Breaking Down the Coat of Arms
A coat of arms is comprised of several parts. Misericordia’s coat of arms includes a shield, crest and a motto. The overall design (called the achievement) is divided between left (sinister) and right (dexter), which are viewed from the wearer’s perspective (opposite the viewer).
The crest (1) of a Celtic cross commemorates the Irish origin of the Sisters of Mercy and their founding by Catherine McAuley in Dublin in 1831. The cross sits atop a wreath of red and gold.. Red can represent the Holy Spirit (fire) as well as the blood of the martyrs and Christ’s crucifixion. Gold evokes joy and brightness of the new day.
On the dexter (the viewer’s left) appears the coat of arms of the Sisters of Mercy (2), who founded College Misericordia. Their shield derives from the coat of arms of the Royal Military and Religious Order of Our Lady of Mercy, established in Spain in 1218 by St. Peter Nolasco. Catherine McAuley chose to adapt elements of the well-known Mercy Shield for her order for women. Sister Mary Evangelist Morgan, RSM, notes that “Mother McAuely chose the Shield with the idea that the five bars signify M E R C Y, while the cross is a reminder of sacrifice” (p. 278).
Red bars upon a field of gold
White cross upon a field of red
Courage, the red
Purity, the white
The cross for sacrifice
So fashioned, Mercy’s Shield.
On the sinister (the viewer’s right) in the upper partition (the chief) appears an open book (3), which suggests the educational mission of both the College and the Sisters.
The chief and the lower partition (the escutcheon) are separated by seven chevrons (4), representative of the seven mountains that surrounded the original campus.
Since misericordia means “tenderness of heart” or “mercy,” the virtue of charity, pity or compassion, the Sacred Heart of Christ is the central object in this part of the field. In the escutcheon (lower partition) is the Sacred Heart (5) lined in silver on a blue field—traditional Marian colors.
The motto “Mulier Fortis”(6) forms the bottom portion of the achievement and represents the aspiration or intention of the individual, family or organization.
The phrase mulier fortis meaning “valiant woman” (or “strong woman”) comes from Proverbs 31, which lists some of the qualities a valiant woman possesses: she is hardworking, conscientious, selfless; she cares for the poor, speaks her wisdom truthfully, and even has a sense of humor. Because of these actions and qualities, she is respected by her peers.
The Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible translates Verse 10 as: “Who shall find a valiant woman? far and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her.” Translations and interpretations vary; the verse has been translated as listing the qualities of a good and useful wife (mulier in Latin also means “wife”), as well as interpreted as referring to the Blessed Virgin, as there is no more valiant cause than redeeming humanity by being the Mother of Christ.
The motto serves as a constant reminder of the original purpose for which Misericordia was founded.