Ernest Leo Unterkoefler

ERNEST LEO UNTERKOEFLER

Born: August 17, 1917 in Philadelphia, USA
Deceased: January 4, 1993 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Auxiliary bishop of Richmond, 1962-1964
Bishop of Charleston, 1964-1990

Auxiliary bishop of Richmond

Bishop of Charleston

Official blazon
English	blazon wanted

Azure, on a fess or, between three mullets argent, two arms cuffed and hands clasped gules.

Motto: Deo placere

Origin/meaning

The Bishop has, as his baptismal patron, Saint Ernest, a Benedictine abbot of the twelfth century, who joined the Crusaders, preached in Persia and Arabia, and was tortured to death at Mecca. In the absence of a specific symbol in ecclesiastical art for this saint, the shield has been charged with a fess (horizontal band) bearing two hands clasped, as a canting expression of an earnest - something of value, given in law to bind a bargain.

The three stars, two above and one below.the fess, recall the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in which the Prelate was born, and the Diocese of Richmond.

The tincture of the arms are red, white and blue. Blue and white are the Marian colors to honor Our Lady as Patroness of the United States; and red, white and blue are those of the arms of The Catholic University of America where the Bishop received a degree in Canon Law.

The motto; Deo placere, which is translated: "To please God," is taken from the Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle, to the Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 2. The complete verse reads: Sine fide autem impossibile est placere Deo: "Without faith it is impossible to please God."

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 (3,467) Dioceses (2,489) Bishops (10,320) 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 : 19,181 Total images in the Ecclesiastical section : 18,282