John Charles Reiss

JOHN CHARLES REISS

Born : May 13, 1922
Deceased : March 4, 2012

Auxiliary Bishop of Trenton, 1967-1980
Bishop of Trenton, 1980-1997

Auxiliary Bishop of Trenton

Bishop of Trenton

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 golden pile is taken from the arms of a German Reiss family (not related to the bishop though). The pilgrim's staff is one of the badges of a person who journeyed to a shrine or holy place, such as Rome or the Holy Land, both of which Bishop Reiss journeyed to on pilgrimage, hence the two staffs.

The base portion on the right side depicts an eagle and a book in honor of St. John the Evangelist, the baptismal patron of the bishop, adding a personal element to the shield as do three grains of rice surrounding the eagle which signify the English meaning of the Reiss surname.

The motto under the coat of arms of Bishop Reiss is "Let Us Love One Another," from St. John's Gospel (13:34). When he commissioned the coat-of-arms, Bishop Reiss was quoted as saying that the motto "signifies the ideal of doing what the Lord wants us to do. I use it as the guiding principle for the Diocese of Trenton."

The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop by instruction of the Holy See, of March 1969, confirmed in March 2001.