Christopher Joseph Weldon
CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH WELDON
Born: September 6, 1905
Deceased: March 19, 1982
Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts, 1950-1977
English | blazon wanted |
Impaled. Dexter: Argent, a cross pommetty gules, between four fountains; Sinister : Argent, a fesse indented sable, between in chief a mond gules, charged with the monogram of Christ of the field, and in base three ermine spots of the second, all within a border engrailed of the third .
MOTTO: Ut Christum feram . "That I may bear Christ."
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 of the bishop are based upon the arms of the Weldon family of Ireland, that consist of a silver shield on which is emblazoned a black fesse within a red engrailed border. The fesse has been differenced by indentations resembling a saw, as a reference to St. Joseph the Carpenter, and the second name of the Bishop. The orb at the top of the shield displaying the Chi-Rho, the monogram of Christ, is another example of canting arms. This is the familiar orb which appears in the hand of the Infant Jesus on the shoulders of St. Christopher, the first Patron saint of the Prelate.
The three ermine spots are taken from the coat of arms of the Dwyer family of Ireland, the Bishop's mother's name, and they pay homage to Cardinal Spellman, under whom the Bishop served as a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and as a chaplain in the armed forces.
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