Coat of Arms
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Coat of ArmsSymbolism on the Abbey Coat of Arms -
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As with any heraldry design, each element of the Abbey's coat of arms has a symbolic meaning.
Cross
An empty cross represents the resurrected Christ.
It is centered on the shield because the community is Christ-centered.
It is reminiscent of the Abbey's cemetery cross.
Grape Vine
It starts at the foot of the cross, indicating that the community is rooted in Christ.
It comes to the center of the cross because the Jesus is the heart of the community.
The 13 grapes represent the founding members of the Premonstratensian community founded in 1121 by Norbert of Xanten.
Crescent Moon
This is the traditional symbolism of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It depicts the Virgin Mary watching over the vine- the community.
The moon is also representative of St. Norbert Abbey, from which this community was founded.
Fluer-de-Lis
Like the crescent moon, the fluer-de-lis is also used on the St. Norbert Abbey coat of arms and harkens back to the mother abbey of Santa María de la Vid.
It is also representative of the first abbot of the abbey, Joel Garner, O. Praem. It is included on his abbot coat of arms as well as on the Garner family coat of arms.
Blank or Open Quadrant
This represents the room for future growth of the abbey.
The vine reaches into this open quadrant, representing the movement into the future.
Colors
Red and yellow represent the presence in New Mexico as well as the colors used on the Archdioceses of Santa Fe's crest.
Blue is the traditional color of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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Alternative Coat of Arms and Logos
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Round COA
The round version of the coat of arms uses the same elements and is often used as a logo on social media and printed material.
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Cross Logo
Designed for use on the letterhead, it is typically, but not always, used with the descriptive text; it is based on the abbey cemetery cross.
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Vine Cross
Elements taken from the coat of arms, the grape vine wraps around the cross. It is typically used in social media and print material.
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40th Anniversary
Designed and used to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Norbertine community presence in New Mexico; it was only used in 2025.
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Crest & Abbots
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Abbey Crest
A crest included the entire heraldic representation of an organization; the shield and crozier in this case. The crozier indicating a community under the leadership of an abbot in this case.
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Joel Garner
An abbot has his personal crest and coat of arms. The crozier is a depiction of the one used by Abbot Joel, the fleur-de-lis is replicated from the Garner family COA, and the grape vine is from the Abbey's COA.
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Robert Campbell
A common abbot's crest is to split the shield in two and use a full shield on each side. In this case the Abbey's COA and that of the Campbell family are used to create the crest for Abbot Robert.
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Design
The Coat of Arms was designed by Fran Dorff, O. Praem.; Graham Golden, O. Praem.; Louise Nielsen, O. Praem. Obl.; and Joseph Sandoval, O. Praem. Obl.; with input from the entire community. The alternative COA and logos were designed by Joseph Sandoval. The heraldic items used to complete the COA to a crest were designed by Dr. Joseph Sandoval, O. Praem. Obl. He also designed the COA for Abbot Joel Garner, O. Praem. and developed the design for Abbot Robert Campbell, O. Praem.
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