I was able to take off for a day of heraldry hunting yesterday and visited Sacred Heart Cathedral in Richmond, which has large paintings of most of the bishops of the diocese hanging rather high up in and near the transept. Unfortunately, in addition to the distances to the paintings, the lighting was mostly dim, and as they were setting up for an impending mass I didn’t want to be too intrusive about getting the best positions to take pictures, so these are mostly not of very good quality.

Rt Rev Richard Vincent Whelan, 2nd bishop (1840-1850): Or a miter Gules garnished Or surmounting a processional cross and crosier in saltire, in chief a dove descending proper and in base [something I couldn’t make out either in person or on the picture]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/10977522715_ded39c6907.jpg

Rt Rev John McGill, 3rd bishop (1850-72): Or a chevron Azure.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3797/10977759643_104c62c58a.jpg

Rt Rev John Gibbons, 4th bishop (1872-77): Or the Virgin standing holding the Holy Infant proper

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/10977742523_c567f462a5.jpg

Rt Rev John Joseph Keane, 5th bishop (1878-88 ) Or on a cross Gules a dove descending [Argent? Or?]

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/10977713754_3df173902f.jpg

More to come. By the way, I’m following the honorific style of "right reverend" as used on the paintings themselves. This shifts to "most reverend" a bit later in the series.

Continuing:

I didn’t see a painting of the arms of the Rt Rev Augustine Van de Vyver, 6th bishop (1889-1911), but have seen them on a digital image of a letter he sent. They showed a bust of the Madonna and Child issuant from base, apparently on an argent field. The painting may be there but in an area of the cathedral I couldn’t get to without creating a ruckus.

Rt Rev Denis J. O’Connell, 7th bishop (1912-26): Quarterly [something and something??]. According to the website of Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, the bishop’s arms have a stag in at least one of the quarterings (as one would expect of O’Connell arms), but I can’t make out any detail. Note that this marks the first appearance of the diocesan arms, which were obviously adopted under this bishop.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/10977705404_c624e5ec11.jpg

I also didn’t see a painting of the arms of the 8th bishop, Andrew Brennan (1926-45). This blows apart my hypothesis that only non-Irish bishops have their arms omitted from the display.

Last, the present bishop, M Rev Francis X. DiLorenzo, Vert a cross Or [shown here apparently in proper wood color] draped with a cloth Agent.  Blah, frankly (no pun intended).

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5483/10977603706_94b7480c37.jpg

O’Connell’s arms are Quarterly 1&4: per fess Argent & Vert, a stag trip pant Proper between three trefoils Counterchanged of the field; 2&3: Azure, on a chief Or three martlets Gules (for Wray).

The arms of Brennan were Gules, two lions combatant holding a ciborium Or; on a chief Argent a saltire Azure.

Also note that the arms of bishop Gibbons are not of a John Gibbons but of James Gibbons who went on to be Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore. But, he bore different arms in Richmond and changed them after being translated to Baltimore and then later changed them again when created Cardinal.

Guy,

Thanks very much.  Yes, of course James rather than John—I was working this morning on something involving John Gibbon, the 17th century herald, and got the names crossed up.

I’m puzzled by the blazon you provided for O’Connell—doesn’t it look to you like there are chiefs Sable in all four quarters of the arms in the cathedral?  I will have to go back with binoculars or a better zoom lens next time.