Timothy Christian Senior

TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN SENIOR

Born : March 22, 1960
Deceased :

Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, 2009-2023; Titular Bishop of Floriana
Bishop of Harrisburg, 2023-present

Auxiliary bishop

Bishop of Harrisburg

Official blazon

Azure a crosier Or and a pilgrim's staff argent saltirewise, in chief a mullet of the last, a bordure company argent and sable.

Origin/meaning

The colors that Bishop Senior has chosen for his coat of arms allude to the arms of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where the primary tinctures are also white and blue. The star in the top center of the shield represents the Blessed Virgin Mary. The star is used in the same place and for the same purpose on the arms of the Archdiocese, in which Bishop Senior has served as a priest since 1985.

Bishop Senior has long had a love for music, and acknowledges that he began to hear and understand the Lord calling him to the priesthood while studying piano and organ. The roots of Bishop Senior's vocation are symbolized in the bordure, reminiscent of piano keys.

The central charges on the shield are placed saltirewise; each is a type of staff, and each refers to a passage in the New Testament Letters which begins with the word senior, which is translated "elder". They are thus a canting element.

Taken together, the two staves may be seen to signify the necessary connection between the spiritual and corporal works of mercy- the responsibility of the bishop to tend to all of the needs of the people he is called to serve. The painting of the crossed staves in gold and silver alludes to crossed keys of Saint Peter, long recognized as a symbol of the Holy Father, and speaks of the bishop's fidelity to the Bishop of Rome, the successor of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The motto, placed on a scroll below the shield, is a phrase from the Second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy. The apostle writes now from Rome, where he has been imprisoned by Imperial officials because of his preaching of the Gospel. But he has not lost hope even in these dire circumstances, he insists, for "scio cui credidi" - "I know him in whom I have believed" (2 T imothy 1:12).

Religious or Ecclesiastical heraldry portal

This page is part of the Ecclesiastical heraldry portal	Heraldry of the World
Ecclesiastical heraldry per country Catholic heraldry Roman Catholic Arms of Popes Cardinals (2,121) Archdioceses (645) Archbishops (3,474) Dioceses (2,489) Bishops (10,333) Nunciatures (210) and more Armenian Catholic Chaldean Catholic Coptic Catholic Ethiopian Catholic Hungarian Catholic Greek Catholic Maronite Catholic Ruthenian Catholic Syriac Catholic Syro-Malabar Catholic Syro-Malankara Catholic Liberal Catholic Old Catholic Free Catholic	Centre for Ecclesiastical Heraldry : We will help you designing your coat of arms Other Christian churches Anglican Churches Lutheran Churches Orthodox Churches Reformed Churches Unitarianism Other religions Judaism Total pages in the Ecclesiastical section : 19,198 Total images in the Ecclesiastical section : 18,319

Contact and Support

Partners:

Your logo here ?
Contact us

Literature:

Info from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia