Per fess bendy AZURE and ARGENT: in chief a demi-lion rampant OR, armed GULES, holding in its forepaws a heart of the second; in base, the zodiacal sign of Cancer, all GULES.
The shield is divided horizontally into two sections: the upper half has a blue background with a demi-lion rampant gold, with red tongue and claws holding a red heart. This represents the last name of the Bishop’s family, which means “heart of the lion.” The wavy line separating the two halves of the shield horizontally, along with the blue background in the lower half, represent the family’s connection to the sea.
The lower half is silver with a red crab. The crab represents the family trade as fishermen. Bishop Cordileone now continues that trade as a “fisher of men” (Lk 5:10). Appropriately then, the crab – symbol of the constellation Cancer which denotes the month of July – also represents significant dates in Bishop Cordileone’s life as a priest that fell within the month of July: the date of his priestly ordination (July 9, 1982) and the date he was named a bishop (July 5, 2002). Now he can add the date he was named an archbishop (July 27, 2012).
