Francisco González Valer

FRANCISCO GONZÁLEZ VALER

Born : May 22, 1939
Deceased :

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, 2001-2014; Titular Bishop of Lamphua

Arms (crest) of Francisco González Valer

Official blazon

Quarterly Gules and Or, a crescent reversed counterchanged, on a chief Azure three hearts Argent.

Origin/meaning

The colors and cross on the Arms of Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, have been the inspiration for the arms of Bishop Francisco González. By dividing the Bishop's shield into four quarters, red and gold, a cross is formed, thus honoring the Cardinal whom he assisted as an auxiliary bishop.

The reversed crescent is taken from the arms of the Jesuit saint, Francis Xavier (1506-1551), the patron saint of Bishop González. The colors of the crescent have been counter colored with those of the surface of the shield to emphasize the Castilian ancestry of the Bishop.

The three silver hearts denote that Bishop Gonzalez is a member of the Sons of the Holy Family, founded in Spain in 1864 by Blessed Joseph Manyanet.

The silver hearts complement the Bishop's motto, PAX ET AMOR (Peace and Love); the hearts for love and the silver (white) for peace. The blue of the chief honors Our Lady of Lourdes, upon whose feast Bishop Gonzalez received ordination in the episcopate at the hands of the Cardinal Archbishop of Washington.