Bishop Andres C. Ligot’s coat of arms tells a story before a single word is spoken. Its blue and white echo two homes of the heart—the Philippines and the United States—signaling the journey that formed him and the community he now serves as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of San José.

At the center, two red bars arranged as a cross (a saltire) honor Saint Andrew the Apostle—Bishop Andres’s namesake. The placement isn’t ornamental; it points to a life patterned on the Apostle’s readiness to bring people to Christ. In the upper left (dexter chief) a gold carpenter’s square evokes Saint Joseph, patron of our diocese: steady, faithful, and practical in love. It’s a quiet nod to the place where Bishop Andres was ordained a priest and now returns as a bishop to serve.

On the opposite side, a gold flaming heart pierced by an arrow recalls Saint Augustine’s burning love for God—restless until it rests in Him—and, fittingly, the Augustinian family. Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian, appointed Bishop Andres; the heart acknowledges that spiritual lineage. The flames also speak to Bishop Andres’s formation in canon law—law set ablaze by charity, not cooled by legalism.

Three white roses complete the shield. They honor Mary under titles close to his heart: Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Immaculate Conception, and Our Lady, Cause of Our Joy. Each rose is a petition in bloom—protection for the vulnerable, purity of intention, joy in the Gospel.

Above the shield sits the full episcopal “achievement”: the green hat (galero) with six tassels on each side, the sign of the episcopal rank; the processional cross rising behind the shield, reminding us that a bishop leads from the Cross; and, beneath, the scroll bearing his motto: Lex Christi Caritas Est—“The law of Christ is love.”
That line, drawn from the spirit of Galatians 5:14, guides the whole design. For Bishop Ligot, law is the servant of communion. Rules exist to safeguard the dignity of the person, protect the weak, and keep the Church moving together toward Christ. In practice, the motto becomes a pastoral method: listen before speaking, tell the truth with mercy, choose service over status.

Taken together, arms and motto offer a simple compass for his ministry in Santa Clara Valley: rooted in Mary’s care, measured by Joseph’s fidelity, fired by Augustine’s love, and always under the rule of Christ’s charity.