The Coat of Arms* taken as a whole is a praise to the Blessed Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose love is from age to age.

Creation, a gift of God the Father, is recalled by the mountains that rise up, and that also stress the duration of God's love for us. The Saint John's Valley, Mont Farlagne, the Appalachians and other mountains of Madawaska-Victoria and the Restigouche, are recalled, here. Ecological concern is a response to this gift to us.

The star recalls the Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, to whom is dedicated the diocese of Edmundston. Twelve parishes are dedicated to her.

God the Son showed his love for all humankind: Jesus gave his life for us. The symbol of the cross evokes the coming of Jesus among us; we walk after him and want to live like him and contribute in setting up the Kingdom through the work of evangelisation and formation of good Gospel workers.

God the Holy Spirit is at work even now. He gives life to the Church, sacrament of salvation for humankind. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). The figure of the ship, a symbol of New Brunswick, also reminds us of the Church we form, the barque of Peter, the People of God which we make up and which must go forward with audacity and courage into the open sea.

The waves remind us of baptism which makes us beloved children of God, members of the people of God, members of the Body of Christ, temples of the Holy Spirit. Waters of the great rivers irrigating the territory—Saint John, Madawaska, Restigouche, Tobique, Green River—they are signs of life.

The motto: "His Love Is from Age to Age" is taken from the verse 4 of the Virgin Mary's "Magnificat" (Luke 1, 50). This prayer is a hymn welling up from the heart of the Mother of beautiful love, as Saint John Eudes was fond of saying. As we end the twentieth century, at the threshold of the third millennium, Mary's declaration is a source of hope for our world.

+ François Thibodeau, C.J.M.
Bishop of Edmundston

* Created by graphic artist Ronald Young, the coat of arms was donated to the Diocese of Edmundston in 1994 by Bishop François Thibodeau, C.J.M., on the occasion of this Church's Golden Anniversary.