Jeffrey Joseph Walsh

JEFFREY JOSEPH WALSH

Born : November 29, 1965
Deceased :

Bishop of Gaylord, 2021-present

Official blazon

Azure, within a bordure wavy a chevronel between in chief two mullets of six points argent and in base a Latin Cross pattee Or, impaling Per chevron azure and sable, a chevron flory counter-flory and a chevron the upper line sapini, the lower line wavy argent, between a chief rayonny Or, and in base a pheon argent.

Origin/meaning

As common in US episcopal heraldry, the arms show the arms of the diocese impaled with the personal arms of the bishop.

The design of Bishop Walsh’s arms is meant to illustrate the motto that appears on the scroll below the shield, “Divine Providence.” Read from the bottom up, it traces the plan and providence of God as it has unfolded in the life of the Bishop.

In the lower part of the shield (in base) appears an arrowhead, taken from the symbol of an old Irish clan of Walsh, and thus used here to symbolise the last name of the bishop. The black pointed background on which the arrowhead appears recalls the Bishop’s birth and upbringing in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Large deposits of anthracite coal have been mined for more than a century in the region, and the “coal country” became home to many Catholic immigrants from Ireland and various parts of central and eastern Europe.

The lower chevron is drawn with wavy lines on its lower edge, while the upper edge is drawn to resemble evergreen trees (sapiné). This recalls the geography of the Diocese of Scranton, which Bishop Walsh served as a priest for more than 27 years, as well as the Diocese of Gaylord. The territories of both dioceses comprise many evergreen forests and numerous lakes, rivers and streams.

The second chevron is flory counter-flory, that is, with heraldic lilies around its edges placed in alternating directions. This chevron symbolizes the Bishop’s devotion to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Lilies, and particularly the fleur-de-lis, are a symbol of purity and chastity that have long been associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, and with Saint Joseph as well. The chevron also resembles a carpenter’s square, another attribute of Saint Joseph, and of Jesus, known in his home town of Nazareth as “the carpenter’s son” (Mt 13:55).

The rays painted gold are meant to symbolize the Divine Providence of Almighty God, who bestows grace, wisdom and strength to enable each person to understand and embrace His Will in every moment.

The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop.

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