Bishop Mark Beckman Fourth bishop of Knoxville July 26, 2024
‘The splendor of holiness’ Pontificals symbolize the key elements of a bishop’s office By Dan McWilliams
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ith his ordination as the Diocese of Knoxville’s fourth shepherd come several important symbols of his new office for Bishop Mark Beckman. Bishop Beckman chose an episcopal motto, “Jesus Christ Yesterday Today and Forever,” in the weeks leading up to his ordination, and a coat of arms bearing the motto was then designed for him. At the ordination and installation Mass on July 26, the new bishop received his crosier (or shepherd’s staff) along with his ring and miter. Bishop Beckman’s coat of arms, or crest, was designed by Father Philip G. Bochanski, a priest in residence at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia and vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Father Bochanski has served the Church at the local and national levels for nearly 25 years as a parish priest, a high-school religion teacher, a spiritual director, a chaplain to the Philadelphia chapter of Courage, and as the executive director of Courage International. Ordained in 1999, he also has served the Church of Philadelphia as a chaplain to consecrated religious communities and as a spiritual director for seminarians. Father Bochanski is the author of six books, five sets of audio lectures, and numerous articles and book chapters addressing various topics such as Church history, spirituality, evangelization, and pastoral care. His most recent book, Wisdom of the Desert Fathers: Ancient Advice for the Modern World, was published by TAN Books in April 2020. Father Bochanski has served as a consultant to the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage and to the Institute on the Catechism, both within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In December 2019, Pope Francis awarded him the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. The ability to bestow this honor is reserved for the Supreme Pontiff, and it is given in recognition of sustained and exceptional service to the universal Church.
Coats of arms in the Diocese of Knoxville
The original Diocese of Knoxville coat of arms was designed in 1988 by Deacon Paul Sullivan. Deacon Sullivan also designed the coat of arms for the diocese’s first shepherd, Bishop Anthony J. O’Connell, and the crest for its second shepherd, Bishop Joseph E. Kurtz. Father Bochanski also designed the coat of arms for the diocese’s third bishop, Bishop Emeritus Richard F. Stika. Knoxville’s former bishops’ mottos were “The Harvest Is Plenty” (O’Connell), “Hope in the Lord” (Kurtz), and Iesu Confido in Te (“Jesus
Heraldic Achievement of Most Reverend James Mark Beckman Fourth bishop of Knoxville
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lazon: Quarterly gules and azure, on a cross Or between a fess the top edge dancetty of three points, a dogwood flower saltirewise, three bars wavy and a railroad trestle issuant from base all argent, three crosses couped of the first, impaling Vert, a pale wavy of three argent and azure, between twelve leaves of the tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) palewise. ■
I Trust in You”) (Stika). In designing the shield—the central element in what is formally called the “heraldic achievement”— a bishop has an opportunity to depict symbolically various aspects of his own life and heritage and to highlight aspects of Catholic faith and devotion that are important to him. The formal description of a coat of arms, known as the “blazon” (see the box above), uses a technical language derived from medieval French
and English terms, which allows the appearance and position of each element to be recorded precisely. A diocesan bishop shows his commitment to the flock he shepherds by combining his personal coat of arms with that of the diocese, in a technique known as “impaling.” The shield is divided in half along the pale, or central vertical line. The arms of the diocese appear on the “dexter” side—that is, on the side of the shield to the viewer’s left, which
would cover the right side (in Latin, dextera) of the person carrying the shield. The arms of the bishop are on the “sinister” side—the bearer’s left, the viewer’s right. The central feature of the arms of the Diocese of Knoxville is a cross in gold (Or) taken from the arms of Pope St. John Paul II, who established the diocese. Three small red (gules) crosses on this large gold cross represent the three dioceses in Tennessee. The shield itself is divided quarterly into areas of red and blue (azure). Charges, or emblems, in these quarters allude to natural features that dominate the landscape of East Tennessee: mountains, a dogwood blossom, and the Tennessee River. A railroad trestle in the bottom-right quarter honors the Irish August 4 2024 immigrants who brought the Catho12 lic faith to the area,VOL many33ofNO whom worked constructing railroads. Bishop Beckman is an avid hiker and has a deep appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. His first request was that his coat of arms
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Pontificals continued on page C8
A special commemorative edition for the ordination and installation of Bishop Mark Beckman, the fourth shepherd of the Diocese of Knoxville August 4, 2024 n Volume 33 | Number 12