H.E. BISHOP ALDO BERARDI, O.SS.T.
APOSTOLIC VICAR OF NORTHERN ARABIA
Episcopal Motto:
« Resurrexit, sicut dixit »
(He is risen, as He said)
Bishop Aldo’s coat of arms is unique and reflects his background and personality. It also provides the direction of his episcopal ministry.
The coat of arms shares the classic attributes for bishops:
- An episcopal cross stands behind the shield.
- A green galero, a medieval ecclesiastical hat, surmounts the cross and the shield, with six tassels hanging at both sides, arranged in 1, 2 and 3.
The coat of arms is marshalled horizontally in two parts.
On the upper part is the Trinitarian cross on a silver background, prominently depicted as tribute to the Trinitarians, the Order to which Bishop Aldo belongs. The colors red and blue stand for the two natures of Christ: true God and true Man. The silver background signifies purity of faith and religious vows.
A broken chain borders the lower part of the shield which is a sign of the redemptive ministry of the Trinitarians. The precious gold background in heraldry symbolizes the faith that sets humanity free and thus must be defended.
The Roman bridge represents the link between the Italian village (Bovino, Foggia) of Bp. Aldo's family and their adopted French village where same style of construction is likewise preserved (Ars-sur-Moselle, Metz). The water of the rivers and the seas are symbols of life, even its tumults. The blue of the sky and the blue of the sea merge and lead to Heaven, the Kingdom of God that is opened to us through baptism. The same baptism introduces us to the Trinitarian life and purifies our lives.
The gold star stands for the presence of the Virgin Mary – Queen of Heaven and Earth and Our Lady of Good Remedy – in our Christian life. Mary is the Stella della Daunia (Star of the Daunian Mountains in Bovino, Italy) that shines in the sky; She is the Stella Maris who guides us to the right port; Our-Lady of cities and villages; and, Our Lady of Arabia who protects the Arabian Peninsula. Our filial love of Mary guides our spirituality.
Bishop Aldo chose as his Episcopal motto the announcement of the Resurrection in Mt. 28,6: « Resurrexit, sicut dixit » (“He is risen, as He said”). Throughout his religious life, he teaches that the Risen Christ plunges us into the fullness of Trinitarian life, and therefore into love.
--- Coat of arms designed and created by the heraldist graphic designer Giuseppe Quattrociocchi (www.gqaraldica.it)
| 
