Coat of Arms
of
THE MOST REVEREND JOSEPH MARK SIEGEL, D.D.
Titular Bishop of Pupiana
and
Auxilliary Bishop of Joliet

Blazon:

Party per chevron Gules and Azure; to chief dexter a rose and to chief sinister a Lion rampant combatant both Argent; in base a Moline Cross below and between two fleur-de-lis Or.

Significance:

The episcopal heraldic achievement, or bishop’s coat of arms, is composed of a shield, which is the central and most important part of the design, a scroll with a motto and the external ornamentation. The design is described (blazoned) as if the description was being given by the bearer (from behind) with the shield being worn on the left arm. Thus, it must be remembered, where it applies, as the device is viewed from the front that the terms sinister and dexter are reversed.

As a bishop without canonical jurisdiction (an auxiliary bishop), Bishop Siegel’s personal arms occupy the entire shield.

These arms are composed in red, blue, silver and gold that are the colors employed in the arms of the Siegel family. The shield is divided by a chevron, to be reminiscent of a “carpenter’s square,” to pay particular honor to the Bishop’s baptismal patron, Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. In the upper portion of the design is a rose, to honor both the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her title of  Mystical Rose, and Saint Therese, the Little Flower, to whom Bishop Siegel has particular devotion.  The rose is also the symbol of the Respect Life cause in which the Bishop has been active as a priest. Also in the upper portion is a silver rampant lion that is taken from the arms of the Wallace family of the mother of the Bishop.  The lion is also the symbol of Saint Mark the Evangelist, also a baptismal patron of the Bishop.

In the lower portion of the design is a gold Moline cross (each arm terminates in what looks like an anchor) which is classic charge used in Benedictine arms and by its presentation here the Bishop calls to reflection his profound affection for the Order of Saint Benedict and Benedictine spirituality. The Moline cross is placed below and between two gold fleur-de-lis, the lily form that is often associated with the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, and which is found in the arms of the Diocese of Joliet, the local Church in which the Bishop Siegel was baptized, ordained and has served as a priest.

For his motto, His Excellency Bishop Siegel has selected IN TE DOMINE SPERAVI. This quotation is taken from the closing responsories of the Te Deum and is also alluded to in the 22nd verse of the 33rd Psalm. In this phrase, “In you Lord, I have placed my hope,” Bishop Siegel expresses the faith of all Christians that is by placing our hope in Christ and in His Protection, that all we are called to be can be achieved. The Bishop chose to inscribe his motto in Latin to reflect the profound unity of the Church in the midst of the rich diversity of cultures and languages in which the sacraments are celebrated in the Diocese of Joliet.

The achievement in completed by the external ornamentation which are a gold processional cross, that is placed in back of the shield and which extends above and below the shield, and the pontifical hat, called a “galero,” with its six tassels in three rows on either side of the shield, all in green. These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop, by instruction of The Holy See, of March 31, 1969.