Upon the appointment of a Bishop, he chooses a Motto and Coat of Arms. The Most Rev. Anthony Narh Asare and Most Rev. John Kobina Louis who were ordained Auxiliary Bishops for the Accra Archdiocese at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 explain the meaning of their coat of arms.
THE MEANING OF THE COAT OF ARMS OF BISHOP ANTHONY NARH ASARE
The General Colours
The colour GREEN reminds us of youthfulness, fresh or new ideas and readiness to serve. The yellow gold represents royalty whiles the colour white reminds us of purity, truth to humanity, reverence and communion with God.
THE CROSS AND DOVE
In the top left quadrant, the cross and the dove represent the victory of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ crucifixion gives us the assurance of salvation and God’s victory over death. The Holy Spirit represents the presence of God in all aspects of our Christian journey.
Christ and the Holy Spirit have been and shall continue to be my guide and the firm rock on which my ministry is built.
M & A SYMBOL
The top right quadrant seen as the symbol M and A in blue colour represents our mother Mary and her intercessory presence in my ministry.
Blue colour which is always used for our dear Mother Mary tell us about humility, calmness and trust.
THE ANTS AND THE SEA
The bottom left quadrant seen as the ants and the wavy lines of the coast stand for the Ga-Dangme ethnic group and the coastal city of Accra where our Archdiocese is located.
The red colour used for the ants tells you and I about our energy and life-giving blood. It also reminds us about leadership while the black colour reminds us of our strength and how unique we are as individuals.
THE EAGLE
The bottom right quadrant has the eagle which is called Korley in Krobo and is part of the symbol of the Jebiam clan of Krobo.
The vision of the Eagle reaches far and reminds us of the need to look forward to the future with hopeful anticipation and faith in God. The Eagle represents honesty, truth, strength and courage and we are called to emulate these virtues. AD GLORIAM DEI is Latin for “To the Glory of God”
THE MEANING OF THE COAT OF ARMS OF BISHOP JOHN KOBIN LOUIS
The general design of the coat of arms of bishops consists of a cross, a crest and a hat with a connecting rope which has six tassels on either side of the crest. Then, the specifics of a particular bishop’s coat of arms are his motto as well as the divisions of his crest and the symbols therein.
MOTTO: MANETE IN CHRISTO
The scriptural inspiration for my life and ministry as an auxiliary bishop is John 15:1-7, which is about the “Vine and the Branches”. This, therefore, is the basis for the choice of my motto and the specific symbols in the crest.
Our Lord Jesus Christ exhorts us: “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). Obviously, it is only by abiding in the crucified and risen Christ as He abides in me that I can bear spiritual fruits in my life and ministry. Hence, the motto, “Abide in Christ”, which is rendered in Latin as, “Manete in Christo”.
So, this motto is intended to always remind me to abide evermore in Christ, who is the author and perfector of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2), as well as the unique source and sustainer of our life (cf. John 1:3-4; 10:10b; 14:6) and ministry (cf. Rev. 1:5-6).
LEFT HALF OF THE CREST
The left half of the crest depicts a vine and a fruitful branch. While praying to constantly abide in Christ, the True and Eternal Vine, I invite you all to likewise remain in Him, so that we can always bear spiritual fruits in abundance – to the glory of God!
TOP PART OF THE RIGHT HALF OF THE CREST
The top part of the right half of the crest shows the Word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit, symbolized by the white dove. Firstly, the opened book refers to the study of the Word and its proclamation. Secondly, the white rays around the dove represent the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which is required for the authentic study and proclamation of the Word.
It is by abiding in Christ as He abides in me that I can truly experience the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to faithfully and fruitfully study and proclaim the Good News of salvation.
BOTTOM PART OF THE RIGHT HALF OF THE CREST
In the bottom part of the right half of the crest is the host and chalice, with some golden rays which signify that the species have been consecrated. While this primarily symbolizes the Holy Eucharist, it represents the ministry of sanctification which entails the administration of the seven sacraments. The choice of the Holy Eucharist to represent all the Sacraments is based on the fact that it is the Most Blessed Sacrament or the Sacrament of all the sacraments. As I abide in Christ, the Eternal High Priest, may my ministry of sanctification of souls abound in spiritual fruits.
