silver" (Murphy, 2016 March 7).

And here's where I ask the question:  does the basilica have the right to bear the undifferenced arms of the Augustinian Priory of Walsingham?  With all due respect, my answer:  no.  

Consider the following:

1. When the College of Guardians of the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham petitioned the College of Arms in 1945 for armorial ensigns, the arms were differenced from those of the Priory by adding a blue canton with an image of the Holy House in gold.  The College of Arms, most likely, would not make a new grant without some change made to an existing coat of arms.  The ruins of the priory, it should be noted, are located within the bounds of the Anglican shrine at Walsingham.  

2. When Pope Benedict XVI created the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in 2009, the adopted arms had two marks of differencing from those of Walsingham--replacing the color of the cross from black to blue while selecting fleurs-de-lis for the Madonna lilies.  These arms are impaled along with those used by Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) to form the official coat of arms of the ordinariate.

L-R: Arms of the Anglican Ordinariate in the UK and US
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The illustration above shows the arms of the Ordinariate in the UK (left) and in the US (right).  Below are the arms of the US ordinariate's cathedral in Houston, Texas, Our Lady of Walsingham Cathedral.  I placed the arms within a traditional arrangement for cathedrals using a mace and crozier in saltire.  I set the arms of the US Anglican Ordinariate within the crook for additional identification and decoration, and the whole ensigned with a bishop's miter and infulae draping to the sides. 

Arms for Our Lady of Walsingham Cathedral in Houston, Texas
Seat of the Bishop, US Anglican Ordinariate
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The arms of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham are blazoned:  Per pale, in dexter argent upon a cross azure five fleurs-de-lis proper [Ordinariate]; the sinister half, Or upon a fasce dancette gules between three heart gules [Newman].

3.  The original arms, as far as we know, were used by the Priory of Augustinian canons in Walsingham.  The National Shrine is simply not a successor able to use these undifferenced arms--the National Shrine is neither a priory nor Augustinian.  Simply being the same denomination does not grant successor status in my opinion.  

I'm not the sort of chap who complains without proffering solutions.  I propose a revision to the arms currently being used by the National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham. 

A Proposal for Unification in Arms

Illustrating possible unification in arms between the National Shrine & Basilica and the Anglican Shrine of the College of Guardians
Click image to enlarge
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Illustrating unification in corporate heraldry is a beautiful concept.  When designed and executed properly, a suite of armorial ensigns harmoniously display bespoke identification for the corporate sole and surrogate foundations.

As I wrote at the beginning of this article, Our Lady of Walsingham has a special charism at work in the hearts of Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox Christians.  Our Lady, in other words, is a bridge between Christ and His Church.  Thus, Our Lady of Walsingham serves as a powerful unifier for all Christians and denominations.  Why not incorporate this charism into the heraldry of Walsingham?  The desire for unification in arms (and certainly more widely for the Body of Christ) forms the basis of my proposal.

I've rendered my little thought experiment above to illustrate the design proposal.  The revision, in my opinion, follows with what I believe is in keeping with one practice used by the College of Arms for differencing existing arms.  I could be wrong.

Processional banner of the proposed arms for the National Shrine & Basilica
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Armorial flag of the proposed arms for the National Shrine & Basilica
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

On a processional banner or armorial flag, the proposed arms look dignified and worthy of the National Shrine and Basilica.  The flag would not have to comply with the Earl Marshal's Warrant of 1938 which regulates ecclesiastical flags for the Church of England.

The blazon I offer for the proposed revision of arms of the National Shrine & Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham: Argent, on a cross Sable five Madonna lilies slipped and seeded proper, on a canton Azure a crescent Or.  

Proposed revision of arms for the National Shrine & Basilica
of Our Lady of Walsingham
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The crescent charge has long been a Marian symbol and rendering it in gold alludes to Pope Pius XII's canonical coronation of the shrine.  I also like how the crescent charge plays with the cadency mark.  In a sense, the Basilica is the "child" of the Priory (albeit a distance one, like a different cadet branch, and not able to inherit the undifferenced arms).  The canton reflects Our Lady's color of blue while providing ties for unification with the arms of the College of Guardians.  

Maybe I've missed something, as I am by no means an expert in heraldic law and inheritance.  In the meantime, may the charism of Our Lady of Walsingham continue to spread in the hearts and minds of souls everywhere.

Originally written and posted in 2020.  I've recently revised this article with new artwork and data.

Works Cited

Murphy, David (2016 March 7).  New coat of arms for the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is designed by an Ordinariate member.  Ordinariate News.  Accessed on May 23, 2025.  https://ordinariateexpats.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/new-coat-of-arms-for-the-basilica-and-national-shrine-of-our-lady-of-walsingham-is-designed-by-an-ordinariate-member/

Knott, Simon (2023). Slipper Chapel, Houghton St Giles.  The Last of England: Churches of East Anglia Norfolk.  Accessed on May 23, 2025. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/houghtonshrine/houghtonshrine.htm

Five Years On: Revisiting the Attributed Arms of Black Lives Matter

The revised attributed arms for Black Lives Matter
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

A few years ago I learned an important truth about the power of a 13th century abstract form of identification enjoys well into the modern age...but first let's revisit the year of 1963.

On what could only have been a horrendously humid and hot day on August 23, 1963, Washington, DC must have been a powder keg ready to explode as The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) took to the podium addressing a sea of sweaty hungry souls.

There on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King delivered what history has deemed one of the great masterpieces of rhetoric, his famous, "I have a dream," speech.  Dr. King's words echo across our great country today:

"So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.

"...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

"...And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last" (Talk of the Nation, 16 January 2023).

His dream has become the dream of millions worldwide, as communities everywhere continue their own struggles for civil rights in the modern age. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself re-engaged with heraldry thanks to quarantine.  I took several years off in order to focus on my doctoral program, and felt a wee bit rusty on the subject. I decided to take the plunge and convert my Anglo-Catholic blog to a heraldic research one.  Now, that's a pivot!  

A graffitied rendering of the attributed arms of Black Lives Matter
posted on Reddit and sent in by a reader.

Simultaneously, America was once again electrified, on the brink of major social change.  The Black Lives Matter movement was working to wake our Nation from slumber, calling on citizens everywhere to live out Dr. King's hallowed words.  

I had an idea, a way to show not only my support for the movement and need for change, but to see if heraldry's power of abstract symbolism holds meaning in the 21st century.  I sketched a design for a coat of arms attributed to Black Lives Matter, and posted the arms on my blog in a show of solidarity.  Click here to read the original post.   In my mind, this was Kingdom Theology at work. 

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Sidebar.  What's that?  Kingdom Theology is an Anglo-Catholic framework or lens through which one sees virtually everything, the "already, but not yet."  The Kingdom of God has come, Jesus proclaimed in the Gospels, but the heavenly realm has not yet been fulfilled.  Thus, we have lots of work to do living in these between times.  Click here to read a reflection I delivered on the topic as a seminarian.

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Something good went viral.

  

Unknowingly, the online heraldry community took notice and I began receiving digital emblazonments of the arms.  Since those were the days of pencil and paper for me, I was amazed at the power of color in heraldry.  I was speechless!  I added a subsequent post to share the illustrations I received.  Click here to read the second post on the attributed arms of Black Lives Matter.

Attributed arms of Black Lives Matter designed by Chad Krouse
Rendered by Dimitri Prica, 2022

I felt the need to commission a digital version myself and turned to Dimitri Prica.  Click here to read my feature on Prica's heraldic artwork.  Yes, it is true, fame fizzles in seconds, and within a handful of days all went quiet regarding my post.

Flag and arms of Black Lives Matter
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

Five years on, I've revisited my design and appreciate what I attempted to pack in those arms.  Since then, I feel as I though I've grown a bit in my understanding of heraldry and its design.  Today, I want to share my final version of the attributed arms in hopes to keep alive the cause of equal rights and the ongoing work of Black Lives Matter.

Graphic unpacking the design rationale
Click image to enlarge
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The graphic above readily explains my revision and I believe is more fitting, reflective of my progress in heraldic design.  The 2020 version is not bad, I simply see a better vision for these arms.

Blazon for the 2025 revision for attributed arms of Black Lives Matter:  Gules masonry Sable, on a dove displayed Argent haloed Or on an inescutcheon Sable issuing from a celestial crown in base the fist of Black Lives Matter all Or.

Arms of Black Lives Matter within a bordure of the arms of the United States of America
Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

To honor that day in August 1963 and Dr. King's extraordinary ability to bring together all Americans, I put together the rending above, placing the arms of Black Lives Matter within the bordure of arms of the United States.  

So, what exactly was that truth I learned?  When designs for arms are simple and its identification clear, heraldry has the carrying power through abstraction to convey meaning, especially when words fail us.  This truth, known by many in heraldry, is my foundation and guide.  I won't forget those brief moments in 2020.

Dreams can come true. 

WORKS CITED

Talk of the Nation (16 January 2023). Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in its entirety.  National Public Radio, accessed May 19, 2025 https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety

Arms of Christ Church Philadelphia

Arms of Christ Church (Episcopal) in Philadelphia, PA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

The coat of arms of Christ Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania are resplendent and richly identify this special parish community.  I recently found these arms as I continue my personal quest to discover sound heraldry in the Episcopal Church--I wanted to share right away.  To read other articles in the Recent Finds Series, click on the corresponding label at the end of the post.

According to Gough (1995), the parish arms were designed in the late 1950s by Dr. Harold Bowditch (1883-1964), a prominent member of the New England Committee on Heraldry.

Arms of Christ Church, Philadelphia
Source: Gough (1995), pg 372

The arms as illustrated above from Gough (1995) give us a lot of information for constructing a blazon; however, the tinctures for the field and mitre are but a guess at this point sans hatching.

We do learn a bit regarding Bowditch's rationale: the crossed swords reference the Diocese of London, three plates on a black fess for the founder of Pennsylvania William Penn (1644-1718), and the mitre for Bishop William White (1748-1836), first bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

Bowditch clearly followed the framework for corporate heraldry Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) used consistently throughout his heraldic work.  In the arms of Christ Church, we have geographical identification (Penn) tied together with historical references for both colonial (London) and diocese (White), and designed in the simplest form possible.  Bingo!

Azure or Gules for the field?
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025

I chose red for the field based on the Diocese of London reference; however, most arms dedicated to Christ Church in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition use blue owing to the arms of Canterbury Cathedral.

My blazon for the arms of Christ Church, Philadelphia:  Gules, two swords in saltire Argent hilt and pommel Or ensigned by a miter Proper debruised by a fess Sable thereon three plates.

The color blue works just as well.  I'll update this with any new information.  

WORKS CITED

Gough, Deborah M. (1995). Christ Church, Philadelphia: The Nation's Church in a Changing City. University of Pennsylvania Press, pg 372.