Anglican Church of Canada

Heraldry of the World Civic heraldry of Canada > Ecclesiastical heraldry

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA

Denomination : Anglican

Official blazon
Argent on a cross Gules between four maple leaves Vert an open book Argent garnished and clasped Or inscribed NISI DOMINUS in letters Sable and ensigned with a mitre Or.

Origin/meaning :
The arms were granted on May 24, 1995.

The red cross on white, the attributed arms of St. George, is associated with the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, while the four green maple leaves refer to Canada. The open Bible with the Latin words NISI DOMINUS, ensigned by the bishop’s mitre, recalls the first Anglican bishop in Canada, the Rt. Rev. Charles Inglis (1734-1816), first Bishop of Nova Scotia. The motto was his personal one, and is taken from Psalm 127:1, Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum in vanum laboraverunt qui aedificant eam (Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it). The design of the arms was created in 1908 by the Toronto lawyer and heraldist Edward Marion Chadwick, and the Bible and mitre were added at the time of the 1938 grant.

Literature : Information and image from here