Arms of Paul Andrew Morris

Blazon

Per chevron Pean and Or in base a cross bottony Sable surmounted by an escallop Vert, on a chief wavy Or a belted kingfisher proper between two cabbages Vert;

Symbolism

The division of the shield symbolizes families under a roof as well as the parishes to which Father Morris has ministered. The escallop represents a baptismal shell and evokes St. John the Baptist Parish, in Halifax, where Father Morris was baptized and where he worshipped with his family. The escallop is also a symbol of pilgrimage and it represents the pilgrimages that Father Morris has undertaken since his ordination. The cross alludes to Father Morris’s priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. This bottony cross, known as the Cross of St. Maurice, makes reference to Father Morris’s surname. The wavy chief and the belted kingfisher refer to Halifax, Father Morris’s hometown. The waves represent the city’s maritime location, and the kingfisher has been an emblem of the municipality since 1860. Father Morris has strong roots in Halifax, his father having served as the city’s mayor. The cabbages symbolize Father Morris’s German ancestry through his mother’s line, more particularly Casper Meisner, a native of Hessen who settled in Lunenburg County in 1753.