Gordon Douglas Fenton

Per saltire Gules and Azure, a saltire Argent between in chief a fleur-de-lis, in base a jack pine tree, and in the flanks two beavers couchant respectant Or;

The colours allude to Fr. Fenton’s Scottish, Norwegian and English ancestry, and the white saltire cross indicates St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland and thus his Scottish heritage. The beavers represent his ancestors’ association with the Hudson’s Bay Company. Their posture facing one another suggests dialogue and participation in the community. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol often found on other Fenton arms; it also signifies a catholic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The jack pine refers to his late father’s work as a logger and to Fr. Fenton’s keen sense of respect for the environment.

Or a turtle tergiant Gules, the hoist Azure charged with three poplar leaves Or;

The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.

A turtle tergiant Gules on a Canterbury cross Or;

The Canterbury cross indicates that Fr. Fenton is an Anglican priest, and the addition of it to the turtle motif – with its personal associations and a tangential invocation of Native spirituality – celebrates both the catholicity and the fundamental unity of Fr. Fenton’s own world view.

A turtle tergiant per pale Gules and Azure between two poplar branches Or;

The turtle is a symbol with totemic value to Fr. Fenton and also refers to his Cree heritage. It is symbolic of the value of self-containment and of the innate capacity of the soul to plumb the depths of the spirit.