John Joseph Myers

JOHN JOSEPH MYERS

Born: July 26, 1941
Deceased:

Bishop of Peoria, 1990-2001
Archbishop of Newark, 2001-2016

Bishop of Peoria

Archbishop of Newark

Official blazon
English	blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

As common in US episcopal heraldry, the arms show the arms of the (arch)diocese impaled with the personal arms of the bishop.

The eagle's head in the personal arms is the traditional symbol of St. John the Evangelist, honoring the baptismal patron of the archbishop's father and the Archbishop. The eagle's head represents the higher vision which faith brings to life and the hope we should have in the face of difficulties.

The silver roundel in the base is a symbol of the Gospel, the "pearl of great price and our striving for the Kingdom of Heaven" as recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew, 12:45-46. As the eagle's head honors the archbishop's father, the pearl honors his late mother Margaret, whose name means pearl.

The two silver crescents in the chief honor the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the "Immaculate Conception," patroness of the North American College in Rome where Archbishop Myers prepared for ordination, and the Catholic University of America, where he earned his doctorate in Canon Law, and the United States of America. These crescents memorialize the Archbishop's devotion to Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church.

The green of the shield recalls the verdant fields of his birthplace and his Irish heritage.

The Archbishop chose the motto, "Mysterium Ecclesiae Luceat: translated, "Let the Mystery of the Church shine forth," as a succinct summary of the central theme of the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium.

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