The Coat of
Arms of
The Most Reverend Leonard J. Olivier, S.V.D.
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
Blazon:
Azure, on a mount in base Or charged with
a bar wavy Azure, a dove Argent, in its beak a branch of
olive Vert fructed Or, on a chief per pale Gules and Or,
in the dexter a terrestial globe surmounted on a cross
coupled Argent, in the sinister a roundel of the last fimbrated
Azure.
Motto:
“ Lead Me, Guide Me” (Psalm 20,
v. 4)
Significance:
The Arms of Bishop Olivier consist of a
blue shield charged with a silver (white) dove standing
on a gold (yellow) mount at the base of the shield. The
dove has in its beak a green olive branch, and the mount
is charged with a blue wavy bar.
The dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, alludes
to Bishop Olivier’s motto and honors the influence
of the Holy Ghost Fathers in his life. The olive branch,
symbol of peace and strength also sings, or cants, in an
heraldic manner upon the family name, Olivier.
The blue wavy bar across the gold (yellow)
mount recalls the Bayou region of Louisiana. In this area
are the dioceses of Lafayette and Lake Charles where Bishop
Olivier was born and has served as a priest. By a happy
coincidence the Arms of these dioceses also display the
combined colors of blue and gold (yellow).
The “chief,” or upper portion
of the shield is divided in the center—red to the
left of the viewer (dexter in heraldry) and gold (yellow)
to the right of the viewer (sinister in heraldry). The
red section is charged with he insignia, or emblem, of
the Society of the Divine Word, a custom long established
for members of religious orders who are raised to the episcopate.
The Society displays a terrestial globe surmounted by a
cross in silver (white) symbolic of its commitment to world
evangelization to draw all to Christ. The gold (yellow)
section is charged with a silver (white) disc edged in
blue honoring the Eucharist, and commemorates the influence
of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Bishop Olivier’s
life; the colors of this sisterhood are blue and white.
Bishop Olivier’s motto, “Lead
Me, Guide Me,” is taken from Psalm 30, verse 4; it
expresses his prayer for wisdom, guidance and strength
for himself and for all those committed to his care.
Behind the Arms is placed a gold processional
cross and ensigning the whole achievement is a pontifical
hat with its six tassels on each side, disposed in three
rows, all in green. These are the heraldic insignia of
a prelate of the rank of bishop in accordance with the
Instruction of the Holy See, dated 31 March 1969. Before
1870, the pontifical hat was worn at solemn cavalcades
held in conjunction with papal ceremonies. The color of
the hat and the number of tassels were signs of the rank
of the prelate, a custom still preserved in ecclesiastical
heraldry.
These Arms were devised November 16-17,
1988 by A.W.C. Phelps (member of The Heraldry Society,
London, England), Cleveland, Ohio, in cooperation with
The Most Reverend Leonard J. Olivier, SVD, DD.
Read
Bishop Olivier's Biography
