School Seal and Motto

The phrase “Celsitudo ex humilitate” is the motto of St. Lawrence Seminary. The phrase has been used to describe St. Lawrence of Brindisi, our patron saint. “Celsitudo ex humilitate” can literally be translated as, “To the heavens from the humility” or, more poetically, “To the heights out of our depths.” The banner with our motto is set on a hill, reminiscent of the hill in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, upon which the school is located, and which reminded our founders of their homeland, Switzerland. The year of our school’s establishment, 1860, is set in the hill, which is topped by the cross of St. Lawrence of Brindisi. Crossed palm branches are symbolic of peace and victory, attributes of St. Lawrence’s life as a papal emissary. A braided rope, representative of that worn by Capuchin Friars, surrounds the entire seal.