The episcopal heraldic achievement (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 arms. Thus, it must be remembered, where it applies, as the device is viewed from the front that the terms sinister and dexter are reversed.

By heraldic tradition, the arms of the bishop of a diocese are joined (impaled) with the arms of his jurisdiction—in this case, the Diocese of Gallup—that are seen in the dexter impalement (left side) of the design.

These arms are composed of a green field on which are displayed three red crosses below a silver star. The most common and significant color of vital life in nature is green. To honor the heritage of the Native American peoples that inhabited the region around what is now Gallup, the field of the diocesan arms is green. Upon this field are three red crosses to signify the three priests—Fathers Francisco Letrado, Martin de Arvide, and Pedro de Avila y Ayala—who were martyred bringing the Gospel to the region. The Faith prevailed, and the Diocese of Gallup is under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is signified by the single silver star that appears in the upper right of the diocesan arms.

For his personal arms—seen in the sinister impalement (right side) of the shield—Bishop Wall adopted a design that reflects his life and heritage as a priest and now as a bishop.

The bishop’s personal arms are presented in four colors, which are the same four colors that make up the state flag of Arizona, His Excellency’s home state. Upon the gold field is a red cross that has three arms that end in fleur-de-lis and one that ends in a spike (“a cross fleuretty fitché”). This charge is known as the Cross of St. James. By the use of this device, His Excellency honors his baptismal patron, St. James the Greater, who is also the patron of his father, James Wall.

The Cross of St. James appears above a brown (“tenné” – copper) Tau Cross and a blue fleur-de-lis. The tau—a classic Franciscan charge—honors those servants of God who brought members of the Wall family into the Catholic Church. The fleur-de-lis is to honor St. Joan of Arc, patroness of the bishop’s mother, Joan (Hamilton) Wall.

For his motto, Bishop Wall has selected the Latin phrase Estote Factores Verbi. By the use of this phrase from the Epistle of St. James (James 1:22), His Excellency expresses for all of us that, as Christians, we are not to dilute ourselves into thinking that we are only to be listeners to what Christ has taught, but that we are to be “Doers of the Word.”

The achievement is 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 on March 31, 1969.

Reference:

• dioceseofgallup.org