WHY NOT?

A couple of weeks ago I made mention that Catholic clergy and institutions have a right, under certain conditions, to have a coat of arms.  St. Sebastian parish has a coat of arms that was designed almost at the founding of the parish.  Most priests haven't bothered with (or maybe know about) a clergy coat of arms, but I thought they were fascinating since I was a little kid and of course I had mine designed.  Why not?

So someone asked me to explain mine so here we go:

In the upper right and lower left hand quadrants are blue fields with squiggly white lines.  These are taken directly from the coat of arms of our major seminary, which most people call St. Mary Seminary but whose full title is St. Mary, Our Lady of the Lake Seminary.  The lake in question is Lake Erie.  So, at least in part, this is an homage to my seminary.  But my family has a lot of ties to bodies of water: all of my grandparents came over "on the boat," my Dad served on a destroyer escort in World War II, we grew up in Barberton who has Lake Ann as its defining feature, and we just also enjoyed lots of time on the water as a family.

In the upper lefthand corner is a fleur-de-li which is an artistic representation of a lily, most commonly associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary who I ask to guide me.  It is also associated with Joan of Arc on whose feast day I was ordained.  The three stars in the upper left hand corner were a suggested addition by Fr. Micheal B. Smith and come from the Slovenian flag, the country from which all my grandparents come.

The lower right is an eagle most associated with St. John the Evangelist.  This is a copy of a medley that was placed around my neck when I was born, the only difference being that the original had a banner on it that said, "St. John."  St. John is also the patron of the Diocese of Cleveland.

The hat is a galero, a traditional hat worn by clergy (though rarely seen nowadays on anybody's head.)  Clergy may not have helmets or other things so he gets this hat in black and with only two tassels.  (Of course, as a clergyman changes rank, the hat color changes and the number of tassels increase.)

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: BUT IS IT ART: RULES OF THE GAME

So far the subject of what is Beauty and the question of whether beauty is necessary for something to be called art has been avoided.  What we have done is clarified that some people have a broader interpretation of art than others.  Some will include almost anything and the other extreme (where I find myself) would say that, while not denying that many things may still be of great interest, the actual category of “art” is comparatively small.  The matter of beauty being in an object compared to how a person receives beauty has been explored.  Differenting world views have been acknowledged.  Great talent vs great art was bandied about.  These distinctions can help a person see why one person is enamored with a piece of art while another thinks he is an unsophisticated idiot with more money than brains.  Is one wrong and one right?  Well, that depends.  What are the rules for engagement?

If you are going to judge Icons, for example, and someone paints one with Western sensibilities and ideas of beauty, will you let it into the competition or by the rules of the contest, is it clearly not a true icon?  It depends.  It can beautiful in itself.  It can be perceived by some as beautiful.  But is it beautiful as an icon?  Is it a failed icon?  Is it a failed Western painting?  How much is in the receiver and how much is in the object?  Am I too narrow minded or too broadminded?  Maybe it is art but just the wrong kind of art - or maybe it just isn't really that good in the first place and we are waisting our time debating it.

So what is beauty?  I have a lot riding on this question in my priesthood.  As a priest I am afforded, under certain restrictions, to have a non-hereditary coat of arms so OF COURSE I had mine made up.  (I mean, who wouldn’t?  Really?)  - actually, plenty of people - but I think it’s cool so there’s that - ANYWAY, my motto is “Tandum Pulchritudine Salvabit Nos” which means roughly, “Ultimately Beauty Will Save Us.”  This formulation of this idea I received from the late, great Fr. Benedict Groeschel while on retreat with him at the Trinity Retreat House.  There is more to beauty than feelings or ideas of balance in that these things are not what make something beautiful but are characteristics of that which is beautiful.

Okay - as we get the heart of the matter - do you notice I am getting wordier?  It is like walking a path in the woods at night.  You know the path and feel when you are on it and when you are off of it but instead of just pointing at the trail and saying, “There!” you must describe how to tell when you are on the trail and when you are not.  So . . . as I have been long promising, next week we will look more closely at beauty (not necessarily if it is connected art yet.)

FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PARISH HISTORY: A FITTING COAT

Over the main entrance of the old church is the original version of the parish coat of arms.  Heraldry is of serious matter and, according to James-Charles Noonan’s book, “The Church Visible,” “it is a phenomenon very much a part of the legal and social structures of practically every continent on earth. . . Heraldry is not independent of the law and is, in fact, strictly governed by international custom and state law. . . Ecclesiastical heraldry is not determined by heraldic considerations alone but also by doctrinal, liturgical, and canonical factors.”

The heraldry of St. Sebastian has an “escutcheon” or shield “per pale” or divided down the center.  “In sinister” or to the left as you view the arms are seven crossletes of “vert” (or green) on an “or” (or gold) field.  The crosses are an obvious reference to Christianity and that there are seven of them points to one of the main purposes of the parish which is to celebrate the seven sacraments.

“In dexter” or to the right, we have three upward pointing arrows in “or” on a “vert” field.  The three arrows have a double meaning.  The first is in reference to the Trinity as there are three of them pointing to heaven.  The second concerns the story of our patron, St. Sebastian, who is most famously pictured riddled with arrows when the emperor Diocletian attempted to have him put to death for being a Christian.

At some point in the 1950s, the coat of arms went through a redesign.  A chief was added with arrow like lines pointing toward the center.  Though the original coat of arms appears on the convent which was completed in 1951, this new version made its appearance on the Recreation Center (later to be known as Byrider Hall) in 1953.  There is a little debate concerning what these  lines mean.  Some think that they are the chevrons of rank of someone serving in the armed forces and so attribute them to St. Sebastian's status as a high ranking officer in the Praetorian Guard.  But this would be completely anachronistic.  It is more likely a highly symbolic depiction of palm branches which would be the Church’s symbol of triumph over death for her martyrs.  This version of the coat of arms continued to be employed through the construction of the “new” church as can be seen on the building, the doors, and the pews.  

Around the year 2009, finding many versions of the coat of arms in use at the parish, from what was found on the buildings, various letterheads, uniforms, signs, and other such uses, a concerted effort was made to focus on just one version of the arms and standardize the colors, fonts, and uses of the arms across the entire parish.  Though remnants of various versions may still be found, all new employments of the arms have since been strictly regulated.  This final version returns to the original version and has removed instruments of war such as helmets and pikes, which are strictly forbidden in ecclesiastical heraldry.  

SYMBOLIC SATURDAY - COLOR ME GULES

Bearing in mind the information from the last Symbolic Saturday it should be of little surprise that coats of arms generally come in one three shapes based on armor. They might be circular or with a flat top and pointed bottom (see JPII's at the bottom of the post) mimicking a knight's shield, or a shape called a horse’s head, which resembles the armor that covers the head of a knight’s horse.

Over time a somewhat universal color scheme developed.

Red or gules shows eagerness to serve the fatherland.

Blue or azure denotes fidelity or steadfastness.

Black or sable symbolizes mourning.

Green or vert calls to mind freedom or beauty, joy and health, and/or hope.

Purple or purpure signifies majesty.

Brown or tenne is associated with nature.

And while orange is an official heraldic color, it is not associated with any particular meaning.

Along with colors there are what is also called metals, which are a distinct category.

Gold/yellow or or proclaims majesty, or understanding, or virtue or respect.

Silver/white or argent symbolizes cleanliness, wisdom, innocence, chastity, and joy.

The best heraldry should be easily recognized as quickly as possible under unfavorable conditions. To that end metal should never be placed on metal and color never set on top of color and be relatively simple. Wording, while it may appear as a motto with a shield, is never placed on heraldry. John Paul II was highly criticized for placing an “M” on his shield. A coat of arms acts as a person’s presence when he is not there, even in death, and it is considered somewhat redundant to publish a coat of arms that also has the person’s name with it. It's a bit like wearing a name tag with your picture on it.

Next week, the move to ecclesial heraldry.

ANGEL QUIZ:

1. Can you name the nine choirs of angels? The Supreme Hierarchy: 1. seraphim, 2. cherubim, 3. thrones; The Middle Choirs: 4.dominions, 5. virtues, 6. powers, and The Third Level, 7. principalities, 8. archangels, and lastly, 9. angles. Now that you read this a bet you knew it!

2. From which Choir is St. Michael? You might be saying, “Wait! St. Michael is from the second lowest class of angels? No, he is of the seraphic order. Archangel can have two meanings; one a class of angel and the other meaning top angles just as the word angel can mean messenger or be a class of angels.

3. From which choir do guardian angels come? Guardian angels can come from any of the choirs.

4. What does the name Lucifer mean? His name roughly means light or light bearer. He was purported to be the most beautiful of angels before he fell.

5. Do angles have free will? Yes. Well, unless like Rob you are answering the question about angles and not angels. But unlike us angels are free from all deception and illusion, therefore their decision for or against God was instantaneous and permanent. Though free to, they would not change their minds as it were. (So, Fr. Kyle, you get half credit.)