A British convert, Wing-Commander Roach-Pierson, of Panton Hill, Victoria, designed the armorial bearings in 1946-7.
Blazon
Gules, a pelican in her piety argent, beaked or, in chief of the second, four stars of eight points azure.
Huh?
Gules ― the ground of the main part of the shield is red. The red field signifies the episcopal jurisdiction under which the College subsists.
A pelican in her piety ― a pelican feeding her young. The pelican was a popular symbol of Christ in the Middle Ages. According to legend, in times of hardship, the pelican would pierce her breast to allow her chicks to feed, just as our Lord has offered His body up for the Faithful.
In chief ― the top third of the shield is white.
Four stars of eight points azure ― the four stars on the chief are blue. The stars are evocative of the Southern Cross. When the College was founded, Corpus Christi served the four diocese of Victoria: Melbourne, Ballarat, Sandhurst and Sale. Hobart was incorporated later, and at that time a fifth star was added to the crest under the mistaken belief that the stars represented the sponsoring dioceses. In fact, the four eight-pointed stars for the Cross were granted by the College of Heralds to the Catholic Church in Australia in 1834 and are to be found in the Coat of Arms of Bishop Goold, OSA, first Bishop of Melbourne. There are some versions of the armorial bearings which feature five stars — the College crockery, for example, features this shield. The official shield, however, has only four stars.
Crest
A bishop’s mitre. Like the red field, this refers to the canonical jurisdiction of the Victorian and Tasmanian bishops.
Motto
De Te Vivere ― “by Thy life to live” or “to live out of You”.
The motto is extracted from St Thomas Aquinas’ hymn Adoro te devote. The phrase occurs in verse 5:
O memoriale mortis Domini,
panis vivus vitam praestans homini,
praesta meae menti de te vivere,
et te illi semper dulce sapere.
O wondrous Memorial of the Lord’s own death!
Living Bread, that gives all Thy Creatures breath.
Grant my spirit ever by Thy life may live.
To my taste Thy never-failing sweetness give.
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