EXPLANATION OF MY EPISCOPAL COAT OF ARM
The shield is the normal one that is found in all Episcopal coats of arms, with an episcopal hat at the top. However, for an archbishop, there is a total twenty knots on the cincture, ten at each end. A bishop has a total of twelve knots, six on either side of the cinture.
Piercing the middle of the shield is a Cross with double bars, each one with a red knob at both ends, representing the five wounds of Jesus. The cross is to remind the archbishop of the pains he will experience in his episcopal ministry. But more importantly, it represents the centrality of the crucified Christ in the archbishop’s life and ministry.
At the bottom of the shield is the Pallium which archbishops receive from the Pope as a symbol their communion with him. The black crosses on the pallium represent the wounds of Jesus.
At the bottom the shield is my Episcopal motto: DUC IN ALTUM, translated into English as “Put out into the deep” (Lk 5:4b). It is taken from St Luke’s account of Jesus’ command to Peter and his fellow fishermen on the lake of Gennesaret to casts their nets into the deep waters for a catch. It is an invitation to trust in Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd.
The two lions in the truss in the middle of the shield: one represents Sierra Leone, the Lion Mountain; the other represents St Edward the Confessor, the King of England, the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Freetown, and my patron saint as well.
Above the thrust are two Catholic symbols. One is a yellow heart with a crown of thorns around it and flames of fire on top of it. It represents the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the patron of the archdiocesan cathedral that hosts my cathedra, my Episcopal chair or throne. The other symbol is the Morning Star, which represents the Blessed Virgin Mary, another patron of my episcopacy.
The colours green, white, and blue represent Sierra Leone. The white waves represent the Atlantic Ocean. They indicate the geographical location of the Archdiocese of Freetown.