Coat of Arms
Like any institution, St. Peter’s Regional Seminary, Pedu, has its Coat of Arms or logo. It expresses its nature, vision and mission. First of all, St. Peter’s Regional Seminary is a theological institution that focuses on the ecclesiastical and theological formation of candidates for the priesthood in the Catholic Church.
The Coat of Arms was crafted in 1993 to substitute the old one. It contains figures, symbols and inscriptions, each of which is pregnant with meaning.
The Key: The key represents St. Peter, the patron of the seminary. The key is the symbol of his authority as the rock upon which Jesus Christ founded his Church (Matt. 16:18-19). “St. Peter, head of the Apostles, holding the keys to heaven our home” (Seminary anthem)
The Adinkra Symbol: “Biribi wo soro”, literally meaning, “there is something in the heavens”. Unmistakably, this symbol refers to God who is in the heavens as his abode. It is also a symbol of hope, reliance on God, the source of all blessings and all good things.
The Book: It represents the Holy Bible, the Written Word of God. The Word of God is not only vital in Christian living, but also “the very soul of theology”.
The Talking-drums: traditional means of disseminating information. Thus, they refer to our role of evangelization, proclaiming the Good News. They also indicate the need to use cultural means in the proclamation of the Word of God.
The Cross that stands in-between the talking–drums signifies that the crucified Christ must be at the centre of our proclamation (cf. 1Cor.2:1-2). Thus, evangelization is about proclaiming the salvific message to men and women of the whole world.
The Globe represents the world/earth. Thus, seminarians are being formed to be evangelizers in the whole world: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15; see also Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). Moreover, it is interesting to know that the seminary is no longer simply “regional” but “international”. This is because it does not host only seminarians from the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Cape Coast and Accra, and formerly Kumasi, but also seminarians from D.R. Congo, Uganda, Mozambique, Togo and formerly Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin.
The Inscription, our Motto: “Fides – Sanctitas – Scientia” (Faith – Sanctity/Holiness – Knowledge). Faith is a prerequisite not only for our relationship with God (Heb. 11:6) but also for theological studies, for theology is “faith seeking understanding” (fides quarrens intellectum). Thus, someone without faith cannot be admitted into this theological institution. Next is the importance of holiness of life (sanctitas). It is a response to God’s call: “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev. 19:2). In fact, the priest is chosen to be a bridge between God and man, and to be at the service of holy things. Thus, his human person must reflect a kind of sanctity that corresponds to his call. But what is a believing and holy man without knowledge (scientia)? Thus, through studies and studiousness, the future priests are trained to acquire a broad and sound knowledge for their priestly ministry.
The Background Colours: There are chiefly three (3) colours in the background, namely, light blue, gold and green. The colour blue is basically the colour of the sky and the sea. In Catholic tradition, light blue is associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, “The Star of the Sea”. It expresses, therefore, our love, veneration and imitation of the virtues of Mary, Mother of Priests. The gold colour, at the local level, is associated with Ghana, formerly known as Gold Coast. This does not only indicate the Ghanaian nationality of the seminary, but also reminds us of the establishment of the seminary (12th March 1957) which came six (6) days after the “birth” (independence) of Ghana (6th March 1957). Finally, the green colour is generally the colour of nature. It symbolizes growth, freshness and fertility. This colour, therefore, does not only signify the seminary’s dedication to environmental care and protection, but also the contribution that the seminary is making for the life and growth of the Church and society in Ghana and in the world at large.
