Blazon

Quarterly gules and azure, a cross Or, between I and IV: 1: a shell Or, 2: a lion’s head couped and crowned Or; 3: a fess wavy Argent, below a crescent of the same; 4: an eagle of Saint John Or, carrying a scroll Argent.

meaning

The gold Cross overall represents the Redemption by Our LORD Jesus Christ, which is the foundation of our Faith.

The golden shell in the left-top quarter on a red field is taken from the coat-of-arms of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, who raised our parish to the dignity of a Minor Basilica on July 16, 2009.

The gold-crowned Lion in the right-top quarter on a blue field is taken from the coat-of-arms of Blessed Pius IX during whose pontificate the parish of Saint John the Evangelist was established in 1854.

The silver Crescent Moon in the left-bottom quarter on a blue field represents the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary; this dogma was defined by Blessed Pius IX, the same year Saint John’s became an independent parish.

The wavy silver bar in the left-bottom quarter on a blue field represents water; it is found in the coats-of-arms of the Archdiocese of Hartford, whose bishop established Saint John’s in 1854, in the coat-of-arms of the Diocese of Bridgeport, and also is a symbol of the Port of Stamford and the Mill River.

The gold Eagle holding a silver Scroll in the bottom-right quarter on a red field is the traditional symbol of Saint John the Evangelist, patron of the parish, and is taken from Ezra 1:1-14 and Ezekiel 10:14.

motto

The motto “Behold your Mother” (John 19:27) was spoken to Saint John, the Beloved Disciple and our parish patron, by Our LORD as he was dying on the Cross, entrusting His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary to John’s care. The motto is also reminiscent of the traditional title of Saint John’s Parish as the Mother Church of Stamford. The position of the Crescent Moon, symbol of Our Lady, and the Eagle of Saint John, are those traditionally assigned to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John at the foot of the Cross.