Compass Rose
The emblem of the Anglican Communion. It was designed by Canon Edward West of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. It has a stylized compass in which the center holds the Cross of St. George, surrounded by the Greek inscription “The truth shall make you free.” It symbolizes the spread of the Anglican Communion around the world. A bishop's mitre atop the northern arrow of the compass emphasizes the centrality of the episcopate and apostolic order in the Anglican Communion. The symbol was set in the nave of Canterbury Cathedral and dedicated at the final eucharist of the 1988 Lambeth Conference. A similar symbol was placed in the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, Washington, in 1990, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, in 1992. See West, Edward Nason.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.