People's Booklet - Installation of Most Rev. Patrick O'Regan - Book - Page 6
Coat of Arms & Motto
Origins
On his appointment as Bishop of Sale, Archbishop O’Regan adopted
a personal coat of arms which features a boat, an ancient image of the
Church.
The yellow boat sails on a blue background and features the Chi Rho
symbol on the sail. The symbol is one of the earliest Christograms made
up of the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ.
When developing his arms, it was discovered that a boat featured on the
original arms for the Diocese of Bathurst, and also on those for the City
of Paris where he studied.
Heritage
Two blue dolphins at the top of the shield come from an O’Regan coat
of arms and a green shamrock denotes his Irish heritage.
Adelaide
When appointed Archbishop of Adelaide, the coat of arms was
changed to include the main image in the coat of arms of the Adelaide
Archdiocese - a boat sailing beneath the Southern Cross constellation,
representing the missionary voyages of St Francis Xavier, patron saint of
Australia.
Pilgrim’s Hat (galero) and Tassels (fiocchi)
Surmounting the episcopal shield is the Roman’s Hat (galero) in green,
the traditional colour of Bishops, with the 20 tassels (fiocchi) proper to
an Archbishop.
The Motto
Archbishop O’Regan’s coat of arms also includes his motto, ‘Ut Sit Deus
Omnia in Omnibus’, taken from 1 Corinthians 15:28, ‘So that God may
be All in All’.
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