Ahead of the 1 July consecrations at Écône, the Society of Saint Pius X has released the coats of arms and episcopal mottos of the four priests who are to be consecrated bishops.

With two of the bishops from France, one from Switzerland and one from the United States, the coats of arms incorporate their nationalities and cultural heritage, as well as their spiritual influences and the paths that led them to the priesthood.

Tens of thousands are expected to gather at Écône for the consecrations, which will go ahead without a papal mandate, with the Society stating that there is a “grave necessity for the salvation of souls”. At present, only two of the bishops consecrated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988 are still alive: Bishop Bernard Fellay and Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta. The Society has more than 700 priests serving an estimated one million faithful throughout the world. With both remaining bishops now in their late sixties, the Society considers it necessary to provide younger bishops to continue its work and provide for the needs of its priests and faithful.

Below are their coats of arms, alongside their official photographs released by the Society.

Bishop-elect Schreiber

Bishop Pascal Schreiber’s coat of arms is quartered, following a long-standing heraldic tradition in German-speaking countries. The first quarter features the triumphant face of Christ the King as seen in the vision of Saint Nicholas of Flüe, patron saint of Switzerland, whose spirituality the bishop credits with inspiring his vocation to the priesthood. In the saint’s vision, the six rays surrounding Christ’s face symbolise God’s perfect knowledge, wisdom and presence, while also expressing the believer’s journey towards a deeper understanding of the divine through prayer and contemplation.

The second and third quarters display the Schreiber family arms: a golden lion holding a quill on a red field. The lion represents courage, strength and kingship, while the quill is a reference to the family name, Schreiber, meaning “scribe” or “writer”, and symbolises literary work. The fourth quarter contains an eight-pointed golden star on a black field. The star recalls both Christ, the “bright morning star”, and the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title Stella Maris (“Star of the Sea”), while also referring to Saint Nicholas of Flüe, who recounted seeing a star that illuminated the world before his birth and later became a recurring feature of his mystical life. The use of black, red and gold throughout the shield also reflects the colours of the German flag, acknowledging the country in which the Society’s seminary at Zaitzkofen is situated.

The bishop-elect has chosen the motto Virgo Fidelis (“Virgin Most Faithful”), taken from the Litany of Loreto. The title expresses Mary’s perfect fidelity to God as daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son and Spouse of the Holy Ghost, while asking her intercession that Christians may remain faithful to their own vocation.

The motto also holds particular significance within the Society of Saint Pius X. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre included the invocation Virgo Fidelis in the Society’s statutes, encouraging its members to renew their commitments each year on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception by seeking from the Blessed Virgin “the grace of fidelity”. The bishop-elect also points to the title as a reminder of the virtues of purity and fortitude, concluding with Christ’s words from the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.”

Bishop-elect Michael Goldade

Bishop-elect Goldade’s coat of arms is set against a blue field with a decorative border of twelve golden ears of wheat linked by intertwined stalks. At its centre is a golden shield bearing the Vendéen Heart: two intertwined red hearts surmounted by a crown and a cross. The wheat carries both personal and biblical significance. It recalls the bishop’s roots in North Dakota and his upbringing in Kansas, the two leading wheat-producing states in the United States, while the twelve ears also represent the twelve members of his family.

The symbolism extends throughout Sacred Scripture. The wheat recalls the patriarch Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons and guardian of Egypt’s grain, who is seen as a foreshadowing of Saint Joseph, foster-father of Christ and protector of the universal Church. It also points to the Blessed Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which stand at the heart of the Society of Saint Pius X. The number twelve evokes both the Apostles, the foundations of the Church, and the twelve baskets of fragments gathered after the multiplication of the loaves, symbolising the fullness of God’s providence.

The blue background is a tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary, described as the virginal field from which the Bread of Life came forth, while the gold of the central shield signifies the divinity of Christ and also alludes to the bishop’s family name, Goldade. The crowned intertwined hearts represent the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a longstanding devotion of the Goldade family, and also form part of the heraldic tradition of the Society of Saint Pius X.

The bishop-elect has chosen the motto *Adeamus Cum Fiducia* (“Let us go therefore with confidence”), taken from the Letter to the Hebrews: “Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace: that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid” (Heb. 4:16). These words also open the Introit of the Mass of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, linking the motto closely to the liturgy.

The motto expresses complete confidence in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mediatrix of all graces and “Throne of Grace”, through whom Christ dispenses his gifts. It also recalls the opening prayers of the Mass — “I will go in to the altar of God” — reflected in the ears of wheat surrounding the shield. Through the united Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the graces flowing from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the bishop-elect presents the motto as an expression of hope and trust in God’s providence.

Bishop-elect Poinsinet de Sivry

Bishop-elect Michel Poinsinet de Sivry’s coat of arms is divided horizontally into two halves. The upper section features a silver sword with a golden hilt crossed by a golden palm branch on a red field, while the lower section depicts a white swan with a golden beak swimming on silver waves against a blue background. Together, the two halves express the themes of combat, victory and fidelity that underpin the bishop’s chosen episcopal motto.

The sword represents the spiritual battle waged by the Church to extend the reign of Christ over the world through the fruits of his Redemption. It also symbolises the “sword of the Spirit” described by Saint Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians, identifying the Word of God as the Church’s chief weapon against the errors of the world. Crossing the sword is a palm branch, the traditional emblem of victory and martyrdom, representing the triumph won by the Church through the witness of the saints and martyrs.

The lower half of the shield bears a swan taken from the Poinsinet de Sivry family coat of arms. The swan symbolises fidelity through its lifelong pairing with a single mate, while its white plumage represents purity. Together, these qualities are presented as virtues closely associated with the life of faith.

The bishop-elect has adopted the motto Fides Vincit Mundum (“Faith Conquers the World”), taken from the First Letter of Saint John: “This is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith” (1 Jn. 5:4). The words recall Christ’s own declaration, “I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33), emphasising that Christians share in that victory through faith in him.

The motto also reflects the Church’s understanding of the Christian life as a spiritual struggle, echoing both Saint Augustine’s image of the “Two Cities” and Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s meditation on the “Two Standards”. For the bishop-elect, it expresses confidence that, despite the trials facing the Church today, Christ’s victory is certain, while also reflecting the Society of Saint Pius X’s understanding of its own mission and history.

Bishop-elect Hanappier

Bishop-elect Marc Hanappier’s coat of arms centres on the Paschal Lamb standing on a blue field, surrounded by three silver fleurs-de-lis. The Lamb bears the banner of the Resurrection and pours its blood into a golden chalice at its feet, while a golden halo marked with a red cross identifies it as the victorious Christ. The imagery is drawn from the Book of Revelation, where the Lamb who was slain is worshipped by the saints and angels as worthy of all honour, glory and dominion.

The Lamb symbolises Christ’s victory through his sacrifice and points directly to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The blood flowing into the chalice represents the Precious Blood offered for the salvation of the world and given to the faithful in the Eucharist to purify and strengthen them. The image also recalls the Introit of the Mass of Christ the King, which proclaims the triumph of the Lamb who was slain.

Surrounding the Lamb are three silver fleurs-de-lis. Traditionally symbols of royalty, they also represent the purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, recalling the words of the Song of Songs: “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” Set against the blue background, they also evoke France, while their number reflects the arms of the city of Versailles, where the Hanappier family is based.

The bishop-elect has chosen the motto Dignus Est Agnus (“Worthy is the Lamb”), taken from the fifth chapter of the Book of Revelation. The phrase recalls Saint John the Baptist’s proclamation, “Behold the Lamb of God”, through which the first disciples were drawn to Christ, and presents the Lamb as the source of priestly vocations.

The motto also highlights Christ as both the eternal High Priest and the sacrificial victim whose offering is made present at every Mass. The bishop-elect further links the image of the Lamb receiving the sealed book in Revelation to Christ’s lordship over all of history, affirming that every age and every nation ultimately finds its meaning in his sacrifice. For this reason, the words “Worthy is the Lamb” express both the centrality of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the conviction that salvation is found in Christ alone.