English: Coat of arms of the U.S. bishop Charles Coleman Thompson, Bishop of Evansville.
The coat of arms of Bishop Thompson integrates the arms of the Diocese of Evansville with colors and charges personal to him. It is divided into two vertical parts.
The left section is the coat of arms from the Diocese of Evansville, in blue and white. Since Evansville is situated on the bend of the Ohio River, it would suitably be called a "Crescent City." The crescent is also used as an emblem of the Blessed Virgin who is the patroness of our diocese. Below the crescent is the crenellated battlement or fortification wall. This represents the Fort of Post Vincennes which suggests that our diocese derives from historic Vincennes and that our Faith is a mighty fortress. The two waves at the bottom of the shield represent the waters of the Wabash and the Ohio Rivers. Spiritually, the waves represent the cleansing waters of Baptism.
The panel to the right is the personal arms of Bishop Thompson. It reflects his heritage and his ministry as a priest of Jesus Christ. The two blue wavy bars represent the Ohio River that connects Indiana and Kentucky, the Wabash River in Indiana, and the Salt River flowing through Marion County in Kentucky. In a spiritual sense, they represent the waters of Baptism. Between the barlets are two blue crosses to represent the Catholic heritage that has come to the Bishop from both of his parents Coleman and Joyce (Thomas) Thompson. Above the wavy barlets is a green fleur-de-lis that is taken from the arms of the diocese of Bardstown. It also symbolizes the Diocese of Vincennes which was established from the original territory of Bardstown. In the base of the arms, there is an inverted blue Latin cross for Saint Peter and a green sword for Saint Paul. This represents Bishop Thompson's personal devotion to Saints Peter and Paul.
For his motto Bishop Thompson has selected "CHRIST THE CORNERSTONE," from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians.
The coat of arms is completed by a gold processional cross and the pontifical hat with its six tassels in three rows on either side of the shield. These are the heraldic insignia of a prelate of the rank of bishop.