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Abbot Austin's Coat of Arms:

"Pariter ad vitam aeternam."
"May Christ bring us all together to eternal life."
(RB 72)

The staff, or crozier, symbolizes the office of abbot. On one side of the shield is St. Procopius Abbey’s ensign, a stylized eagle of Bohemian lineage with a cross in the background. The other side bears symbolism particular to Abbot Austin. The large book, representing the Bible, together with its rays and the transfixed, burning heart have three references. In the prologue to his Rule for Monasteries, St. Benedict speaks of the “deifying light” that comes from God, especially through Scripture (see Rule prol.9). The ray from Scripture that pierces the heart refers to a line written by Abbot Austin’s patron, St. Augustine: “By Your Word You pierced my heart and I loved You” (Confessions 10.5.6). The flames coming from the heart allude to Luke 24:32, where the disciples recount that their hearts burned within them while Jesus opened their minds to the scriptures. Of the two smaller books, one refers to St. Benedict’s Rule and the other to the writings of St. Augustine. They and the writings of other saints have been aids to Abbot Austin’s faith and, accordingly, the presence of the two books indicates his gratitude to these writings. Finally, the motto (pariter ad vitam eternam, “all together to eternal life”) is drawn from the Rule’s seventy-second chapter, which describes the good zeal of monks. It indicates the hope that characterizes good zeal, that Christ may bring us “all together to eternal life.”

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