The Shield of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales captures several elements of Oblate identity. Because the Oblates are dedicated to the Blessed Mother under the title - Our Lady of Light, the shield is light blue.
There is no corpus shown on the cross since each Oblate is to be the Body of Christ on the cross at the center of the shield. The cross recalls the wearing of the Profession Cross which every Oblate receives on the day of First Profession.
Jesus offered himself on the cross as the perfect oblation to the Father. Through obedience he died and became the source of our salvation, our shield and our resurrection. He is the Rising Sun which appears over the cross on the shield.
V+J, meaning Vive Jesu or Live Jesus, is the Oblate motto. It was the guiding principle in the life of Saint Francis de Sales and appeared on his own coat of arms. The motto is situated in the center of the Rising Sun, which symbolizes the Risen Christ. Living Jesus is what the Oblate way of life is all about. The small Cross shows the "way" this is achieved is through total self-abnegation. This was the life-long goal of Saint Francis de Sales - and it is the raison d' etre of our Oblate life and work.
The branch to the right of the shield and cross is an olive branch. It is the symbol of peace which for the Oblates is achieved through gentleness and an inner strength which comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The olive branch also represents central and southern Europe where the Oblates originated and first served doing parish and school work.
The branch to the left of the shield and cross is the branch of an orange tree. It symbolizes the first Oblate mission outside of France in South Africa along the Orange River in Pella. It is the symbol of Oblate mission work in every age and in every corner of the world.
The Latin sentence at the bottom of the shield is another motto of the Oblates: Tenui Nec Dimittam. It means “I have taken hold and I will not let go.” It is from the Biblical Songs of Songs, a favorite book of Saint Francis de Sales. The actual rendition of the verse is “We have found the Lord, our Beloved and we will never let go.”
We Oblates have found the Lord and we will not let go.
