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Concept piece and not official, an armorial seal of the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Concept piece and example of la Rose's preferred seal design Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Concept piece and not official, an armorial flag of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Concept piece and not official, a processional banner of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Concept piece and not official, cross with BSG design Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Attributed arms of St. Gregory the Great Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Comparison between arms and shield used within the community's seal Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Monogram of the Holy Name |
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Concept piece and not official Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
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Arms of St. Norbert's Abbey in De Pere, WI Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Blazon for the Coat of Arms of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory
Blazon: Argent, four bendlets Gules on a chief of the field two lions counter-rampant Gules supporting a plate inscribed IHS Gules;
Motto: Soli Deo Gloria, Latin for “to God alone be the glory.”
The Community of St. Mary (CSM)
Not far from the campus of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, is the convent of the Community of St. Mary (CSM), Southern Province. The Sisters of St. Mary began their ministry as a Benedictine religious order for women in 1865, and continue their work to this day. In addition to the convent, a lovely retreat center is located on the property offering year round programs. During my time as seminarian, I spent many hours in silent retreat at St. Mary's and cherish those memories of reflection and solitude.
Click here to visit the official website of the Community of St. Mary, Southern Province.
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Concept piece and not official, flag designs for CSM Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Recently, the sisters' posted an image of an impaled coat of arms for a bishop in the Episcopal Church who is a long-time associate of the community. I was curious to learn more about these arms and my hunt for the retired bishop's email address proved fruitless. I had a thought to contact the convent and see if they would connect me with the prelate. My detailed email of introduction was indeed forwarded, and within a few days I was on the phone interviewing the bishop regarding his personal coat of arms.
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Concept piece and not official, cross with CSM design Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
My highly engaging conversation with the retired bishop answered several of my questions, and I ended the call feeling deep gratitude for this new resource and the sisters who made it all possible. How should I thank the sisters for their kind help? A handwritten thank you note would not do, I thought. Creating new digital emblazonments of the community's seal seemed more appropriate. Voila.
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Concept piece and not official, processional banner design for CSM Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
The Community of St. Mary does not have a coat of arms, but rather uses a vesica-shaped seal as their primary image for identification. The central image within the seal is an Easter lily with three leaves--this image can be found in a stained glass window at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis, TN. Since the lily used in the official seal is not heraldic by design, I wanted to create a heraldic version without losing any symbolism. The flowering lily is a nice reference for both the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as resurrection, and the three leaves most likely refer to the Trinity. All together a simple and clear symbol representing the community.
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Concept piece and not official, up close view of flag design for CSM Designed and rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
I really like the two flag designs for CSM, using the base of the seal without actually using the seal itself. Many US municipal flags, on the other hand, simply use their official seals on a flag creating generic identity. By adding a cotise in different metals to the flag (gold and silver/white) is one way to distinguish between the northern and southern provinces of the community. The same design scheme can be applied to a processional banner as well.
The Brotherhood of St. Gregory and the Community of St. Mary represent the heart and soul of the Episcopal Church, offering devoted lives of ministry and prayer for the Body of Christ. The symbolic identities of these two communities are reflected in their seals which embody not only their charism and gifts but their active presence in our world today. Thanks be to God!