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In the Coat of Arms designed for
Bishop Daniels, the shield is divided into two sections by an angled
line peaking in the centre. The upper part of the shield is red and
on it are two white keys in an X shape between a white fleur-de-lis
on the left and an eagle’s head with a halo on the right, also in
white. The bottom section is blue and is crisscrossed by narrow
white diagonal stripes forming a net pattern.
Blue is a colour associated with the
Blessed Virgin Mary and it can also refer to the deep sea of the
motto. This idea of casting a net out into the sea, a metaphor for
gathering disciples, is reflected in the net-like pattern. The red
section of the shield indicates Bishop Daniels’ English and Welsh
ancestry. The keys at the apex are the traditional attributes of St.
Peter and mark the fact that Bishop Daniels was posted at St.
Peter’s Cathedral Basilica in London before being named to the
episcopate. Their placement at the end of the net is appropriate as
Peter himself was a fisherman. The fleur-de-lis symbolizes the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the principal patron of the Diocese of London,
and the nimbed eagle is the symbol of St. John the Evangelist,
marking Bishop Daniels’ ordination as a bishop on the Feast of the
Dedication of St. John Lateran.
The motto DUC IN ALTUM,
meaning “Put out into the deep”, is a phrase in Luke 5:4, in which
Jesus says “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a
catch” (NRSV). Bishop Daniels chose this motto from the Apostolic
Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte issued by Pope John Paul II on
January 6, 2001 to mark the beginning of the third millennium. |
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