My assumed arms -- several variants

[revdpatience]

Thanks to the heraldic knowledge and artistic skill of a fellow clergyman, the Rev. Sinclair Ender of Trinity Cathedral in the Quad Cities, I have the following arms to assume.



Blazon: Azure two bars wavy or between two galleys chief and three salmon fretted base.

The galleys make a double reference to arms of the MacDonalds and to the Spanish Armada. My mother's McColl family has an ancient connection to Clan Donald, whose arms include a galley. The second reference is to the fishing village of Avoch on the Black Isle, where my father's Patience family originates, supposedly descended from a Portuguese sailor shipwrecked off a Spanish Armada ship.

Of course the salmon also make a double (and triple) reference, alluding not only to that fishing village but also to the Christian's call to be a "fisher of men" and to the Holy Trinity.



I am a priest of the Episcopal Church, so the first variant shows my ecclesiastical arms. The galero (a clerical hat) has black and white cords according to the usage of the Church of England. The decoration hanging below the shield represents my rank as a Knight Commander in the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ).



The second variant shows my personal arms with helm and crest. The lark ascending is a reference to my father's childhood nickname for me -- "Rodger the Lark." The motto derives from Hebrews 6:19.



Finally, Fr. Sinclair also created a Scottish crest badge variant.

I'm eager to hear your thoughts regarding registration of arms. I know some of you have used the American College of Heraldry and others have gone different routes.

I'd also love to hear ideas about *using* arms. Again, having read many posts in this thread over the years, I see lots of examples. How do you actually find yourself using your arms most often?

Many thanks in advance!

Rodger

[dcommini]

Thanks to the heraldic knowledge and artistic skill of a fellow clergyman, the Rev. Sinclair Ender of Trinity Cathedral in the Quad Cities, I have the following arms to assume.



Blazon: Azure two bars wavy or between two galleys chief and three salmon fretted base.

The galleys make a double reference to arms of the MacDonalds and to the Spanish Armada. My mother's McColl family has an ancient connection to Clan Donald, whose arms include a galley. The second reference is to the fishing village of Avoch on the Black Isle, where my father's Patience family originates, supposedly descended from a Portuguese sailor shipwrecked off a Spanish Armada ship.

Of course the salmon also make a double (and triple) reference, alluding not only to that fishing village but also to the Christian's call to be a "fisher of men" and to the Holy Trinity.



I am a priest of the Episcopal Church, so the first variant shows my ecclesiastical arms. The galero (a clerical hat) has black and white cords according to the usage of the Church of England. The decoration hanging below the shield represents my rank as a Knight Commander in the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ).



The second variant shows my personal arms with helm and crest. The lark ascending is a reference to my father's childhood nickname for me -- "Rodger the Lark." The motto derives from Hebrews 6:19.



Finally, Fr. Sinclair also created a Scottish crest badge variant.

I'm eager to hear your thoughts regarding registration of arms. I know some of you have used the American College of Heraldry and others have gone different routes.

I'd also love to hear ideas about *using* arms. Again, having read many posts in this thread over the years, I see lots of examples. How do you actually find yourself using your arms most often?

Many thanks in advance!

Rodger

I think it looks good, though the information that I have gathered from a few groups on Facebook says that as clergy you wouldn't typically use the helm and crest, just the galero.

[Steve Ashton]

You could also wear the Clergy crest badge if you wish.

[revdpatience]

I prefer, generally speaking, to wear the badge of either MacKenzie or MacColl, since I am descended from both (and a member of the respective clan associations).

For the same reason, my next kilt will be made from MacColl tartan. Since I have two clans to choose from, I don’t need to wear the Clergy tartan. But that’s just my preference.

Like so many others, I’ve been enjoying the exercise of curiosity and the process of discovery that heraldry represents. Conversations with Fr. Sinclair helped me distill down many swirling ideas into something clear and distinctive.

You could also wear the Clergy crest badge if you wish.

[kilted redleg]

I think it looks great Rev. Could you please explain what the SMOTJ is and does, is it just a fraternal group like the Knights of Columbus?

[plaid preacher]

You could also wear the Clergy crest badge if you wish.

I'm always somewhat surprised that the makers of Scottish Crests attempt to pass the burning Bush with the motto "Nec Tamen Consumebatur" off as a clergy insignia. What they have reproduced is the crest of the Church of Scotland / various Presbyterian Churches. So for those of us who are Presbyterian clergy it is a appropriate insignia, but I can't see clergy of another denomination wearing it.

[revdpatience]

SMOTJ is a chivalric and charitable order comprising some 1,500 knights and dames here in the USA. We are a Grand Priory of OSMTH, the international Order, with about 5,000 knights and dames in more than 20 countries. Check out www.smotj.org for more information.

What attracted me to SMOTJ is that we marry the chivalric pomp and circumstance with serious charitable work. Last year, the American Grand Priory donated about $420,000 in direct support (such as scholarships) to Christians at risk in the Holy Land and to the pilgrim sites there.

I am a Knight Commander and serve as Prior of the Priory of St. John the Baptist here in Wisconsin.

Here’s the kilted connection — we find the Wisconsin Highland Games to be a wonderful venue for recruiting. Three of our Past Priors and many members are active in local Scottish organizations.

I think it looks great Rev. Could you please explain what the SMOTJ is and does, is it just a fraternal group like the Knights of Columbus?

[dcommini]

SMOTJ is a chivalric and charitable order comprising some 1,500 knights and dames here in the USA. We are a Grand Priory of OSMTH, the international Order, with about 5,000 knights and dames in more than 20 countries. Check out www.smotj.org for more information.

What attracted me to SMOTJ is that we marry the chivalric pomp and circumstance with serious charitable work. Last year, the American Grand Priory donated about $420,000 in direct support (such as scholarships) to Christians at risk in the Holy Land and to the pilgrim sites there.

I am a Knight Commander and serve as Prior of the Priory of St. John the Baptist here in Wisconsin.

Here’s the kilted connection — we find the Wisconsin Highland Games to be a wonderful venue for recruiting. Three of our Past Priors and many members are active in local Scottish organizations.

I'm a part of a chivalric and charitable order as well (The Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr), I'm hoping to see if we can get some kilt stuff made on top of the existing decorations. We're still new and starting out, and I'm not sure how many members actually wear a kilt as we are few and spread out.

[revdpatience]

Even if kilts are a non-starter, you might think about using tartan cloth as a sash for Dames of your Order to use for displaying their neck jewels and medals.

SMOTJ has its own tartan, and many of our Dames use it in that fashion. There may already be tartans designed with Orthodoxy in mind that you could choose from.

I'm a part of a chivalric and charitable order as well (The Holy Orthodox Order of Saint George the Great Martyr), I'm hoping to see if we can get some kilt stuff made on top of the existing decorations. We're still new and starting out, and I'm not sure how many members actually wear a kilt as we are few and spread out.