The episcopal seal of Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka

The episcopal seal of Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka is a heraldic coat-of-arms containing his personal crest. Donning the Polish national colors of red and white to indicate his heritage, the shield contains the cardinal's personal and family emblems.

Cardinal Szoka was born, reared and educated in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, which is why a wavy band – taken from the diocese's crest – flows from corner to corner of his crest.

Inside the band are symbols of nails and fleurs-de-lis. These are from the Diocese of Marquette, where he was ordained and served as a priest. The symbols represent the historic presence of the French Jesuit missionaries in the Upper Peninsula.

The crown pierced with arrows found at the top left of the shield is a symbol of St. Edmund. The "C" shaped symbol at the bottom left is the traditional symbol of St. Casimir, who had great devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Beneath the shield is Cardinal Szoka's motto, "To Live in Faith," which is derived from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, in which St. Paul writes "…yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me." The passage expresses the ideal the bishop proposes always to follow as he serves the Church.

Atop the shield are the ornaments always placed on a cardinal's episcopal coat of arms. The number of tassels and the red color signify that this is the crest of a cardinal.