Anthony Joseph O'Connell

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ANTHONY JOSEPH O'CONNELL

Born: May 10, 1938
Deceased: May 4, 2012

Bishop of Knoxville, 1988-1998
Bishop of Palm Beach, 1999-2002

Arms (crest) of Anthony Joseph O'Connell

Bishop of Knoxville
Arms (crest) of Anthony Joseph O'Connell

Bishop of Palm Beach
Official blazon
English blazon wanted
  • (Palm Beach) Arms impaled. Dexter: Azure, on a fess Or between in chief two celestial crown of the second and at the point two barrulets wavy Argent, a palm branch slipped and proper. Sinister: Azure, on a fess Or, an anchor of the first, between in chief a pilot's wheel of the second below to chief dexter a lily and to chief sinister a dogwood blossom both Argent; in base a stag's head affrontee of the last, attired of the second.

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 cahnged from Knoxville to Palm Beach.

The arms are composed of three colors; blue, silver, and gold. These are often referred to as the Marian colors because of their association with the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are used here to reflect the Bishop's deep devotion to Mary and it was on the feast of the Birth of Mary that His Excellency was ordained as a bishop and installed as the shepherd of God's People gather in the Diocese of Knoxville. Across the center of the blue field is a golden bar on which is seen a blue anchor, the symbol of hope, and which is taken from the arms of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, which the Bishop served for many years, and as Rector until his appointment to Knoxville. This charge also reflects the Bishop's faith that in Christ and with Christ, there is always hope to do whatever The Lord's Will for us might be.

Above the bar is a gold pilot's wheel, that is taken from some (unrelated) Touhy family arms, to reflect the heritage of the Bishop's mother, Mary Anne Touhy O'Connell. The wheel is placed below a silver lily, to honor the Bishop's baptismal patrons, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Joseph, and a silver dogwood blossom, to honor the ten years that His Excellency spent as the Bishop of Knoxville, where the dogwood is such a part of the region. Below the bar is a silver stag's head, with gold antlers. This charge is taken from some (unrelated) O'Connell family arms and by its use the Bishop pays particular honor to the heritage of his father, John O'Connell.

For his motto, His Excellency, Bishop O'Connell has retained the phrase "THE HARVEST IS PLENTY," which is taken from Saint Matthew's Gospel (Matt. 9:37). Because ofhis work in the field of church vocations, His Excellency used this phrase to express that, with the help of God, there is always so much that can be reaped by doing His Work and that God will provide the workers to do His Will and serve His People.

The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop.

Literature:


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