Walter Allison Hurley

WALTER ALLISON HURLEY

Born : May 30, 1937
Deceased :

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, 2003-2005
Bishop of Grand Rapids, 2005-2013

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

Bishop of Grand Rapids

Official blazon

Or and Azure, on a fess Gules, between a lymphad Azure with oars Or in action proper, flags Guiles, sail Argent, on sea Light Azure and Argent; seven swords converged at points Argent; three frets Or.

Origin/meaning

The "galley", an ancient sailing ship, is adapted from the Coat of Arms of the Canadian Province of New Brunswick, the ancestral home and birthplace of Bishop Hurley. By extension, the ship also represents the Holy Church, the Bark of Peter. The full sail and the billowing flags indicate that this heraldic ship, like the Church, is enroute to a destination driven by the winds of the Holy Spirit. The oars tell of the human work it takes to navigate the ship, in cooperation with the Divine plan.

The bar with three gold "frets" is taken from a Hurley family coat of arms. The red background speaks of martyr-like faith and strength.

The blue bottom portion of the shield contains a star-like symbol formed by seven swords pointed toward each other. This references the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows where, as a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, Bishop Hurley ministered at the time of his call to the episcopacy. This symbol also indicates Bishop Hurley's reverence for the Blessed Virgin Mary and his prayer that she who knew anxiety and suffering for the sake of Christ would call us through our sorrows to ultimate joy in Christ.

The Jerusalem Cross behind the shield indicates that Bishop Hurley is a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, an honor bestowed on him by Pope John Paul II in 1994 at the request of Adam Cardinal Maida. The Jerusalem Cross consists of a large "Cross Potent:' called that because of its resemblance to an ancient crutch, and symbolic of the Savior's power to heal diseases of body and soul. The four smaller crosses tucked into the corners of the Cross Potent indicate the four cardinal compass points from which the Gospel spread from the city of Jerusalem.

Bishop Hurley's motto, Serve with gladness, honors his friend and mentor, Bishop Arthur Henry Krawczak, the late auxiliary bishop of Detroit, who used the same motto. This verse from Psalm 100 was part of a hymn sung at the entry rites of the Jerusalem Temple. Its use here indicates Bishop Hurley's commitment to enter into the Apostolic ministry of the Church with thanksgiving and a joyful heart.

Literature:

Religious or Ecclesiastical heraldry portal

This page is part of the Ecclesiastical heraldry portal	Heraldry of the World
Ecclesiastical heraldry per country Catholic heraldry Roman Catholic Arms of Popes Cardinals (2,122) Archdioceses (645) Archbishops (3,478) Dioceses (2,489) Bishops (10,375) Nunciatures (210) and more Armenian Catholic Chaldean Catholic Coptic Catholic Ethiopian Catholic Hungarian Catholic Greek Catholic Maronite Catholic Ruthenian Catholic Syriac Catholic Syro-Malabar Catholic Syro-Malankara Catholic Liberal Catholic Old Catholic Free Catholic	Centre for Ecclesiastical Heraldry : We will help you designing your coat of arms Other Christian churches Anglican Churches Lutheran Churches Orthodox Churches Reformed Churches Unitarianism Other religions Judaism Total pages in the Ecclesiastical section : 19,247 Total images in the Ecclesiastical section : 18,349