- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
Richard Joseph Gagnon
Vancouver, British Columbia
Grant of Arms
September 15, 2004
Vol. IV, p. 394
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Blazon
Arms
Gules a cross between in the first and fourth quarters a paschal lamb Or;
Motto
TO OBEY IS TO SERVE IN LOVE;
Symbolism
Arms
The shield is partly inspired by the emblem of Monsignor Gagnon’s predecessor, Monsignor Modeste Demers (1809-1871), the first Bishop of Vancouver Island. Bishop Demers and Bishop Gagnon are closely related via a collateral branch of the Demers family. Bishop Demers’ emblem was red and gold and featured a gold Latin cross set on a mount with two figures praying at the base of the cross. These tinctures have been kept for the proposed arms, as has the cross. Since Bishop Gagnon was ordained on June 24th, the feast day of St. John the Baptist, the two charges are Agnus Dei emblems, traditionally associated with that saint. This is also a reference to Bishop Gagnon’s ancestral roots in Quebec.
Motto
TO OBEY IS TO SERVE IN LOVE is an expression of a very important part of Monsignor Gagnon’s faith and a vision for his episcopate.