Image provided The coat of arms for The Most Rev. Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, the incoming Bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese.

Having a coat of arms comes from Church tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. This ecclesiastical shield is symbolic of the Catholic bishop’s “signature” to identify his office, pastoral mission, and values.

The blue field symbolizes the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of the United States. It also points to the color of the flag of El Salvador, where Bishop Menjivar-Ayala was born. The horizontal stripe in silver (white) symbolizes the desire for peace of all nations.

The star symbolizes the gift of faith that leads us to Jesus Christ, the true light of the world. It also symbolizes Mary, often called the Star of the New Evangelization. Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, has been instrumental in the evangelization of the Americas, in the past as in the present.

The Cross represents Christ and the mystery of our redemption.

The scallop shell and the pilgrim’s staff symbolize our baptism and the journey of faith of a pilgrim Church. They also represent the personal journey of Bishop Menjivar as an immigrant in the United States.

The motto, “Ibat cum illis,” “He walked with them,” is taken from the Gospel of Luke 24:15. While two disciples of Jesus were walking downcast and conversing about what has happened in Jerusalem, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them.