Heraldry
Though I had dabbled in it before, my senior year of college saw me gaining an affinity for heraldic design. I worked to develop a consistent approach of modernization for this centuries-old art form. Here you will find re-imaginations of both bishops’ personal crests and diocesan ones, in addition to a few original designs.
Clicking on crest designs for individual bishops and dioceses will take you to external websites with the original design and its meaning.
Commissioned for the 5th Floor of SJV College Seminary by its 2021-2022 RA. The imagery is greatly inspired by Saint Francis de Sales, the floor's patron for the year, along with other aspects of life at SJV.
The Diocese of St. Cloud (Minnesota) - This diocese has a very particular and very identifiable coat of arms among the many local churches of the United States. That said, it has quite obviously not been updated since it was introduced, so this is really a modernization concept. (Click image to see and read more about their crest.)
The crest is one that I created myself, made for the floor I lived in my senior year in college. Our floor patron was Saint Joseph, the foster-father of Christ, so the imagery is largely centered around him (but also takes cues from the Seminary's coat of arms; namely, the sword of St. Paul in the background). Check back later for a full description of the meaning behind the artwork of the crest!
Most Rev. Bernard A. Hebda, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (Click image for an article in the Catholic Spirit about Abp. Hebda's Crest.)
Most Reverend Blase J. Cardinal Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago. (Original, which can be viewed by clicking the image, by Rev. Mr. Paul J. Sullivan.)
Most Reverend Earl A. Boyea, Bishop of Lansing. (Original by Rev. Mr. Paul J. Sullivan; click image to visit page.)
Saint John Vianney College Seminary (Click image to read more about my work on this.)
The Basilica of St. Adalbert (Grand Rapids). This, like St. Cloud's, is mostly a modernization idea. (Click image to view the current crest on the church's website.)
Diocese of Joliet-in-Illinois (click image to see/read about their coat of arms).