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THE COAT OF ARMS
OF THE CONGREGATION OF MARIAN FATHERS
OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
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The new rendition of the Coat of Arms designed for the Congregation of Marian Fathers for the 100th Anniversary of its Rebirth and Reform. |
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Read the Heraldic Commentary:
(English PDF ...») (Portuguese PDF ...»)
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HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
From the inception of the Marian Order its Founder and first General Superior, Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński, recognized the need to have a seal. It was necessary to guarantee the legality of documents presented to the religious and civil authorities for approval of the Institute and its rules, as well as for its new foundations.
The details of the Order’s first seal and its subsequent changes are described in the biography of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński, written by the Venerable Servant of God, Fr. Casimir Wyszyński. We are quoting here the entire excerpt, especially for the reason that there are no extant imprints of the original Marian crest.
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“It would appear as if the Venerable Servant of God Father Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary could foresee all these [persecutions] when founding the Congregation and laying its first basis at that location. The place was named ‘Noah’s Ark’ as if to protect it from the deluge of infernal persecutions. Although the Congregation has been founded under the title of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Founder wanted first to protect his Order with a seal with a dove carrying a green branch, [thus] expressing his hope for outlasting all dangers. And just like there were only eight survivors in the Noah’s Ark, the eight monks remaining in the Congregation saved it from drowning. Thanks to the protection and kindness of the Highest Shepherd Innocent XIII, who approved this Institute anew, the flood of persecutions ceased. The seal with a dove was replaced by a seal with the image of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, which is being used until present.”
(Stróż duchowego dziedzictwa marianów
[Guardian of the Marians’ Spiritual Heritage],
Warszawa-Stockbridge 2004, p.134, nr 109)
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From the old documents, we know that in 1731 the Order had two seals: one larger and one smaller (both were oval and measured respectively 35x30mm and 28x25 mm. [cf. J. Bukowicz, MIC, “Wprowadzenie [Introduction]”, in: Album zmarłych ojców i braci Zgromadzenia Księży Marianów [Album of the Deceased Fathers and Brothers from the Congregation of Marian Fathers], Warszawa 1990, p. 1]) Along with their signatures, all letters of the General Superiors also bore the Order’s seal. In addition, every monastery was obliged to obtain a seal bearing the names of the monastery and of the church’s titular saint (por. S.M. Sydry MIC, Organizacja Zgromadzenia Księży Marianów w XVIII wieku, Stockbridge 2002, s. 109 [Organizational Structure of the Congregation of Marian Fathers in the 18th century]).
The Seal of the Marian Order from the 18th century. The seal is embossed on the document issued by Fr. General Cajetan Wetycki on July 28, 1752, authorizing the establishment of the Marian Foundation in Portugal.
This seal was carried by Fr. Wyszyński on his journey to Portugal, where he established a new foundation in 1754. Immaculately preserved imprint of this seal appears on a document issued by the Marians in Balsamão on October 23, 1755.
The seal of the Order displayed the Immaculate Mother of God holding a lily in her right hand and crushing a snake’s head with her foot. The Blessed Mother’s head was crowned with 10 or 12 stars (perhaps 10 stars pertained to The Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the B.V.M., upon which the Marians made their religious vows at the time). A radiant aureole embraced Mary’s entire figure.
Aside from several minor differences, the above description is accurately reflected by the imprints (known as “wafer” imprints) of 18th century Marian seals that survived to our times. The Order used this seal up until the beginning of the 20th century, until the time of its renewal and reformation performed by Blessed Archbishop George Matulaitis-Matulewicz. This is confirmed by the imprint of the Order’s seal placed on the Fr. Vincent Sękowski’s letter to the Holy See of August 7, 1910, in which he asked for the re-approval of the Congregation and its renewed Constitutions.
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Imprint of the seal that appears on the letter of August 7, 1910, sent by Fr. Wincenty Sękowski to the Holy See.
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The same seal appears on the protocol dated July 14, 1911, recording the election of Blessed George Matulaitis-Matulewicz to the Office of the General Superior.
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PRO CHRISTO ET ECCLESIA
The imprint of the first seal used in the renewed Congregation; this imprint is shown on the protocol of the Congregation’s General Chapter celebrated in Gdańsk in 1923.
Seal of the Marian House at Bielany-Warsaw, Poland, affixed on a document dated November 1923.
The first seal that came into use by the renewed Congregation was modeled after the seal used by the last General Superiors from the time before renovation. Its imprint may be found on official documents signed by Fr. Sękowski. This model was retained by the following generations [of the Marians] and, except for a brief period of “trying out” various styles of presenting the Immaculate Mary on the Congregation’s seal, it still resembles closely enough the model from the bygone centuries. A radiant halo surrounds Mary, who holds a lily in her right hand. A crown of 12 stars encircles Mary’s head. The law of the renewed Congregation thus defines the symbolism of the Marian Crest:
“The seal of the Congregation, which Superiors use, bears the image of the Most Blessed Immaculate Virgin Mary with the inscription that is proper of the respective Superior. Also, the General Procurator and General Econome use such seals, each with the proper inscription. Other officials, if the Superiors permit it, may use a seal with the monogram of the Most Blessed Immaculate Virgin Mary (...).”
From the Directory of the Congregation, §194
Seal of the Congregation of Marian Fathers affixed on the document signed by Bl. George Matulitis-Matulewicz, on April 14, 1922 in Vilnius.
Let us note the respect in which the Marian law holds the crest of the Congregation placed on the seal. The Marian Directory defines precisely the persons eligible to use the seal with the image of Mary Immaculate. This “privileged” group includes only superiors of all levels and two General Officials of the Congregation – the General Procurator and General Treasurer. All other officials, upon permission from the Superiors, may use the seal bearing the monogram of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
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The Symbol of the Marians - an image of the Immaculate Conception that appears in the Constitution of the renovated Congregation, printed in 1930.
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Seal of the Latvian House Superior of the Congregation of Marian Fathers in Chicago, used in the second half of the 20th century.
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An image of the Immaculate Conception that appeared on the cover of one of the first editions of the Statutes of the Association of Marian Helpers, printed in the U.S.A.
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Here we present examples of different seals used since the renovation of the Congregation, scanned from original documents in the Marian Archives:
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Seal of the Superior General, Fr. Francis Buczys, MIC, from 1931.
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Seal of the Superior of the American Province from 1943.
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Sigillum Maius - Great Seal of the Congregation of the Marian Fathers impressed on the document issued by the Secretary of the American Province of the Marians on July 12, 1944.
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Great Seal of the Congregation affixed on the official document issued by Superior General - Francis Buczys, MIC on May 18, 1948.
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Today’s reality, which demands the Congregation’s presence in various mass media, led to a necessity of creating a uniform emblem – a Coat of Arms, as it were – that would become our Congregation’s clear and concise iconographic symbol to be used outside and inside the community. Thus motivated, the General Chapter of 1999 issued the following declaration:
“The General Chapter, led by a concern for attaining greater unity in the Congregation and following the example of other religious communities, sees a need to establish a uniform graphic symbol for the whole community, which would serve to more easily identify the Congregation. Such a symbol already exists and has been used effectively for several years in almost all Provinces of the Congregation. It unites within itself the spirit of Vatican II, the old symbol of the Marian Community (the image of the Most Blessed Immaculate Virgin Mary) and the motto of the Congregation given by Father Renovator. This Coat of Arms expresses in a concise iconographic/verbal form the character of our Congregation: its charism, mission, and key elements.”
The Marian element of this Coat of Arms is presented by the image of the Immaculate Mary placed on the shield. The inscription on a banner (below the shield) Pro Christo et Ecclesia refers, on the one hand, to the activity of Blessed George and, on the other hand, to the Chapter VIII of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church entitled: “Mary, the Virgin Mother of God in the Mystery of Christ and the Church.”
Therefore, the General Chapter, wishing to legalize the existing practice, decided to introduce a symbol/crest modeled after the above-given description for the use by the entire Congregation. The Chapter also gave consent for all the confreres to use this symbol on the letterheads, publications, etc., thus representing and identifying the Congregation on the outside (C 13, D 194).
(Declaration No. 1 of the General Chapter of the Congregation of Marians of 1999)
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Ms. Rosita Bartoszewska from Warsaw designed the contemporary image of the Blessed Mother for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Marians, while the concept of the entire Coat of Arms — shield and ribbon — was created by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, and Mr. William Sosa. |
The creation of a unified Marian Coat of Arms provided a perfect opportunity to “introduce to the world” the Congregation’s motto – Pro Christo et Ecclesia (“For Christ and the Church”) given to it by Father Renovator. The motto proclaims the program of apostolic endeavors undertaken by the Marians during past hundred years.
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© A contemporary rendition of the seal used by the Congregation. |
A wooden carving of the Marian Coat of Arms, on display at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge,&Nbsp;MA, USA. |
© A contemporary rendition of the seal used by the Congregation. |
One of the fruits the Jubilee of the 100th Anniversary of Renewal and Reform of the Congregation celebrated in 2009 was to create a new version of the coat of arms. This task was commissioned to a Gdańsk artist – Mr. Tomasz Steifer – who is also an art historian and a founding member of the Polish Heraldic Society.
One of the main motives behind this initiative was a wish for a graphic symbol of the community that would unite more expressively the old Marian crest from the first centuries of the Order’s life with the motto given to the renewed Congregation by Blessed Archbishop George Matulaitis-Matulewicz.
The coat of arms, designed in accordance with principles of heraldry, bears the image of Mary borrowed from one of the 18th-century Marian seals. The coat of arms itself is reminiscent of the Baroque style, which is reflective of the period of the Congregation’s founding.
The new version of the Marian coat of arms was approved for the use in the entire Congregation by the decree (see the decree in pdf) of the Superior General Fr. Jan M. Rokosz, MIC, issued on November 3, 2009.
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© A contemporary rendition of the latest seal
used by the Congregation. |
© A contemporary rendition of the latest seal
used by the Superior General of the Congregation. |
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© The latest version of the embossed seal
presently used by the Congregation. |
© Wax impression of the Marian seal.
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© The latest version of the embossed seal
presently used by the Congregation.
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© Wax impression of the Marian Coat of Arms.
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© The latest version of the embossed seal
presently used by the Congregation.
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Superior General and His Council
General Commities and Institutions of MIC
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