Our Crest
All Point To Catherine.
The Book represents Wisdom. St. Catherine of Siena is renowned for her learning and wisdom. She was one of the first women to be named a Doctor of the Church and the 32nd overall in the two-thousand-year history of the Catholic Church.
The Italian city of Siena is divided into regions—each depicted by their own crest. The crest of St. Catherine’s home region is emblazoned with a Goose.
In iconography, St. Catherine is often depicted with a Lily as a symbol of her purity.
A burning Heart reminds us of the love St. Catherine received from Christ and her quote: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
All Point to the Transcendentals.
Truth, goodness, and beauty are the longings of every human heart. They are known as the transcendentals because they transcend all limits of human experience. In fact, all that is true, good, or beautiful is a participation in God who is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty itself. The book, heart, and lily all align with the transcendentals respectively.
No strangers to Northern New York, geese are beautiful waterfowl that are renowned for being both monogamous and very protective of their young.
All Point to Christ.
In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The beginning of John’s Gospel speaks of the Logos, the one Word spoken by the Father which is the person of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures and Tradition of the Church are depicted by the Bible.
The wild Goose is a Celtic symbol of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Most Blessed Trinity, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the One who descended upon Jesus at His baptism in the form of a Dove.
The Lily is used in images of the Holy Family. Both St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary are depicted with lilies. Thus, the lily is an image representing both the home parish of the Academy and also the Year of St. Joseph (2021) in which our institution was founded.
The Heart on fire is a common image in Christian iconography for the enduring fire of Christ’s love for the world. A love that he shared with St. Catherine and that he desires to share with each of us. The crest is crowned with a cross—the ultimate symbol of Christ’s love for us. Greater love have no one than this, to lay down one’s life for the world (John 15:13.)