My assumed arms -- several variants

[revdpatience]

Thanks to the heraldic knowledge and artistic skill of a fellow clergyman, the Rev. Sinclair Ender of Trinity Cathedral in the Quad Cities, I have the following arms to assume.



Blazon: Azure two bars wavy or between two galleys chief and three salmon fretted base.

The galleys make a double reference to arms of the MacDonalds and to the Spanish Armada. My mother's McColl family has an ancient connection to Clan Donald, whose arms include a galley. The second reference is to the fishing village of Avoch on the Black Isle, where my father's Patience family originates, supposedly descended from a Portuguese sailor shipwrecked off a Spanish Armada ship.

Of course the salmon also make a double (and triple) reference, alluding not only to that fishing village but also to the Christian's call to be a "fisher of men" and to the Holy Trinity.



I am a priest of the Episcopal Church, so the first variant shows my ecclesiastical arms. The galero (a clerical hat) has black and white cords according to the usage of the Church of England. The decoration hanging below the shield represents my rank as a Knight Commander in the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem (SMOTJ).



The second variant shows my personal arms with helm and crest. The lark ascending is a reference to my father's childhood nickname for me -- "Rodger the Lark." The motto derives from Hebrews 6:19.



Finally, Fr. Sinclair also created a Scottish crest badge variant.

I'm eager to hear your thoughts regarding registration of arms. I know some of you have used the American College of Heraldry and others have gone different routes.

I'd also love to hear ideas about *using* arms. Again, having read many posts in this thread over the years, I see lots of examples. How do you actually find yourself using your arms most often?

Many thanks in advance!

Rodger