David John Walkowiak

DAVID JOHN WALKOWIAK

Born : June 18, 1953
Deceased :

Bishop of Grand Rapids, 2013,-

Official blazon

Argent on a bend Azure charged on the ordinary barrulets of five Argent. Sinister chief point coronet Or over lyre Or. Dexter base point fleur de lis Or. En outré, crosslet ermonois.

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 golden crown refers to King David, the baptismal patron of Bishop Walkowiak. The lyre beneath the crown refers to the episode recorded in 1 Samuel 16:14-23, where Saul, the first king of Israel, seeking relief from his troubles, called David, a shepherd from the fields of Bethlehem, to be his musician and eventually his armor bearer.

The bend with barrulets has been adapted from the coat of arms of Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland, where the bishop received his early theological training and later was a professor for 20 years as well as dean of students for the last eight of those years. The use of five barrulets represents the five Great Lakes. Bishop Walkowiak’s family has lived in Cleveland, near the shore of Lake Erie for four generations. Since his youth, he has spent time traveling through the Great Lakes region. His new home in the Grand Rapids Diocese is contiguous to the western shore of Lake Michigan.

The fleur de lis is an emblem of the Virgin Mary. And, with its three petals, it has also been used to represent the Holy Trinity. In the arms of the bishop it also refers to the arms of St. Joan of Arc and the particular parish under her patronage in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where Bishop Walkowiak served as pastor for seven years, prior to his being called to the episcopate.

The crosslet behind the shield is marked with the ermine patterning which comes from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Cleveland, where Bishop Walkowiak was ordained a priest for that diocese and served as its vice chancellor for 20 years. The ermine tincture is found both on the family coat of arms of Moses Cleaveland, who founded the city of Cleveland, and in its adaptation made by the Diocese of Cleveland in 1847.

The motto Gratias Agite Domino means “Give thanks to the Lord.” It comes from his patron saint, King David, who penned these words as part of the 118th psalm. It’s a song of joy for salvation, a hymn of gratitude and praise “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1) [NAB]

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