Thanh Thai Nguyen
THANH THAI NGUYEN
Born: April 7, 1953
Deceased:
Auxiliary Bishop of Orange, 1931-1937
| English | blazon wanted |
Origin/meaning
Bishop Nguyen selected Blue Celeste as the main color of his coat of arms. Blue in Catholic heraldry is always symbolic of the Blessed Virgin, and it is so in this coat of arms design, as well, but this hue also is representative of water in Catholic heraldry.
The Pelican in Her Pride is one of the earliest Christological and Eucharistic emblems of the Catholic Church. Evidence of its use as such has been found in the oldest catacomb churches. The Pelican in Her Pride is a purely Eucharistic theme. It represents the Church feeding the faithful through the Precious Blood of Christ Crucified, as symbolized in the mother pelican striking her breast to feed her children with her own blood.
The stars are the stars that appear on the chapeau of Our Lady of La Vang, the apparition of Mary most important to Bishop Nguyen. They are worked in gold, which represents the wisdom of God who created all persons; the gold also represents the graces that flow through Mary to Her children in the church.
The chief is intentionally worked in wavy lines alternating bleu celeste and gold. The wavy lines are intended to symbolically represent five important water references in Bishop Nguyen’s life:
- The Atlantic Ocean that serves as a border of the bishop’s sending Diocese of Saint Augustine. This inclusion pays homage to both the Diocese of Saint Augustine and the saint himself.
- The Pacific Ocean that serves as a border of Bishop Nguyen’s new Diocese of Orange; thus including a special tribute to his new home church.
- This second representation of the Pacific is symbolic of the historic trek to safety made by the bishop and his family when they fled war and persecution in Vietnam. In this instance the water could best be described as Freedom Waters and serve as an homage to the bishop’s family’s strength and the challenges that faced them so long ago.
- Water is also symbolic of the Waters of Baptism, a symbolic reference to the sacramental role of the Office of Bishop.
- Finally, the bishop’s strong attachment to Psalm 23: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul….” This reference was uppermost in the bishop’s request for the design of his new coat of arms as auxiliary bishop of the Latin Rite.
Upon this chief of wavy lines suggesting still waters appear three charges or emblems. Two of these are reclining lambs which complete the Psalm reference. Between them is a lily — not a Fleur de lys, which is more symbolic of Our Lady, but a lily which is the main heraldic emblem for Saint Joseph, earthly father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop.
Beneath the shield, just as it would appear if worn at the neck of an actual honoree, is the insignia of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a papal order of knighthood awarded to the bishop by the Holy Father.
Bishop Nguyen has selected “HE LEADS ME” for his motto, words of profound importance to him both spiritually and familiarly and which come down from the Book of Psalms… “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing that I shall want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters; he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake…”
https://www.rcbo.org/leadership/the-most-reverend-thanh-thai-nguyen/coat-of-arms/
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