ENGLAND – The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE)’s theological institute, Westfield House, was granted its own Arms, Crest, and Badge in a special ceremony in Cambridge, April 22. In the United Kingdom, the right to grant heraldry is possessed by the monarchy, which in England exercises this right through the College of Arms.

“This was a very exciting occasion,” Cambridge News quoted Dr. Lumley, “as it marked the granting of our own Arms, Crest, and Badge, for which the development and application have been made possible by a generous grant from the Sukup Family Foundation in Iowa.” Dr. Lumley is scheduled to discuss the honour on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire the morning of April 27.

Civil leaders present for the ceremony were Her Majesty’s York Herald of Arms, Peter O’Donoghue; Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Hugh Duberly; and Mayor Paul Saunders of Cambridge. Church leaders present included Westfield House’s Principal, Dr. Cynthia Lumley, the school’s Interim Preceptor, Rev. Dr. Joel Humann, and the ELCE’s Chairman, Rev. Jon Ehlers.

The arms and crest were designed by Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mumme, a Tutor at Westfield House, and Rev. David Jackson, an alumnus of Westfield and former ELCE pastor, now serving as a Lieutenant Chaplain the Royal Canadian Navy.

The crest features a rearing white horse, in reference to the White Horse Inn, a former Cambridge pub where the works of Martin Luther were read and discussed. The arms features a cross as its central motif; a book which alludes to Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, and education in general; and a Luther rose. The motto is Fidelis et verax—Latin for “faithful and true.” Additional information on the meaning of the crest, arms, moto, and badge are available at the website of The Friends of Westfield House.

Westfield House was first inaugurated as a house of theological studies on February 22, 1962.

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