I would like to that Fr. David O. Reyes, Jr. for putting this great post together. I could not break it up or shorten it, because it would loose to much. Please visit Fathers blog site entitled Slingshots! (here)
I was recently asked to design the coat of arms of Saint Francis Xavier Parish, Nasugbu, Batangas... I willingly accepted the request over a cup of Batangas coffee.
Msgr. Madlangbayan, the parish priest, showed us around his parish church. I was impressed by the artistry lavished in his churh, and we were very much honored when the good Monsignor had his melodic carillon bells rung just for us.
The Coat of Arms' Meaning: Dominant within the arms is the Cross with the initials "IHS" at its center. It is firmly planted on the island. The IHS is a common symbol used to represent Christ, and it is also a common symbol used by the Society of Jesus. Hence, it symbolizes that the parish of Nasugbu owes its firm faith to the Jesuits, the missionaries who founded Nasugbu. The wooden cross is also a symbol of Nasugbu's patron, the Jesuit saint Francis Xavier.
The scallop is another symbol of Saint Francis Xavier, and it is depicted here with three drops of water, which is reminiscent of the Holy Trinity. It reminds us of the missionary zeal of Francis when, as a Jesuit missionary, he wrote to Saint Ignatius his experiences as a missionary:
"We have visited the villages of the new converts who accepted the Christian religion a few years ago. The country is so utterly barren and poor. The native Christians have no priests. They know only that they are Christians. There is nobody to say Mass for them; nobody to teach them the Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Commandments of God's Law. I have not stopped since the day I arrived. I conscientiously made the rounds of the villages. I bathed in the sacred waters all the children who had not yet been baptized. This means that I have purified a very large number of children so young that, as the saying goes, they could not tell their right hand from their left. The older children would not let me say my Office or eat or sleep until I taught them one prayer or another. Then I began to understand: "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
The symbol of the Star with the ladder and the tower represents the parish's secondary and well-loved patroness, the Nuestra Senora Virgen de la Escalera. According to legend, the Blessed Virgin appeared on the staircase of the hacienda of the Roxas family, hence her title as Nuestra Senora Virgen de la Escalera. It is also said that the Jesuits as well as the Roxas family already had a devotion to La Virgen de la Escalera because they gave thanks to her when they crossed the ocean going to Spain. History has it that the image of Nuestra Senora Virgen de la Escalera in Mexico was placed on the top of the tower of fort San Juan de Uluaa so that she can protect Veracruz Bay, which was an important treasury for the Manila-Acapulco-Veracruz-Spain galleon trade. She was honored for hundreds of years as the patroness of travelers from Spain to Mexico because the voyage was dangerous and long. It is most plausible that the devotion was brought to the Philippines via this trade route, Nasugbu serving as a port for these galleons considering its proximity to Manila.
The image of the island surrounded by sea water reminds us of the beauty that is Nasugbu, known for its beaches and scenic seashore.
Attachment: I have attached some pictures of the Nasugbu Church, which I have downloaded from their website. You may also wish to visit their website: www.nasugbuchurch.com
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