Some Episcopal Cathedrals

St. John's Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

St. John's Cathedral

Quincy, IL

Designed around 1906 by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose

Blazon:  Azure, on an eagle displayed Argent aureoled Or, an escutcheon Gules charged with seven mascles conjoined three, three, and one Or.

Cathedral of the Incarnation.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Cathedral of the Incarnation

Baltimore, MD

Designed in 1916 by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose

Blazon:  Quarterly Argent and Gules, a cross counterchanged with a pheon of the second in the first quarter.

Christ Church Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Christ Church Cathedral

Hartford, CT

Designed in 1919 by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose

Blazon:  Argent, a cross pattee Gules between as many grapevines fructed and leaved proper.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

New York, NY

Designer unknown, officially adopted around 1965

Blazon:  Azure, seven five-pointed stars Argent between as many candlesticks Or.

Washington National Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Cathedral of Sts. Peter & Paul (Washington National Cathedral)

Washington, DC

Designed in 1949 by Alanson H. Sturgis

Blazon:  Gules a sword proper erect in pale hilted Or, surmounted by two keys in satire Or and Argent over all in fess point a crown Or.

Cathedral of the Advent
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

Cathedral of the Advent

Birmingham, AL

Devised by the College of Arms in 1985

Blazon: Purpure, a cross tau ensigned by a celestial crown Or, a bordure ermois.  

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These are few cathedral arms that I've done so far and wanted to bring them all together here.  Enjoy.

Washington National Cathedral

The coat of arms of Washington National Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Cathedral Church of Saints Peter & Paul occupies prime real estate in our nation's capital.  Also known as Washington National Cathedral, this cathedral houses the cathedra of the Bishop of Washington, DC and even has a place for the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.  

I can recall with great detail my very first time worshipping there, participating as an acolyte around age 12 or so.  I was in awe and filled with questions.  True to form, I wrote a letter to the cathedral (circa 1992) inquiring about those guys walking around with "sticks" during the service--the concept of a verger had yet to invade the Diocese of West Virginia back then.  I received a kind response explaining the ministry of a verger and I was smitten with all things "high church."    

L-R:  Arms of the Episcopal Church, Washington National Cathedral,
and the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

The arms of the cathedral combines both attributed arms of its patron saints with an added coronet overall.  From the child-friendly illustration below, the document provides a date for the arms, 1949.  However, I've never been successful in tracking down an official blazon.

An illustration of the cathedral's arms in a coloring book.
Click to enlarge.
Source: Washington National Cathedral.

De Kay (1993) provides a few details such as the metals for the keys, the sword's hilt is gold, and a gold bordure surrounds everything.  But...no blazon...I've turned to the greatest resource at my disposal, The American Heraldry Society for blazonry assistance.  I also wrote to the Cathedral's Archives in hopes they may have some information as well.  

The arms of Washington National Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

With special thanks to C. Hale, a member of the American Heraldry Society, we now know the designer as well as the the official blazon for the arms of the Washington National Cathedral.  According to Washington National Cathedral (1949) the arms were designed by Alanson H. Sturgis and blazoned:

Gules a sword proper erect in pale hilted or, surmounted by two keys in satire or and argent over all in fess point a crown or.

As always, I've sent along this information to the Cathedral's Archives in the spirit of sharing.  I'll update this post should more information come to light.

Works Cited

De Kay, E.J. (1993).  Heraldry of the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press. 

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

Heraldry of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Arms of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

One of the world's largest cathedrals is quietly nestled in the upper west side of Manhattan. I remember my first visit there and simply wandering around, head fixed skyward, and in awe of the building's shear magnitude. The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine holds the cathedra for the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and bears unique arms which I wanted to recreate.

Banner of arms, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The cathedral's arms are quite unique and make a clear Biblical reference to its dedication of St. John. 

The Rev. Canon Edward Nason West (1909-1990) was a canon of the cathedral and well versed in heraldry.  Canon West's arms are based on those granted to his mother by the College of Arms in 1951.

Arms granted to Isadora Angelina West by the College of Arms in 1951.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The blazon for the coat of arms for Isadora Angelina West was kindly shared by the Archives of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Arms:  Per pale Argent and Sable, a fess dancetty counterchanged in dexter chief a cross couped Sable.

Crest:  In front of a plate a griffin's head erased Sable beaked and gorged with a ducal coronet Or.

Motto:  Trewest

Coat of arms of The Rev. Canon Edward Nason West (1909-1990).
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Among Canon West's many contributions, he created the "Anglican Compass Rose" as a image showing unity amongst the global Anglican Communion.  The center features the arms of St. George and encircled with the Greek inscription of John 8:32, "the Truth will set you free."

The Anglican Compass Rose was designed by West in 1954 and later embedded in the floor at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, as well as the National Cathedral in Washington, DC and Canterbury Cathedral in England.

The Anglican Compass Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Anglican Compass Rose was later rendered as a flag for the 1990 Lambeth Conference by The Rev. Andrew Notere.

The Anglican Compass Rose Flag.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

Make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, I highly recommend it.

Unification and Differencing: A Case Study in Quincy

Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Over the past 10 years, I've diligently combed through archives across the US and Canada on my quest to uncover the heraldic work of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).  I have met so many archivists and volunteers who are passionate about the organizations whose histories they maintain.  Sometimes I am lucky and find answers, other times not so.  Today, however, was one of those good days. 

During the 28th annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Quincy, which met on May 16-17, 1905 in the Cathedral of St. John, the assembly voted to officially adopt a coat of arms designed by la Rose (Diocese of Quincy, 1906, pages 34-35).  Based on my data, now hovering around 250 institutional coats designed by la Rose, the arms for the Diocese of Quincy was the first coat la Rose designed for an Episcopal diocese.  

The seal of the Diocese of Quincy designed by la Rose and found upon the bishop's cathedra inside St. John's Parish and Cathedral in Quincy, IL.  Photo courtesy of The Rev. Patrick Smith, Rector.  Note the diocese's motto, Jehovah Jireh, placed in the base of the vesica piscis. 

There is something else, however, that makes this coat extra special--keep reading.  

The blazon for the arms of the Diocese of Quincy: Argent, between two pallets wavy azure debruised in fesse, a cross quadrate gules, thereon seven mascles conjoined three, three, and one or.  

An article appearing in The Living Church (1906), offers this description for the diocese's arms:

"The story told upon the shield is an interesting one and descriptive of the location, the history, the work, and the aspirations of the diocese. One versed in heraldry might read the shield as follows: The land between the rivers, of military associations where the Anglican Communion has spread the gospel net, which land is Quincy and whose church sends influences beyond the rivers. This is a free translation, very free, but better understood to-day than the language of ancient heraldry. 

"The diocese includes a little more of the State of Illinois than was in what was known as the 'Military Tract,' a tract reserved after the war of 1812 to reward the soldiers. This fact, and the other one that within the diocese the Federal Government has its greatest arsenal, will account for the 'Military Associations.' 

"An interesting fact is that the lozenge like the devices in the centre of the shield arranged as these are, 3, 3, and 1 , in heraldry mean both Quincy and the gospel net. The motto 'Jehovah Jireh,' chosen as all will remember by Bishop Chase, while it may not properly be included in the design is correctly placed in the rim" (page 1007).  

Furthermore, DeKay (1993) notes that the arms of the diocese prominently features those from the "de Quincy family, Earls of Winchester, were [blazoned] 'gules, seven mascles conjoined, 3, 3, 1 or'" (page 36).  All of this background information is great, but there's more.

Banner of arms for the Diocese of Quincy.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In Wright (1908), we learn that not only did la Rose design arms for the diocese, but also arms for its cathedral of St. John (page 244).  This is the special coat that I've been pinning to see.    

The only way I could find these arms was to contact The Rev. Patrick Smith, Rector of St. John's Parish and Cathedral, who so kindly sent me these photographs today.  The parish and building are now affiliated with the Anglican Church.  Moreover, Wright (1908) notes that the reredos was designed by none other than the Boston-based firm of Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942).  Wherever there is Cram, and heraldry is involved, la Rose is surely not far behind.

The arms of St. John's Cathedral carved onto the reredos inside St. John's Parish and Cathedral in Quincy, IL.  Photo courtesy of The Rev. Patrick Smith, Rector. 

The arms of St. John's Parish and Cathedral are blazoned: Azure, on an eagle displayed Argent aureoled Or, an escutcheon Gules charged with seven mascles conjoined three, three, and one Or.

Arms of St. John's Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Now, we have the very first coat that la Rose designed for a cathedral or parish in the US.  Through the arms of St. John's Cathedral, we encounter for the very first time la Rose's method for showing unification and differencing.  The escutcheon on the displayed eagle is a clear reference to the cathedral's ownership by the Diocese of Quincy.  In this one coat of arms, la Rose not only differences the established de Quincy coat, but does so in a rather genius way which shows unification at the same time. 

Showing unification and differencing in arms, L-R: Diocese of Quincy, St. John's Cathedral.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024

The altar and reredos in St. John's Cathedral were dedicated on July 7, 1907 (Wright, 1908, page 244).  Thus, it is likely--given the time lag between mailing designs, actual construction, to final dedication--la Rose designed these arms between 1905-1906. 

La Rose would use the displayed and aureoled eagle for St. John in several future designs, as well as charge heraldic creatures with an escutcheon showing unification.

Arms of St. Francis de Sales Seminary (St. Francis, WI) designed by la Rose.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Arms of St. Edward's Seminary (Kenmore, WA) designed by la Rose in 1931.  Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

If you're interested to read more about the arms of St. Edward's Seminary, click here to see one of my first posts regarding la Rose.  La Rose continues to keep me on my toes with how he uses charges, tinctures, and metals to either show unification or differencing in his work.  What is truly fascinating, at least to me, is that he worked out a logical solution to this problem very early in his heraldic career.  La Rose would continue to refine his methodology over the years, and I have many examples in my data.  Today was a good day.

Works Cited

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

Diocese of Quincy (1906).  The 28th annual convention of the Diocese of Quincy.  Review Printing Company.    

The Living Church (1906).  Diocesan seal for Quincy.  The Living Church, vol 35(24), 1007.  

Wright, J. (1908).  Some notable altars in the Church of England and the American Episcopal Church.  MacMillan Company.  

Variations on a Theme: Pierre de Chaignon La Rose and the Cross in National Colors

The arms of Cardinal Gibbons (1834-1921) as painted and devised by la Rose for Gibbons' elevation as the Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore in 1910, and appearing in La Rose (1911).

Among the many coats designed by Pierre de Chaignon La Rose (1872-1941), there stands out one unique device, or ordinary, that he used in multiple ways for both American Episcopal and Roman Catholic institutions.  The cross in "national colors" was among his most used ordinaries in devising coats of arms for these institutions.  For some background on La Rose, please see my previous post here.  In this post, I will explore in chronological order this theme of the cross in "national colors" as the main ordinary in several of his designs.  I've cited my sources at the end of the article as several of these coats will be new to many enthusiasts of heraldry.  I also wish to thank Joe McMillan of the American Heraldry Society and NEHGS Committee on Heraldry for his editorial review of this article.

Berkeley Divinity School (1906)

The earliest such example of the cross in national colors comes from the arms of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale which la Rose designed in 1906.  Berkeley is an seminary of the Episcopal Church attached to Yale Divinity School.  For La Rose's commission, Berkeley was not yet affiliated with Yale.  Berkeley would officially join the Yale Divinity School in 1971. 

The arms of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale devised by la Rose in 1906.
Image source: Berkeley Divinity School website.

According the The Living Church (1906), la Rose reworked an existing coat that had been in use by the school but needed to conform the design to heraldic norms.  

Arms of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale are blazoned: "azure, a cross gules fimbriated argent, in dexter chief a star of eight points of the last.  Crest: that of the Berkeleys which is a mitre gules bordered and stringed or, bearing a chevron between ten crosses pattees, six in chief and four in base, all argent."  

Furthermore, the article notes that the motto adopted by the school is, "the Vulgate version of II Corinthians 10:16, In illa quae ultra sunt (to the regions beyond)."  A fitting motto for a seminary.

Archdiocese of Baltimore (1910)

By 1910, la Rose landed perhaps one of the most important heraldic commissions of his young career when James Cardinal Gibbons was elevated to America's premier see of Baltimore (see image above).  

Coat of arms, the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

According to La Rose (1911), the blazon for the Archdiocese of Baltimore is, "quarterly azure and argent, a cross bottonnée throughout quarterly of the second and gules, in dexter chief a star also of the second" (pg. 4).  This coat is the first known Roman Catholic coat that La Rose devised.  It's highly likely that Gibbons knew of la Rose as a leader in the field due to his portfolio of Episcopal diocesan heraldry.  Additionally, La Rose (1911) illustrates the new arms for then Archbishop of Boston and future Cardinal, William Henry O'Connell (1859-1944).       

Banner of arms for Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

There seems little doubt that the commissions from Gibbons and O'Connell effectively launched la Rose's career within the growing Roman Catholic Church in America, for a virtual explosion of requests for Roman Catholic diocesan coats would ensue.  

Episcopal Diocese of Maryland (1916)

The arms of the Diocese of Maryland as painted by la Rose. 
Image Source: Diocesan Convention of Maryland (1916).

Not long after la Rose's commission for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he devised arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, headquartered in Baltimore, and it's new cathedral.  Again, la Rose used the cross as the main ordinary of the field.  While not distinctly a "cross in the national colors," I thought it important to show the evolution of his thought process.  

The Cathedral League of Women consulted the architect of the new Cathedral of the Incarnation, Bertram Goodhue, who referred the group to la Rose (Diocesan Convention of Maryland, 1916, pg. 24).  Note that Goodhue was a partner with Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) of Boston, la Rose's main partner in crime for receiving heraldic referrals from many Episcopalian organizations.  

During the diocesan convention held in November of 1916, the convention officially adopted la Rose's design, which DeKay (1993) gives as, "quartered argent and gules, a cross counterchanged, bearing a pheon in the chief; quarter 1, paly of six, or and sable, counterchanged bendwise for Maryland" (pg.42).  La Rose completed another important commission in Baltimore for the Episcopal Diocese that same year with the arms of it's new cathedral.

Cathedral of the Incarnation (1916)

The seal of the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation, Baltimore, MD. 
Designed by la Rose in 1916. Image Source: DeKay (1993).

Earlier in May of 1916, the Cathedral League of Women presented their first gift of heraldry to the Diocese of Maryland, a seal for the new Cathedral of the Incarnation (The Living Church, 1916, pg. 150).  DeKay (1993) gives the blazon as, "quarterly argent and gules, a cross counterchanged with a pheon of the second in the first quarter" (pg. 106).  

Arms of the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Episcopal Missionary District 

of the Philippine Islands (1913-1916)

The seal of the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.  Image is from DeKay (1993).

Addition as of 8-15-23:  As my research on la Rose progresses, I have found another coat of arms within the theme of the "cross in national colors," used by the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands of the Episcopal Church.  The district was formed in 1901 and its status changed in 1937--dates that fit within la Rose's lifetime.  With limited access to the district's complete series of journals online, I have pieced together some information to inform my attribution to la Rose.   

According to the missionary district's annual reports that are accessible, the years being 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, and 1913, there is no use of the seal or mention of its adoption.  However, a very interesting fact surfaced in my review of these documents.  

Arms of the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In Missionary District of the Philippine Islands (1913), noted Boston architect Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860-1951) is mentioned twice for preparing architectural designs for St. Luke's in Manila (page 11 and 36).  La Rose and Sturgis worked together in 1910 when la Rose designed the arms for the Brookline Public Library in Brookline, MA.  Please click here to read my analysis of the arms of Brookline Public Library.  It is likely that if Sturgis needed a coat of arms for his architectural rendering for St. Luke's, la Rose would have been enlisted.

Datewise, we can presume these arms were likely designed after 1913 and very probably around 1916 given la Rose's unique design for the Diocese of Maryland and it's cathedral as noted above.  Other than The Rev. John A. Nainfa, S.S. (1878-1938), no one else in the US was designing arms using the quarterly-counterchanged cross. 

A colored rendering of the seal of the Missionary
District of the Philippine Islands,
image is from Wikipedia.  

Moreover, the cathedral for the missionary district is named the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. John and located in Manila.  The silver/white star in the coat is very likely a reference to either the Philippine's status vis a vis the US or the Blessed Virgin Mary, a method of la Rose to employ a charge or colors to reference the patron saint of the see's cathedral or its dedication.  In my data of now over 200 corporate coats, I have 19 diocesan coats designed by la Rose where he uses a charge or certain tinctures as a reference to the patron saint of the see's cathedral.

Finally, the mitre used within the vesica piscis is unique to la Rose.  In a letter from September 3, 1912 to The Rt. Rev. David Hummell Greer (1844-1919), Episcopal Bishop of New York, la Rose provides sketches for possible arms for the Diocese of New York to consider.  As he closes the letter to the bishop, la Rose addresses the mitre he prefers to use as the external ornament placed above the shield:

"The mitre on my drawing [proposed coat of arms for the Episcopal Diocese of New York] is copied with very slight modification from those on the roll of peers dated 1515 in the Herald's College [College of Arms, London], a type which has crystallised and become now practically their official heraldic form for a mitre, and here we are concerned only with the mitre from the point of view of heraldry, not of archeology or liturgies" (Letter from Pierre de Chaignon la Rose to the Right Reverend David H. Greer).

Having seen la Rose's painting for New York, it is the exact same mitre used for the Diocese as Maryland as can be seen above.  La Rose would adorn countless diocesan coats with this exact mitre.  Data does not lie!  Thus, I proudly give la Rose credit for the arms of Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.  DeKay (1993) gives the blazon as, "quarterly gules and argent, a cross counterchanged, in dexter chief a mullet of the second" (pg. 87).

Please click here to read my full analysis of the arms for the Episcopal Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.

Catholic Church Extension Society (1918)

Arms of the Catholic Church Extension Society.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Two years later, La Rose (1918) illustrates the newly devised arms for the Catholic Church Extension Society and provides the blazon as, "argent, a cross gules cottised azure, charged in chief with a star or" (pg. 192).  

The arms of the Catholic Church Extension Society devised by La Rose in 1918, and appearing in La Rose (1918).

La Rose further notes that, "the Right Reverend President of the Society, Monsignor Kelley, desired the arms to express, in the abstract conventions of heraldry, simply the Catholic Faith, the United States, and Our Lady's patronage.  That this is done by means of the Cross in the national colors and the star of Our Lady should be clear to readers" (pg. 192-193).  

Additionally, La Rose (1918) illustrates the newly devised arms of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, a.k.a. the Maryknolls, and notes that these arms were designed by his Sulpician friend, The Rev. John A. Nainfa, S.S.  

The coat of arms of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society,
designed by The Rev. John A. Nainfa, S.S.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The blazon la Rose offers is, "argent, a cross quarterly azure and gules" (pg. 193).  La Rose goes on to state, "here the same idea--the Cross in the national colors--is carried out with admirable directness and decorative simplicity" (pg. 193).  Ever the humble designer, la Rose continues, "another version [of the cross in national colors] still may be seen on the arms of the See of Baltimore as impaled on the coat of His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons" (pg. 193).  A clear reference that la Rose was the first to express this design heraldically.     

National Student Council 

of the Episcopal Church (1919)

Arms of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Addition as of 10-3-23:  In 1919, la Rose cleverly devised arms for the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church using a cross in national colors--his first such design for a national Episcopal-affiliated organization. (National Student Council of the Episcopal Church, 1920 March, 12).  

The arms of the National Student Council
of the Episcopal Church
appearing in Morehouse (1941), page 27.

According to Turner (2010), the National Student Council was formally organized in May 1918 by the Conference of Episcopal College Workers to function as an advisory council of students to the Presiding Bishop (32).  In 1935, the Church Society for College Work, also an Episcopal-affiliate, would be established separately from the student council and organized to assist college ministry in a variety of ways including fundraising (Turner, 2010, 34).  Both groups, it would appear, used the same coat of arms.

While the above image is hard to image in full color, I believe la Rose pulled together several elements into this design to clearly identify the owner as a quasi-academic institution within the Episcopal Church.  At this point, remember, the Episcopal Church did not have any national symbols and thus the bordure with the bishop's mitres was the best option.  The inscribed and open book identifies the academy and employs a fitting motto, "for Christ and the Church."

The blazon for the arms of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church/Church Society for College Work is: argent a cross gules cotised azure, over all an open book with two clasps or thereon inscribed PRO CHRISTO PER ECCLESIAM and on a bordure azure eight bishop's mitres argent.  

Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic (1923)

A beautiful full color emblazonment of the arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic from Conning (2023 September 13).  Image courtesy of the Maryknoll Mission Archives, September 2023.

By 1923, we see more examples from the Maryknolls, devised by both Nainfa and la Rose.  The Field Afar, the official organ of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, published two coats of arms in their September edition--the previously shown arms of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (which la Rose credits Nainfa for the design in the Ecclesiastical Review) and the new arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic (now simply, the Maryknoll Sisters of Saint Dominic). 

The Maryknoll Mission Archives posted an article on September 13, 2023 regarding these arms and included full colored emblazonments.  Please click here to read the Maryknoll Mission Archives article.

As a result of their post, I wanted to dig a little deeper in the story surrounding these two distinctive arms.

For an analysis regarding these two corporate arms, please click here to read my article.

The coat of arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic carry the gyronny of eight representing the order's ties to Saint Dominic as well as the new Maryknoll cross of national colors.  The blazon is:  gyronny of eight argent and sable, a cross quarterly azure and gules. 

Article from The Field Afar, September 1923, page 254.  Click image to enlarge.

Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (1924)

Arms of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (CSMC), founded in 1918, would grow to become one of the most successful youth movements of the 20th Century for evangelism.  The CSMC became a dynamic force within the church and modeled itself on the imagery of the crusades in order to help inspire young women and men to help conquer the world for Christ (Endres, 2007).  And what respectable crusader would go without bearing arms?  Enter Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.

The banner of arms of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade designed by la Rose in 1923. 
Source: United States Patent Office (1924).

The Catholic Students' Mission Crusade
Paladin Leader Award.
Source: Author's private collection.

While the CSMC used a rather unattractive coat of arms by 1923, the banner designed by la Rose would play a role in the right of initiation (Endres, 2007).  As such, la Rose was contacted to devise a banner of arms for the CSMC.  At some point, likely in the 1930's, the older version of the arms were dropped in favor of la Rose's design, albeit with the inscription cognoscetis veritatem, or "know the truth," from John 8:32 added to the open book.  These new arms would be used for the neck jewels of the order. 

The arms of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade are blazoned: quarterly argent and azure, a cross quarterly gules and the first, thereupon an open book or inscribed Cognoscetis Veritatem (Know the truth, John 8:32).  The patent for the banner of arms was filed on December 31, 1923.  

Catholic University of America (1933)

The arms of The Catholic University of America.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Perhaps one of la Rose's most well-known arms appeared in 1933, a truly national design for the Catholic University of America located in Washington, DC.  La Rose literally reversed his design scheme of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade, added a crescent in the first quarter, and a different inscription upon the open book.  And voila!  The arms of Catholic University.

The arms of the Catholic University of America are blazoned: quarterly azure and argent, a cross quarterly of the second and gules charged with an open book or thereupon inscribed Deus Lux Mea Est (God is my light), in the first quarter a crescent of the second.  It's a lovely design.

Banner of arms for the Catholic University of America.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

Gallery of Living Catholic Authors (1937)

Another example of the cross in national colors comes by way of the arms of Gallery of Living Catholic Authors.  Founded in 1933 and led by Sister Mary Joseph, S.L., Ph.D., the purpose of the gallery was threefold:  providing a Catholic literary hall of fame, creating awareness of contemporary Catholic literature, and to be a repository of letters, photographs, manuscripts, and books all for future research and scholarship (Joseph, 1945, pg.75).  The Gallery used Cram for its building design and that's likely how la Rose got involved with designing their coat.

The arms of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors designed by la Rose in 1937.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

La Rose designed these arms in 1937, and this coat is hands down my all-time favorite design of his (La Rose, 1937).  The blazon for the arms of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors is: quarterly gules and argent, a cross throughout quarterly argent and gules, in saltire two feather quills counterchanged over all an open book edged with three clasps or thereon inscribed In Principio Erat Verbum (In the beginning was the word, John 1:1).  

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (1938)

The arms of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine designed by la Rose in 1938.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Towards the end of la Rose's life, he used the cross in national colors for another national Catholic organization, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine which adopted the following arms in 1938: argent, a cross quarterly quartered gules and azure void of the field thereupon an open book with three clasps or inscribed Deus Est (God is).  

These arms fascinate me.  Just when you thought la Rose may have exhausted a cross of national colors, we get these arms.  

The Episcopal Church (1938-1939)

Arms of the Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Like a dramatic film, la Rose saves the best example of the cross in national colors as one of his final acts as a herald.  To read the complete and untold story of the evolution of the Episcopal Church's arms, please click here.

History has incorrectly attributed the design of these arms to William M. Baldwin (d.1942), a layman from the Diocese of Long Island.  It is my view that the confusion stems from creator of the flag versus the actual coat of arms the flag was based upon.  There is no doubt that Baldwin physically made the flag that would be adopted for the Episcopal Church, but he did not design the church's arms.  Baldwin, however, deserves much credit for his perseverance in keeping the issue of the need to adopt arms front and center in the mind of the church.  For this dedication alone, the Episcopal Church owes much thanks to Baldwin.

   

Even my own church history professor and co-editor of An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church (2000), The Rev. Dr. Donald S. Armentrout (1939-2013) got it wrong too (174).  To be fair, many of the works cited here are old and long out of print--digitization and the internet were not so well established at the time of Slocum and Armentrout's book.  Thankfully, we now have those digitized resources to accurately attribute la Rose as the herald responsible for the arms of the Episcopal Church. 

Since these arms were adopted during the 1940 General Convention held in Kansas City, Missouri, it is very likely that la Rose created his design around 1938-1939 in order to give time for the vetting process.  

Baldwin's hand-sewed flag presented at the 1940 General Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.  Image is from Diocese of Long Island website.  Note how the cross gules is not centered.

General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church (1940) provides a description offered by the chair of the Joint Commission on Flag and Seal:

"On accepting the chairmanship, I felt the wisest course of procedure would be to secure expert advice in this highly technical field so as to avoid the glaring heraldic errors appearing on some of our diocesan shields. 

"Accordingly, I consulted Mr. Pierre deC. laRose, of Harvard University, a member of its Standing Committee on Arms, and recognized as probably the leading authority on ecclesiastical heraldry in this country.  He has graciously and generously given of his time and thought and his opinions have received the hearty approval of your Commission. 

"Of the design we are submitting, Mr. Ralph Adams Cram writes: "I am very pleased with this. I can give it my full approval." Another of our most expert members in this field, Major Chandler, writes: "I am sure any delineation-shield, seal or flag-which Mr. laRose may make will be unassailable heraldically and any composition of which Mr. Cram approves will be beyond question artistically" (287).

While the reader will certainly recognize Cram, Chandler is a new name in the world of heraldry.  Major George M. Chandler (US Army, Retired), was a lay member of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC's 51st annual convention in 1946, where he ushered through the adoption of la Rose's 1908 design for the diocese's arms.  It also appears, based on my searching online, that Major Chandler may have also designed the arms for the Beta Theta Pi national fraternity--if this is indeed the same individual.  Nonetheless, Egleston & Sherman (2019 May 19), Hertell (1941), and Luce (1958) all concur citing la Rose as the herald behind the Episcopal Church's arms.  

Banner of arms for The Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Episcopal Church, in so many ways, is the perfect final act for this thematic analysis, for in this one coat of arms we see la Rose at the height of his heraldic powers.  Perhaps no ecclesiastical corporate coat in the US today could be more recognizable than the arms of the Episcopal Church--providing clear identification of its owner while giving the church a widely beloved symbol.  Well done.   

The blazon adopted during the 1940 General Convention is: "argent a cross throughout gules, on a canton azure nine cross crosslets in saltire of the field" (General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 1940, 288).

___________________

Summary

If the reader has maintained a count of arms designed by la Rose within this theme of a cross in national colors, there are 13 (if you count Nainfa's design for the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, you would have 14).  To summarize, the armorial bearings designed by la Rose falling within this theme are as follows:  

1. Berkeley Divinity School (1906)
2. Archdiocese of Baltimore (1910)
3. Episcopal Diocese of Maryland (1916)
4. Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation (1916)
5. Episcopal Missionary District of the Philippine Islands (1913-1916)
6. Catholic Church Extension Society (1918)
7. National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (1919)
8. Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic (1923)
9. Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (1924)
10. The Catholic University of America (1933)
11. Gallery of Living Catholic Authors (1937)
12. Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (1938)
13. The Episcopal Church (1938-1939)  

All told, this theme is an important one within my data of now 250 coats of arms designed by the herald.  Moreover, this theme illustrates the myriad of ways in which la Rose could use the colors of red, white, and blue to render dignified corporate arms in a purely American style.  I find this fact both impressive and suggestive of the herald's deep capacity to create perspicuous heraldry.

For now, that's all I've been able to identify within this theme of arms bearing a cross in national colors.  I suspect more are out there, buried deep within archives and libraries.  

Works Cited

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (1961).  Manual of the Parish Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, (10th ed.).  Confraternity Publications. 

Conning, S. (2023 September 13).  Coats of arms.  Maryknoll Mission Archives website.  https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/coats-of-arms/

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

Diocesan Convention of Maryland (1916).  Journal of the one hundred and thirty-third annual convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Maryland.  Diocese of Maryland.

Egleston, C.L. & Sherman, T. (2019 May 19).  A flag and a seal: Two histories.  In C. Wells (Ed.), The Living Church, 258(9), pp. 16-17. 

Endres, David. (2007). Under the cross and the flag: The Catholic Students' Mission Crusade and the American quest to Christianize the world, 1918–1971. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation].  The Catholic University of America. 

General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church (1940).  Journal of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church.  W.B. Conkey Company, pp. 286-288.   

Hertell, E.S. (1941).  Our church's flag.  In C.P. Morehouse (Ed.), The Layman's Magazine of the Episcopal Church, no.15, 14-15.

Joseph, Mary (1945).  Gallery of Living Catholic Authors. Gallery of Living Catholic Authors, 2.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1937 July 18).  Letter from Pierre de Chaignon la Rose to the Reverend Sister Mary Joseph.  Unpublished letter.  Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Georgetown Library.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1918).  Some examples of Catholic corporate heraldry.  In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 58(February), pp. 189-198.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1912 September 3).  Letter from Pierre de Chaignon la Rose to The Right Reverend David H. Greer.  Unpublished letter.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1911).  The arms of his Eminence Cardinal Gibbons. In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 5(45), 2-11.   

Luce, J.H. (1958).  The history and symbolism of the flag of the Episcopal Church.  Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 27(4), 324-331.

Missionary District of the Philippine Islands (1913).  Journal of the tenth annual convocation of the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.  Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.

Morehouse, C.P. (Ed.) (1941 September).  The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church, 20, 27.

National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (1920 March).  1919 annual report of the National Student Council, bulletin 6.  National Student Council of the Episcopal Church.

Slocum, R.B. & Armentrout, D.S. (Eds.) (2000).  An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A user-friendly reference for Episcopalians.  Church Publishing, Inc., 174. 

The Living Church (1906, July 14).  Berkeley Divinity School.  The Living Church, 35(11), 389.

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

Turner, B.W. (2010).  Pro Christo Per Ecclesiam:  A history of college ministry in the Episcopal Church [Unpublished master's thesis].  Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia. 

https://issuu.com/janus532/docs/cmthesis/19

United States Patent Office (1924).  Official gazette of the United States Patent Office, 325, 280.