Meet Bishop Francis I. Malone
Francis Ignatius Malone, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was ordained a priest on May 21, 1977 for the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas. On May 21, 1998, he was conferred Prelate of Honor to His Holiness with the title of Reverend Monsignor. He was called to the order of bishop on November 19, 2019, for service in North Louisiana. On January 28, 2020, he was ordained and installed as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport.
Bishop Malone attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas from 1969 to 1977 and also studied at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC where he received his License in Canon Law in 1989. In addition, he studied Spanish at Ideal, Cuernavaca, Mexico in 2010.
During his active ministry as priest and prior to his appointment as diocesan bishop, Bishop Malone served in many different parishes in the Diocese of Little Rock both as an associate pastor, pastor, while teaching at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock. He was rector of the Cathedral of St. Andrew from 1989 to 1996. His last parish assignment in the Diocese of Little Rock was at Christ the King Church, Little Rock. Bishop Malone served the Church in Arkansas in many different ways throughout his forty-three years as a priest and Chancery Official. In addition to his parochial assignments, he was also chaplain, Vicar Forane, Judicial Vicar, Chancellor, Vicar General, a member of the Clergy Personnel Board, Presbyteral Council, Diocesan Finance Council and Clergy Welfare Committee, as well as a member of the College of Consultors. From 1986 to 1987, he served as Vice-Rector at Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas.
Bishop Malone presently serves as a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Louisiana Interchurch Conference. He is a trustee to Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans and St. Joseph Seminary, Covington. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of St. Francis Medical Center, Monroe, Louisiana. He is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Coat of Arms
The episcopal heraldic achievement, or bishop’s coat of arms, is composed of a shield, with its charges (symbols), a motto scroll and the external ornaments. The shield, which is the central and most important feature of any heraldic device, is described (blazoned) in 12th century terms that are archaic to our modern language and this description is done as if being given by the bearer with the shield being worn on the arm. Thus, it must be remembered, where it applies, that the terms dexter (right) and sinister (left) are reversed as the device is viewed from the front.
By heraldic tradition, the arms of the bishop of a diocese called the “Ordinary” are joined to the arms of the jurisdiction, seen in the dexter impalement of the shield. In this case, these are the arms of the Diocese of Shreveport.
The arms of Shreveport are composed of a red field on which is displayed a silver (white) wavy shakefork which is charged with a gold (yellow) sunburst.
For his personal arms (on the sinister side of the shield), His Excellency, Bishop Malone has adopted a design to reflect his life and ministry as a priest. His Excellency’s personal arms are partitioned into four quarters with his Chalice in the center.
The first quarter is the coat-of-arms for the Diocese of Philadelphia. This is the city of Bishop Malone’s birth.
The second quarter (or charge) is the Diocese of Little Rock where Bishop Malone has served as a priest for more than 42 years.
The third quarter is the fleur-de-lis. It is the symbol of the Archdiocese of New Orleans where the See of Shreveport is also located.
The fourth quarter is represented by the symbol for Christ the King Parish, Little Rock, where Bishop Malone served as pastor for 19 years.
In the center of the sinister side of the shield is His Excellency’s Chalice. In preparation for his ordination to the priesthood in 1977, Bishop Malone was surprised by Msgr. Nugent’s gift of his chalice to the newly ordained Father Malone. The chalice was given to Msgr. Nugent by his parents in 1929.
Bishop Malone has chosen as his episcopal motto the Latin words, “Calicem Salutaris Accipiam.” One prayer, in particular, was the “Quid retribuam” prayer he would utter quietly as he consumed both the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Its English translation reads: “How can I give thanks to the Lord for all that He has given to me? The Cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.”
The device is completed with the external ornaments which are a gold episcopal processional cross (with a Celtic cross at its center) which is placed in back of the shield. Also at the top, is a pontificate hat, called a “gallero” with its six tassels, in three rows, on either side of the shield, all green. These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop by instruction of the Holy See of March 31, 1969.