Timothy Christian Senior
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Born: March 22, 1960 Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, 2009-2023; Titular Bishop of Floriana |
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Previous arms:
Auxiliary bishop
| English | 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).
Literature: Info from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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