In the Armorial Achievement of Bishop John J. Gomez, the story told is one of faith, vocation, and the people and places that have shaped his life and ministry. In composing his personal arms, the Bishop has chosen charges (the symbols appearing on a coat of arms) that reflect both his priestly ministry and his episcopal service.
The dexter impalement (the right half of the shield from the bearer’s perspective) contains the arms of the Diocese of Laredo. Upon a field of gules (red) appears a bend wavy argent (a diagonal silver wavy band), representing the Río Grande, a defining feature of South Texas and a symbol of the waters of Baptism that unite the People of God. In chief (the upper portion of the shield) appears the steeple of San Agustín Cathedral, the mother church of the Diocese of Laredo and a reminder of the deep Catholic roots that have shaped the region for generations. In the base (the lower portion of the shield) is a rose (gold), a symbol associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe. The field of gules symbolizes the Holy Spirit and recalls the establishment of the Diocese of Laredo during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, a time marked by renewal, mission, and hope.
The sinister impalement (the left half of the shield from the bearer’s perspective) contains the personal arms of the Bishop. He has retained two elements from the diocesan arms: the field of gules and the river argent, preserving their original symbolism. Across the field is placed a fess wavy azure (a blue horizontal wavy band), representing the abundant waters of Colombia, his native land, and the place where his journey of faith began through Baptism and where he first heard the Lord’s call to serve.
Resting upon the fess is the Jerusalem Cross, serving as a reminder that the Bishop has been called to share in the apostolic ministry as a Successor of the Apostles. Just as the Apostles were called by the Lord and sent forth from Jerusalem to proclaim the Gospel, so too is the Bishop called to embrace the Cross and to give himself in service to Christ, His Church, and the Faith. The Jerusalem Cross serves as a constant reminder that Christ is the center of the Bishop’s life and ministry, and indeed of the lives of all missionary disciples. It also reflects his association with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
In chief appears a mullet argent (a silver star), recalling the Diocese of Tyler, where the Bishop discerned and embraced his priestly vocation, where he was ordained to the Sacred Orders of Deacon and Presbyter, and where he served faithfully for many years. The star also represents the State of Texas, whose people he has come to love and serve.
In base dexter appears an eight-pointed mullet or (a gold star), taken from the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Through this symbol, the Bishop honors the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whose maternal care he has entrusted his ministry as Bishop of Laredo.
In base sinister appears a lily accompanied by a carpenter’s rule, traditional emblems of Saint Joseph the Worker. These charges honor the husband of Mary and signify the virtues of humility, service, fidelity, and trust in Divine Providence that characterized his life. Saint Joseph the Worker holds particular significance for the Bishop, who was raised in a parish dedicated under his patronage and whose episcopal appointment was announced on his feast day, May 1st.
The tinctures (heraldic colors and metals) gules and or (gold), which appear prominently throughout the achievement, also reflect the Hispanic heritage received from his parents, José Jairo and Martha Lucia, and from his grandparents, Roberto and Ofelia, and Jesús and Ana Eva, whose faith and example helped shape his Christian life and vocation.
Beneath the shield appears the Bishop’s episcopal motto, *Ego Elegi Vos et Posui Vos* (“I chose you and appointed you”), taken from John 15:16. Drawn from the words of Christ at the Last Supper, the motto expresses the Bishop’s conviction that every vocation is first and foremost God’s initiative. “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.”
Together, the charges and symbols of this armorial achievement tell the story of a shepherd whose life has been shaped by faith, service, joy, and a desire to walk alongside the people entrusted to his care.
