Most Reverend Guy Desrochers' Coat of Arms

The following notes are from the web pages of the Diocese of Pembroke:

Coat of Arms

The arms are shown with the traditional heraldic attributes of a bishop: a green galero, or ecclesiastical hat, with six green tassels suspended from each side, and behind the shield, a gold processional Cross.

On the top left part of the coat of arms is a seashell, which traditionally represents pilgrims. In a special way to Bishop Desrochers, it represents the pilgrimage Centre of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, one of the most important shrines in the world dedicated to Saint Anne. The seashell also represents baptism in Christ, the doorway to share God’s gift of everlasting life.

On the top right part are the initials of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom Bishop Desrochers regards as his main support in his ministry and his spiritual life. As a preacher, he always included a special evening service in his missions, to make Mary better known and loved.

The Bible with the sword on the bottom left of his coat of arms represents his first call to the priesthood to preach the Word of God within the Redemptorist Congregation.

In the divine realm, the sword represents the Word of God and divine omnipotence: it slices through the darkness of ignorance and frees people from the evil powers. It also represents the interior struggle of every individual, the battle between the soul and the flesh, which the soul must conquer to attain heaven.

On the bottom right part of the crest is the coat-of-arms of the Redemptorist Congregation, to which Bishop Desrochers has belonged since 1983; an order of preachers founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori to bring the abundance of God’s redeeming love to every nation through the proclamation of the Gospel message.

Across the entire shield of his crest is the white Cross, representing the Resurrection with the Holy Spirit in the centre. Inside the luminous Cross, the green colour represents hope and life given through the Cross, and the circle represents the Holy Eucharist.

From the side of Christ on the Cross, blood and water came out of the Heart of Jesus. These are the symbols of eternal life (Holy Spirit) given to us through the Sacrament of the Eucharist (blood), from which flow all the other Catholic sacraments (water).

The red background colour represents the Pentecostal Spirit and the Blood of the Saviour that redeems and sanctifies us.

The blue background is attributed to Mary in the Catholic tradition. The colour of the sky represents the heavenly realms to which both the Word made flesh and His Blessed Mother convene us. 

MOTTO

Bishop Desrochers’ motto in Latin, Praedica Verbum, embodies the command “Proclaim the Word.” From the very beginning of Bishop Desrochers’ conversion in his early-twenties, this has been the inner call that he received from God when he was inspired to become a priest—a divine mission he continues now as a bishop.