Bishop George Albert Guertin
Arms: Argent, upon the sea an open boat under sail Proper guided by a star in dexter chief Azure issuing rays of light bendwise Or
SOURCE/NOTES & CREDITS: Source for arms and blazon: “Armorial of the American Hierarchy”, Volume III, The New England States, the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston and Hartford, page 81, by Brother Gerard Brassard, A.A., The Stobbs Press, Worcester, Mass., 1956. The blazon was re-worked by John Gaylor. Text and bio developed from the “Armorial of the American Hierarchy”, Volume III, The New England States, pages 80-81 and from “ Upon this Granite”, Msgr. Wilfrid H. Paradis, Peter E Randall Publisher, Portsmouth, NH, 1998, pages 130-153.
Bishop Guertin born 17 Feb 1869 in Nashua, NH, was the first NH bishop to be born in that state and was of French-Canadian descent. After the second Bishop of Manchester, Bishop Delany died , the French- Canadian membership of the diocese successfully lobbied for one of their priests to be selected to be the third bishop. Ordained on 17 Dec 1892 by Bishop Bradley of Manchester, he was elected by Pope St. Pius X to be the Third Bishop of the See of Manchester, NH on 2 January 1907 and Consecrated by Archbishop Falconio, Apostolic Delegate to the US on 19 March 1907. Interestingly Bishop Guertin proved to be even-handed and moderate in dealing with Irish Catholics of the diocese on the one hand and French-Canadians Catholics on the other. He died at age 63, on 6 Aug 1932, with 25 years as Bishop and we believe his to be the longest reign of any Bishop of Manchester, NH to date. dqw 20090927
The artwork is a rendering by John Hamilton Gaylor.
Wedvick Armorial, 069b, Guertin, 20080921
