Military Ordinariate of Canada

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MILITARY ORDINARIATE IN CANADA

Denomination : Roman Catholic

Official blazon

Argent a sword Sable between two halves of a cloak the cords tasselled, on a chief Gules three maple leaves Or; Motto PRAESIDEMUS.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on November 20, 2009.

Red and white are the colours of Canada. The sword and cloak symbolizes St. Martin of Tours, a soldier who cut his cloak in two to clothe a beggar. St. Martin is the patron saint of military chaplains and of the Roman Catholic Military Ordinariate of Canada. The maple leaves indicate the three branches of the Canadian Forces.

The motto PRAESIDEMUS, meaning “We stand on guard”, indicates the pastoral mandate of the Ordinariate and is based on a line repeated several times in the national anthem.