THE DIOCESAN COAT OF ARMS
This Coat of Arms was inspired by those of the pioneer and current Bishops of the Diocese: the icon of the Good Shepherd was borrowed from the Coat of Arms of the pioneer Bishop while the icon of the floating ship came from that of the current Bishop’s. From the beginning of his episcopal ministry in 1991, Bishop Okobo framed his pastoral office around the figure of the Good Shepherd and managed to inscribe that model of pastoral ministry into the consciousness of the faithful in more than two decades of apostolate in the Diocese. The current Bishop has continued that trajectory. Thus, the Diocese has The Shepherd Newspaper as its official news organ and The Good Shepherd Seminary as its Spiritual Year seminary for intense spiritual formation of candidates preparatory to the study of Philosophy in readiness for the priesthood. This is the leading idea behind this Coat of Arms as shown below.
The principal image on the Coat of Arms is that of the Shepherd leading his flock (cf. John 10:14).
The lush green background represents the verdant pastures on which He feeds them (cf. Psalm 23: 2).
The Gold colour signifies fidelity, for the Good Shepherd never abandons but rather lays down his life for the flock (John 10: 11).
The floating ship represents the Church as the Ark of Salvation, guided by the Morning Star, our Blessed Mother the Virgin Mary.
The Blue colour represents the Sea, often stormy, which is a metaphor for the ambiguity of history in which the Church lives.
The mitre represents the Bishop, the Shepherd of the flock in the diocese in whom the Lord Jesus is present among the faithful, and its visible source and foundation of unity (cf. Vatican II Council, Lumen Gentium, 21, 23).
The motto, “One Flock, One Shepherd” (John 10:16) is both a pastoral ideal and a fact of Catholic life that every particular Church constitute a flock with only one leader at a time.
