Bishop Ken Nowakowski’s coat of arms is composed of a shield with its charges (symbols), a motto scroll, and external ornamentation.

The shield contains three triangular fields: a blue “V” descending from the top of the shield, flanked by a red field on the viewer’s left and a gold field on the right. The cross with rays is the emblem of the Caritas organizations; its blue and gold colors are symbolic of the Bishop’s Ukrainian heritage and his service as President of Caritas Ukraine. The white and gold colours represent the Roman Apostolic See which Bishop Nowakowski and the Eparchy of New Westminster are united to. The white and red represent the Canadian national colours. The dogwood blossom is the floral emblem of British Columbia, where the Eparchial See of New Westminster is located. The Western Red Lily is the floral emblem of Saskatchewan, where the Bishop was born; the gold field is taken from the provincial flag of Saskatchewan. The shield is placed on a purple episcopal mantle edged in ermine fur, crowned by a bishop’s gold mitre with red lining.

The coat of arms is completed with external ornaments: a gold bishop’s crozier and cross, placed in back of the mantle. The blue ribbon, placed below the shield, displays Bishop Nowakowski’s motto in Ukrainian and Latin: God is Love. These words are taken from the Letter of St. John the Apostle, which summarizes the core of the Christian faith and the basis for all Christian action. Written in Ukrainian and Latin, the motto is meant to show the eucharistic communion the Ukrainian Catholic Church shares with the Holy See in Rome. This was also the motto of the second Eparch of New Westminster, Bishop Severian Yakymyshyn, OSBM, as well as the title of the first Apostolic Letter of His Holiness Benedict XVI: Deus Caritas Est.