The oldest of the four children of Robert and Trudy (Torzewski) Fisher, Robert Joseph Fisher was born
September 24, 1959 and attended Epiphany and St. Bede Elementary schools before graduating from
the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1977.

He went on to the University of Detroit, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Science.
During his summers, he worked for the Catholic Youth Organization at their summer camps near Port
Sanilac, Michigan. After graduating, he worked full time for the CYO overseeing the Camping Services
Department.

While working for the CYO he began his discernment of the diocesan priesthood and entered formation
at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the fall of 1986, earning a Master of Divinity degree.
After being ordained a priest by Adam Cardinal Maida in 1992, he was sent as associate pastor to Our
Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Grosse Pointe Woods. In 1995, Cardinal Maida assigned him as the
Director of Priestly Vocations for the Archdiocese.

In 2000, he was named pastor of St. Angela in Roseville, in 2003, St. Lawrence in Utica and since March
of 2014 has served as rector of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak.
During his pastorates, he has been a seminarian mentor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and served on
the Program Review Committee and the Presbyteral Council. Currently he is a member of the Catholic
Schools Council and the Board of Directors of the Catholic Youth Organization.

His father and mother live in Troy. He has two sisters, one brother, two nieces and two nephews.

Per Caritatem Servite Invicem

The Episcopal Coat of Arms of
The Most Rev. Robert Joseph Fisher, B.S., M.Div., D.D.
Titular Bishop of Forum Pompilii
The 30th Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit

BLAZON
At chief point: Rampart Gules eac port.
At honor point: Sed of Pin Or on field Gules, eac sprick naed of Pin Vert.
At base point: Fisch triqueta Or on bendlets five Azur.

NARRATIVE
Honoring heraldic tradition, the above description of the Bishop Fisher’s personal coat of
arms is first expressed in middle English by way of its French roots.
In modern day English it reads: At the top (chief point) there is a brown rampart wall with
an open gate. At the middle (or honor point) there is a pine cone in gold with a sprig of
green pine needles, both on a field of red. At the bottom (base point) there are three fish
in gold entwined in a circle, displayed on five waves of blue.

The chief point of the shield is derived from the Coat of Arms of the City of Poznań,
Poland. It depicts a part of that city’s defense wall and gate. Poznań’s Coat of Arms dates
back to 1253, when that municipality was granted city status. The wall signifies the
strength and importance of that place. "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My
hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” (Isaiah 49:16)

The use of the wall and gate image is included to honor the Bishop’s Polish heritage.
Bishop Fisher’s maternal great grandfather and great grandmother were both born in
villages close to Poznań. Bishop Fisher’s paternal grandfather’s parents were born in
Galicia in southeastern Poland. His paternal grandmother was born in the village of
Targowiska, also in southeastern Poland.

[Bishop Fisher’s maternal great grandmother was the maternal aunt and godmother of
Bishop Joseph Plagens, a former Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit, former
Ordinary of the Dioceses of Sault Sainte Marie/Marquette and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Bishop Fisher’s great uncle was Fr. Joseph Torzewski, the founding pastor of Christ the
Good Shepherd Parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

The center, or honor point, of Bishop Fisher’s Coat of Arms references his Baptismal
patron, Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542 -1621) who was an Italian, Jesuit Cardinal and one
of the most important figures of the Counter-Reformation. The pine cone is found on the
Bellarmine Family’s Coat of Arms as well as on the Coat of Arms of the Roman College
(Gregorian) of which he was the once the rector. In Christian symbolism, the pine cone is
seen as the crown of the Tree of Life and humanity. For ancient Romans, the evergreen
pine tree symbolized long-suffering, steadfast friendship, and an enduring good reputation.
In this context, the pinecone can also reference the White Pine tree of the State of
Michigan, of which Bishop Fisher is a native.

The base point, or bottom part, of Bishop Fisher’s Coat of Arms features an area of wavy
lines meant to express water, in particular the glacial waters that carved out the Great Lake
Huron where he has a residence. Bishop Fisher also served as Director of Camping
Services for the Catholic Youth Organization which maintains summer camps for youth on
Lake Huron.

In the base point there is what is known in heraldry as a “cant” or visual pun. Three fishes
alert the viewer to the Bishop’s last name. When the Bishop’s great grandfather
immigrated to the United States, his first job was in the coal mines of West Virginia. There
the Englishman he worked for had trouble pronouncing “Wojtowicz,” so he took his
nickname, “Fish,” and said “from now on you will be known as ‘Fisher.’” Since that time,
the family has used the appellation “Fisher.”

The fishes in this base point are represented as a “triquetra,” a tripartite symbol marking
the intersection of three circles. When used in this manner, the fish symbol (which is
generally used as an icon of Christ) is used to represent the Holy Trinity. The pattern also
generates an image of “the fisherman’s net.” Bishop Fisher was Director of the Vocations
Office of the Archdiocese of Detroit for five years. “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea
of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother,
casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I
will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”
Matthew 4:18-21

Covering the top of the shield, is the “galero”. It is also known as a “pilgrim’s hat”
because of its wide brim protecting the traveler from the elements. In this context, the
galero indicates a bishop’s willingness to journey to distant places for the faith – while at
the same time expecting the protection of the shadow of God as noted in Psalm 84:12:
“For a sun and shield is the Lord God, bestowing all grace and glory. The Lord withholds
no good thing from those who walk without reproach.”

The galero has a cord attached to it. It is flanked by two sets of six tassels, or “fiocchi”.
Originally this cord and tassels were simply the way of securing the hat to the traveler’s
head. Tradition dictates that a bishop’s galero and cord are depicted in the color green,
with six tassels arranged in three rows on either side, indicating the rank of bishop.
Above and behind the shield, there appears a processional cross in a shape called “vair.”
The four sections roughly resemble that of a bell “The Holy Spirit, through whom the
living voice of the Gospel rings out in the Church and through her in the world, leads
believers to the full truth, and makes the word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness.”
Vatican II Dei Verbum 2.7.

MOTTO
It is customary for a bishop to select a written motto to complete his Coat of Arms. This
serves as a motif for his ministry. This motto is placed on a ribbon or scroll at the base of
the processional cross. At his ordination to the priesthood in 1992, Bishop Fisher chose a
text from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verse 13, and he reiterated it on the
occasion of his ordination to the episcopacy: “Per Caritatem Servite Invicem.” In
translation: “Out of love, place yourselves at one another’s service.”

“We must not forget that true power, at whatever level, is service, which has its luminous
summit on the Cross.... For God, authority is always synonymous with service, humility,
love. It means to enter into Jesus’ logic, who bends down to wash the feet of the Apostles.”
Pope Francis Angelus on May 8, 2013.

Prepared and executed for the Most Reverend Robert J. Fisher in January of 2017 by the Rev. Timothy Pelc of the Archdiocese of Detroit, with the assistance of Stephenie Ruttinger and Michael Heckman