Paul Joseph Bradley
PAUL JOSEPH BRADLEY
Born: October 18, 1945
Deceased:
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh, 2005-2009
Bishop of Kalamazoo, 2009-2023
 Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh |
 Bishop of Kalamazoo |
| English | blazon wanted |
Origin/meaning
As common in US episcopal heraldry, the arms show the arms of the diocese impaled with the personal arms of the bishop.
The crowned M inside the heart represents the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom Bishop Bradley has a strong devotion. Positioned inside the gold heart, which represents love, the third of the great theological virtues, the crowned M is also mindful of the powerful loving influences on Bishop Bradley's life, including his parents, John and Cecilia Bradley, his spiritual home of St. Cecilia Parish in Glassport, and St. Meinrad Seminary, where Bishop Bradley received his education and priestly formation for 12 years.
The middle third shows a silver band with three wavy blue lines behind a gold anchor. These wavy lines represent the waters of Baptism, as well as the three rivers of Pittsburgh, while the gold anchor represents the second of the great theological virtues, hope, which flows from our new life of Baptism into Christ. The anchor is also reminiscent of the "hope" referred to in Bishop Bradley's episcopal motto.
The bottom third shows two clasped hands, which represent all people of faith-the "pilgrim people" walking together on our journey toward the fulfillment of our hope, our eternal life in Heaven. Behind the clasped hands, the ancient Christian symbol of the Chi Rho reminds us that this journey is always undertaken in the presence of Christ.
The shield is supported on a sword with a cross as its hilt. The cross represents faith, the first of the three theological virtues. The sword also represents Saint Paul, the patron of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the patron saint of Bishop Bradley.
Finally, the green throughout the shield and on the scroll below is the color of "hope," echoed in Bishop Bradley's Episcopal motto, "Waiting in Joyful Hope." This phrase, rooted in St. Paul's Letter to Titus 2:13, is drawn from the prayer following the Lord's Prayer in the Communion Rite of the Mass: "Deliver us Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ."
The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop by instruction of the Holy See, of March 1969, confirmed in March 2001.
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