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Diego was born to poor
Spanish parents shortly before the year 1400.
His love for poverty never left him. As a
Franciscan brother he was a selfless servant of
the poor and was known to heal the sick with the
Sign of the Cross, the centerpiece of the
diocesan coat of arms.
The Spanish stew pot in
the upper left corner indicates Diego's
boundless charity and tireless efforts to feed
the hungry.
San Diego had a special
devotion to the Lord in his Passion, symbolized
by the three nails in the other corners of the
crest.
Diego
died on Nov. 12, 1463, at the Franciscan
monastery in Alcalá, Spain, pressing a crucifix
to his heart and repeating the words of the Good
Friday chant: "Dulce lignum, dulce ferrum,
dulce pondus sustinet." (Precious the wood,
precious the nails, precious the weight they
bear.) |