This coat of arms combines (left) the arms of the Diocese of Arlington and that of Bishop Thomas J. Welsh. The large star circled by ten smaller stars signifies Virginia’s entry as the tenth state of the Union. It also represents Mary as “Star of the Sea” and “Star of the Morning.” The horizontal band with scallops is adapted from the shield of Saint Thomas More, a patron saint of the Cathedral. The crescent at the bottom of the shield symbolizes the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, patroness of the United States. On the right, the arrowheads are adapted from the Welsh family coat of arms. The chevron with an arrowhead signifies the Bishop’s patron saint, St. Thomas the Apostle. The crowned “humilitas” is taken from the coat of arms of St. Charles Borromeo, the Philadelphia seminary where Bishop Welsh served as rector. The cross and the three-tiered, tassled green hat are symbolic of the office of Bishop. The motto, “With Mary as Model, Make All Things New,” reflects the past service given the Church by the Blessed Virgin and Saint Charles Borromeo and the present challenge for dynamic renewal.