The change in the coat-of-arms

Old Coat-of-Arms used on September 26, 2010

New Coat-of-Arms used on October 10, 2010

Many have already noted an interesting change made the other day in the Pope's coat-of-arms (left), without any official announcement.

In keeping with the tradition which goes back to Pope Paul VI and expecially Pope John Paul I, who wished to downplay the "regal" aspects of the Petrine office and emphasize instead the "episcopal" aspect of the role of the Bishop of Rome, Benedict began his pontificate with a coat-of-arms which did not include the triple crown, the papal tiara, but rather displayed the bishop's mitre.

On Sunday, the cloth unfurled under his window in the Apostolic Palace as he prayed the Angelus contained the tiara.

The actual crown itself, the Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, the Triregnum or the Triregno, is the three-tiered papal crown worn by Popes from Pope Clement V up to and including Pope Paul VI, who was crowned in 1963.

The crown has not been worn by any of Pope Paul's successors, but it has not been abolished and it remains the symbol of the papacy and the Holy See, featured in the coat-of-arms of the Vatican and on many papal coats-of-arms.

Open For Business

Entering the world of blogging took me a significant amount of time to execute. I wanted to make sure that I had the time to give to take blogging seriously. After all, it is a commitment that I am making to readers from around the world. Frequent posts and updates are a necessary part of the unwritten contract that exists between blogger and reader. As a frequent reader of popular Church blogs, I see first hand the challenges that individuals face to keep their blog updated on a regular basis. With this in mind, I still decided that I wanted to give it a shot. I finally had decided to throw my hat into the ring a few days ago.

As a Catholic Seminarian studying for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, I look forward to the opportunity to share with others some of my experiences in the seminary. My blog will give individuals an inside look at what life is like for a seminarian in the Catholic Church today. But even though much of my life has been given to the Church, I still have other things that I enjoy doing outside of "church circles". So, you can expect that from time to time, my blogs will include personal opinions on events from around the world, trips I have taken, things that I find funny or enjoy watching, witty humor and jokes that make me laugh. Movie critiques, food and restaurant reviews and much much more.

So to conclude my first blog, I want to thank God for His many gifts. My health, family and friends and the gift of His Son who we wait for in joyful Hope this Advent Season.