Alexander Joseph Brunett
' ALEXANDER JOSEPH BRUNETT 'Born: January 17, 1934
Deceased:
Bishop of Helena, 1994-1997
Archbishop of Seattle, 1997-2010
 Bishop of Helena |
 Archbishop of Seattle |
| English | blazon wanted |
- (personal arms) Tenne, upon a chevron Argent three roses Gules, barbed and seeded Proper, to chief a scholar's lamp Or and in base a chalice of the last below a host of the second, these beside a stalk of wheat, also of the last, below a bunch of grapes of the second.
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 brown field, called "tenne" is employed here to "play-on" the Archbishop's surname, Brunett, an in so doing honor the heritage of his parents Raymond and Cecilia (Gill) Brunett.
The scholar's lamp is emblematic of Saint Alexander of Rome, the Archbishop's baptismal patron, and Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne (Ireland) to whom the Archbishop has particular devotion.
The silver chevron represents the carpenter's square of Saint Joseph, the Worker and Foster father of Jesus, and the Archbishop's second baptismal patron. On the chevron are three red roses, with green seeds and barbs, to honor Saint Teresa of Lisieux, "The Little Flower." It was at the shrine of this Doctor of The Church, in Royal Oak, Michigan, that Archbishop Brunett was serving as pastor when he received the call to become a bishop. Below the chevron are the symbols of The Holy Eucharist: a chalice, host, stalk of wheat and a bunch of grapes.
For his motto Archbishop Brunett has retained the phrase "SIGNUM FIDEI - PANIS VITAE." This Latin phrase, which translates "Sign of Faith - Bread of Life," joins with the symbolism in the bottom of the Archbishop's personal arms to express his most profound belief that the Holy Eucharist is for him, as it is for every priest, the central event of his life, around which all else is placed and from which everything flows.
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