Bishop Adam J. Parker’s Coat of Arms

Bishop Adam J. Parker’s shield is divided into four compartments. The upper left contains the Calvert Cross and a silver (white) star (signifying Mary), which are taken from the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, where the bishop grew up and was ordained to the priesthood. The upper right features a Jerusalem cross, which calls to mind the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, of which Bishop Parker is a member. This symbol also honors Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, whom Bishop Parker considers a mentor, having served as his secretary in Baltimore and when the cardinal became grand master of the order, based in Rome.

The lower left depicts mountains, a tribute to both the bishop’s affinity for the outdoors, especially mountain hiking, and to his first parish assignment as a priest at St. Peter in Westernport and St. Michael in Frostburg, in the mountains of western Maryland. The Marian monogram on the golden field represents his great affection for his home parish of Our Lady of the Fields in Millersville.

The lower right quadrant is similar to the upper left, but for a different reason. The red, silver (white) and blue quartered cross is the major component of the arms of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Bishop Parker’s alma mater.

For his motto, Bishop Parker adopted the phrase “Go Make Disciples,” from the end of the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 28:19) where Christ admonishes his disciples to go out into the world, making followers and believers of all men and women.