Motto

Via, Veritas, Vita (The Way, the Truth, and the Life)
In the Gospel (John 14:6), Jesus describes Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life. In choosing this motto, the Archbishop wishes to indicate that Jesus stands at the very heart of our faith. It is He whom we seek to know, to love, to serve and to proclaim. It is He who will lead us to the Father for, as He says, “No-one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The Coat of Arms consists of a shield upon an archiepiscopal cross (i.e. cross with two horizontal arms) surmounted by a green galero (hat) with 10 green fiocchi (tassels) suspended on each side. These are standard ecclesiastical heraldic devices indicating the coat of arms is that of an archbishop. The charges (emblems) on the left half of the shield (as the observer faces it) represent the Archbishop's See (i.e. the Archdiocese of Perth) constellation of the Southern Cross (symbol for Australia).

• The black swan on the gold background  is the state emblem for Western Australia.
• The charges on the right half are personal to Archbishop Costelloe.
• The gold star on the blue background represents Mary, the Mother of God. In Catholic tradition, Mary is often referred to as the Star of the Sea. She is the one whose prayer and whose presence in our lives leads us to safety.
• The three trees represent St John Bosco, the founder of the Salesian Congregation, to which the Archbishop belongs (bosco, in Italian, means wood).
• The three diamonds are taken from the Costelloe family crest. They may be understood to represent the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.