Patrick Kevin O'Neal

Or a hand Gules, in the dexter canton a mullet of eight points, a base wavy Azure charged with three barrulets wavy Argent;

This design is inspired by the arms of numerous members of Irish O’Neill families. The red hand refers to an ancient Irish legend according to which, in the race to reach Ulster first and thus gain its crown, an O’Neill warrior cut off his hand and threw it on the shore to outstrip his competitors. The eight-pointed star, as well as the colour blue, are frequently associated with the Virgin Mary. The wavy stripes symbolize the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church. The three white stripes further represent the Holy Trinity and the three great North American rivers in Fr. O’Neal’s life and career: the Saint Lawrence, the Mississippi and the Illinois.

A banner of the Arms;

The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.

A pennant of three points Or charged with a mullet of eight points environed by a salmon leaping Azure;

The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.

A standard, the Arms in hoist, the fly Argent charged with an ecclesiastical hat with two tassels Sable and two representations of the Badge separated by two bends sinister Argent edged and inscribed with the Motto in letters Sable;

The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.

A salmon leaping engoulant a hazelnut Or within three concentric annulets Sable;

The salmon and the hazelnut allude to the Irish Salmon of Knowledge found in many O’Neill coats of arms. They represent Fr. O’Neal’s career in teaching, both at the high school and college levels. The black rings are a reference to the Grianan of Aileach, an ancient Irish hill fort in county Donegal, Ireland. Said to have been built by the Northern Uí Néills, it pays homage to Fr. O’Neal’s ancestors.