William Draper Byrne

WILLIAM DRAPER BYRNE

Born : September 26, 1964
Deceased :

Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts, 2020-present

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

As common in US episcopal heraldry, the arms show the arms of the diocese impaled with the personal arms of the bishop.

In Bishop Byrne's personal coat of arms, the bright flame of the paschal candle seen against the twilight blue sky brings to mind Jesus Christ, the light of the world, prefigured by the column of fire that led the Israelites through the desert, predicted as the great light seen by a people in darkness, and symbolized by the paschal candle that dispels the darkness at the Easter Vigil of the Lord's Resurrection. Like the body of the Lord on the Cross, the candle is consumed even as it gives its light.

Another light in the dark sky is the crescent moon, a traditional symbol of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is never far from her Son and who receives his light and reflects it. The silver crescent against the blue background is taken from the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Washington, for which Bishop Byrne was ordained as deacon and priest. It appears also in the arms of his alma mater, the Pontifical North American College.

The cross bottony on the paschal candle is traditionally associated with Maryland, where Bishop Byrne has served since his ordination, while the green mount alludes to Ireland, the land of his ancestry.

His motto is, "in spem vivam," the "living hope" that we have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1: 3).

The achievement is completed with the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop.