Coat of arms of Dale Joseph Melczek

The Bishop’s coat of arms consists of his personal crest, prepared at the time of his ordination as Bishop on January 27, 1993, conjoined to the crest of the Diocese of Gary, established December 17, 1956.

On the left is a field of alternating black and silver bars signifying the seven Sacraments and also representing the steel ingots of the industry that has so dominated the See City.

In the Book of the Apocalypse (8:3-4), angels are depicted standing at God’s Holy Altar with incense rising with the prayers of the saints to God’s presence. This is depicted in the crest with a thurible with three tongues of smoke rising like those prayers, but it also resembles the smoke that rises from the factory chimneys of Gary, as, by honest work. The smoke is held under the wings of the holy angels, the title of the Cathedral, as they carry it as offerings of God’s people to God.

On the right is a red field on which is depicted a gold cross and a silver "M." The "M," for the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, is taken from the coat of arms of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, who selected Bishop Melczek to receive the fullness of Christ’s priesthood as Bishop. It is also the initial of the Bishop’s surname. The red field represents the martyrdom of St. Paul, the Bishop’s Confirmation patron. Incorporated into the design for the "M" is the letter "J" for St. Joseph, the Bishop’s baptismal patron.

The Bishop’s motto, "To Know Christ," is taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: "I wish to know Christ and the power flowing from His resurrection; likewise to know how to share in His sufferings by being formed into the pattern of His death" (3:10).

The pontifical hat, called a gallero, with six tassels in three rows, on either side of the shield, all in green, are the insignia of a bishop as decreed by the Holy See in 1969.

Reference:

• www.dcgary.org