Arms as a Bishop

The Arms of Bishop Brislin are hard to blazon accurately. The charges chosen recall aspects of the Bishops personal history. For example his origins are recalled in the thistle and shamrock, evoking Scotland and Ireland, from where his parents hailed. The 'crown of Kroonstad' is the Basotho hat and it is in honour point representing the Basotho people he ministered to most during his priesthood. The chief charge however is the cross, which is empty signifying the importance of Christ's resurrection and it is rooted in a verdant pasture showing how life flows from the Cross. This life is in contrast to the barren and arid brown skyline that represents the lifelessness that awaits those away from the hope that the Cross provides. Behind the Cross, and illuminating it, is the rising sun, symbolising the Resurrection and the promise of eternal life. The people approaching the Cross are also near the fruit that flows to those who root themselves in the Cross. The Acacia tree, maize and wheat are the common signs of life and fruit of labour in the Free State.^[15]

Arms as an Archbishop

On his appointment as archbishop and move from Kroontstad to Cape Town, there were not many changes in the Arms, aside from the predictable increase in the number of tassels, representing the change in rank from Bishop to Archbishop. Archbishop Brislin did however introduce an additional charge in his Arms when he arrived in Cape Town, namely including a bunch of Grapes that he placed in the center base of the shield. This addition represents the fruitfulness of the Western Cape - a well-known and popular location for vineyards - and deepens the allusion in his previous Arms. The vineyard is mentioned in the Bible and the grapes, the fruit of the vine, also recall the words in the Liturgy of the Eucharist at the time of the preparation of the gifts, thus completing and deepening the earlier allusion of the fruitfulness of Christ by linking it to His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

Arms as a Cardinal

On being appointed to the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Brislin prepared a new Coat of Arms that are more heraldically correct. They can be blazoned as: "Gules a pall and endorse argent; in dexter flank a mullet of 5 points, and in sinister flank an anchor, both argent, and in honour point a Basotho hat (mokorotlo) Gules."

The red of the shield (along with the galero and tassels proper to Cardinals) recalls the Cardinals' duty to shed blood in defense of the Catholic faith. The Cross, so prominent in his earlier Arms is still present in his new Arms for those with 'eyes to see', through the use of a Pall, that whilst recalling the pallium of a Metropolitan Archbishop, also resembles the upraised shape of a Cross that welcomes all and symbolises salvation. The cross is also present in the choice of one of the other charges, namely the mullet on the dexter side. This five-pointed star recalls the five points of the astronomical constellation Crux, popularly known as the Southern Cross which marks the location of the Archbishop's Archdiocse in the Southern Hemisphere.

But the charges also evoke a concern of Pope Francis, namely the plight of migrants and refugees and those persons who are on the move. Cape Town is home to the Cape of Good Hope, and the anchor represents this hope and naval tradition. The many workers on board the ships that dock daily in Cape Town are able to find a home in the Church and in the Archdiocese. And the hope that the Cape represents is one that is found when one anchors one's life in the firm foundation of faith.

Alongside the anchor, is the star, which recalls the archdiocese's Patroness, Our Lady Flight into Egypt, as well as bearing allusions to Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Whilst the latter links itself to the naval allusions of the Anchor, the former speaks to the fact that even the Holy Family had experiences of being a refugee as they sought refuge in a foreign land.

The third charge also links to the theme of migrants, as the people to whom the Cardinal ministered to in his early priesthood and time as bishop were the Basotho, who were migrants in Kroonstad from Lesotho. The Basotho Hat is in honour point representing the concern that the Cardinal has in never forgetting his roots and where he came from in Welkom - a town that in English translation means 'Welcome' and is the attitude of hospitality Catholicism, and in particular Pope Francis, has called the Church to embody, welcoming the stranger.

The other elements of the coat of arms are the standard signs of rank of a metropolitan archbishop and a cardinal. The archiepiscopal cross also has five red marks, that could be interpreted as referring again to the Cross through the five wounds of Christ borne on that Cross.

The Cardinal’s motto “Veritas in Caritate” (Truth in Charity) taken from Ephesians 4:15, is also a homage to Pope Benedict XVI who originally appointed him to the episcopate and whose third Encyclical bears a similar name "Caritas in Veritate", and has remained a constant in his Arms since 2007.^[16]

The practice of including a Metropolitan's Pallium underneath the Arms is another sign of following the traditional practice of ecclesiastic heraldry.

Whilst he has not chosen to include other aspects from the rich treasury of ecclesiastical heraldry, it is well-known that Cardinal Brislin has a special concern for the Holy Land through his dealings with the Equestrian Order of the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre whom he has welcomed into his Archdiocese. This Order exists to support the Christian presence in the Holy Land. As such, it could be possible that he might later place the sign of that Order within his achievement, alongside the pallium at the bottom of his shield.