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Diocesan House
Description of the Seal of the Diocese
The following description of the Diocesan Seal was written by the Rt.
Rev. A. S. Thomas, Nineth Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina (1928 -
1944).
The seal adopted in 1930 is based upon others in use previously. The
motto is from a seal which was used as far back as the time of Bishop Bowen, about 1830, and
more largely upon one adopted about thirty years ago. The seal is described as
follows:
flamed of the first.
Second, az. a pelican- her- piety. arg
Third, az. a palmetto tree arg.
Fourth, gu. 2 swords in saltire arg. hilted or."
The miter indicates the Episcopal character of the Church. The key represents the power of the Church, as given by the Lord.
The crook signifies the pastoral office. The candlestick in the first quarter, of course, represents Christ as the light of the world.
The pelican- in -her piety, i/e. The pelican feeding her young with the blood of her own breast, represents the atonement by Christ. The pelican is also associated in our minds with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, an English missionary society which maintained the Anglican Church in large measure during Colonial days. There is a pelican, for example, on St. James', Goose Creek, which was a mission of the Society as early as 1702. The palmetto tree in the third quarter obviously is the symbol of the state. In the fourth quarter you find the swords of St. Paul. They were so placed on our seal because they are the main symbol on the seal of the Diocese of London and our Church in Colonial days was a part of the Diocese of London and under the Bishop of London.
Please feel free to contact the Diocesan House if you have questions.