Shield
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's
The shield of the Archdiocese of St. John's consists of a white cross on a red field, as does the shield in the coat of arms of Newfoundland. Red stands for the Passion and death of Christ and the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. The white cross represents the Church of Christ, the colour white signifying resurrection and eternal life.
The quarters of the shield bear, diagonally, two golden fish and two Paschal Lambs.
The golden fish are symbolic of Jesus Christ. The Greek word for fish, "ICHTHUS", contains the initial letters of the phrase in Greek "Jesus Christ, Son of God, our Saviour". The fish chosen are codfish, to represent Newfoundland. The Paschal
Lamb is the symbol of St. John the Baptist, the patron of the province, the city, the archdiocese and the Basilica. The shells in the arms and centre of the cross also represent our Patron saint, who, used a shell to pour water on those he baptized in the River Jordan
Archdiocese of St. John's
Office of the Archbishop
Pastoral Centre
200 Military Road
St. John’s, NL A1C 2E8
Tel: (709) 726-3660
Fax: (709) 726-8021