ARMORIAL BEARINGS OF THE MOST REVEREND LOUIS F. KIHNEMAN, III

By heraldic tradition the arms of a diocesan bishop are joined (impaled) with the area of his jurisdiction; in this case, the Diocese of Biloxi.  These arms are composed of a gold (yellow) field on which is displayed a silver (white) lighthouse; the famous landmark of Biloxi.  The lighthouse of Christ, the beacon of Peace and Truth, is placed between a pine tree, emblematic of the logging and forestry industries of the northern portion of the diocese near Hattiesburg and Laurel, and a blue crescent, surrounded by twelve blue stars, emblematic of the Blessed Virgin Mary, titular of the Cathedral-Church in Biloxi, who is described in the 12th Chapter of the book of Revelation, as having “the moon at her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.”
 
The base of the diocesan arms is a blue, wavy field to signify the waters of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, where the See City is located.  On this field is a displayed fishnet (silver (white) outlined in black) to honor the city’s fishing industry, equally represented by the gold (yellow) anchor and two fish that are held within the fishnet.
 
Bishop Kihneman’s personal arms, that are seen in the right side (heraldic—“sinister”) of the achievement is composed of three sections.  The upper section is a blue field with a silver (white) Chi-Rho, the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ, (XPISTON) and is one of the most ancient symbols of Christians and Christianity.  In the center segment is a silver (white) field with a red rose, displayed in profile, with a stem and leaves of green, to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Mystical Rose.  In the base, on a gold (yellow) field is a blue fleur-de-lis, for St. Louis, King of France, Bishop Kihneman’s Baptismal patron. 
 
For his motto, His Excellency, Bishop Kihneman has adopted the phrase, “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.”  This phrase, from the 23rd psalm, expresses Bishop Kihneman’s firm and profound belief that it is only in following The Lord that eternal success is achieved.
The achievement is completed with the external ornaments that are a gold (yellow) processional cross, that extends above and below the shield and a pontifical hat, called a galero, with its six tassels, in three rows, on either side of the shield, all in green.  These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop by instruction of the Holy See, of March 1969.

Armorial Bearings Author and Designer Deacon Paul J. Sullivan