Edward Kenneth Braxton: Difference between revisions
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Green calls to mind the Hope nourished by Faith symbolized by the vibrant new life springing up in.the Church in Africa and African-American communities | Green calls to mind the Hope nourished by Faith symbolized by the vibrant new life springing up in.the Church in Africa and African-American communities | ||
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[[Literature]] : http://www.bellevillemessenger.org | [[Literature]] : http://www.bellevillemessenger.org | ||
[[Category:Roman Catholic bishops|Braxton]] | [[Category:Roman Catholic bishops|Braxton]] | ||
Revision as of 12:16, 26 December 2022
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EDWARD KENNETH BRAXTON
Born : June 28, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Deceased :
Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Louis, 1995-2000
Bishop of Lake Charles, 2000-2005
Bishop of Belleville, 2005-2020
 Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Louis |
 Bishop of Lake Charles |
 Bishop of Belleville |
Official blazon
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 personal arms recalls the Bishop's personal history, his family, especially his parents, Cullen and Evelyn Braxton, his diverse experiences as a priest and theologian, and his vision of his ministry as a bishop.
The design is dominated by a red cross, which signifies Faith, the gift by which a person becomes a Christian. The cross is outlined in white or silver to signify that the Bishop was ordained to the episcopacy during his Silver Jubilee Year, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of his First Mass.
In the quarters are symbols of significant elements in the Bishop's ministry. In the first quarter is a silver Chi-Rho, the first two Greek letters of the word Christ. This Christ centered symbol is taken from the arms of Justin Francis Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, who was Bishop Braxton's principal consecrator. The Chi-Rho also reminds him that everything he does should be in Christ.
In the second quarter is an open book that bears the Latin word for truth: Veritas. The book is used to signify the Bishop's life as a scholar, writer, and theologian, especially his years as Personal Theologian to his mentor, His Eminence, James Cardinal Hickey, late Archbishop of Washington. The book is placed within the design opposite the Chi-Rho to stress that as a pastoral theologian Bishop Braxton's scholarship has always been in the service of the Church.
In the third quarter is a star for Mary, Mother of the Lord, the Patroness of Saint Mary of the Lake Seminary, in Mundelein, Illinois, where Bishop Braxton studied and was ordained to the priesthood. She is also the Patroness of The Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where Bishop Braxton's critical formation as a theologian took place during his doctoral studies. The star also honors the late Pope John Paul II (in his devotion to Mary), who appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis, Bishop of Lake Charles, and Bishop of Belleville.
The fourth quarter show a small bird, a martlet, taken from the coin of the realm of England at the time of Saint Edward, King and Confessor, and Bishop Braxton's baptismal patron.
Rising from the base of the shield is a gold phoenix, a bird coming forth from fire. The phoenix, charged with the IHS, the monogram of the Holy Name, is taken from the arms of the Archdiocese of Chicago. By the use of this symbol, the Bishop recalls the twenty-five years that he spent as a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and his work as a theological advisor and writer for the late Archbishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.
The background of the entire design is rendered in red, green and black. These traditional African colors represent his personal family, especially the Christian witness of his dear parents, Cullen and Evelyn Braxton. The colors also represent the larger African-American family and his appreciation of the peoples and the Church of Africa. Black stands for the rich soil of the South, once worked by the Bishop's brave ancestors brought low by the sin of human slavery. Black also celebrates the beautiful dark complexions of a proud people and the "gift of Blackness" which Pope Paul VI declared was needed by the Church.
Red represents redemption and liberty won for all by Christ and struggled for by those who shed their blood for freedom during slavery and amid the strife caused by the racism that endures in our own day.
Green calls to mind the Hope nourished by Faith symbolized by the vibrant new life springing up in.the Church in Africa and African-American communities
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