Pro aris et focis


Pro aris et focis and Pro Deo et patria are two Latin phrases used as the motto of many families, military regiments and educational institutions. Pro aris et focis literally translates "for altars and hearths", but is used by ancient authors to express attachment to all that was most dear and is more idiomatically translated "for hearth and home", since the Latin term aris generally refers to the altars of the spirits of the house and is often used as a synecdoche for the family home.

Family motto

Pro Aris et Focis is the motto of many families such as the Blomfield's of Norfolk, the Mulvihills of Ireland, the Waits of Scotland, a private members club in Australia, the United Service Club Queensland and of military regiments all over the world, such as the Middlesex Yeomanry of Britain, the Royal Queensland Regiment of Australia and the Victoria Rifles of Canada. And also in France, during French Revolution, Henri du Vergier, Marquis de La Rochejacquelein, General-in Chief of the Catholic and Royal Vendean Army, took this motto.

Secret society

Pro Aris et Focis is the name of a secret society in Brussels in 1789 which prepared the Brabant Revolution against the Austrian Emperor Joseph II. The leading figure was Jan-Baptist Verlooy.

Motto of institutions

"For God and country" is the motto of the American Legion.
Deo et Patriae is the motto of Regis High School. Pro Deo et Patria is the motto of both Archbishop Carroll High School and American University in Washington, D.C..
"Pro Aris et Focis is the motto for "Academia San Jorge," a Puerto Rico PK-12 school. The motto is embedded in the school's shield and logo. The school is located in Santurce, Puerto Rico.
Pro Aris et Focis is the motto for Maritzburg College, a high school in South Africa, and the motto is embedded in the school's shield.
Pro Aris et PRO Focis was the motto of the 71st New York State Volunteers, "The American Guard", which was formed not long before the Civil War and saw service in that War, and down to almost the present time. Its HQ was in the old Armory at 34th and Park Avenue in New York City. The building no longer stands, but plaque parts of its original structure have been incorporated into the walls of the skyscraper that presently occupies the site.
It one of the mottoes of Bristol University.
"For God, for Country, and for Yale" is one of the mottoes of Yale university, inscribed in stone on many of the university's residential colleges and frequently invoked at the annual Harvard-Yale football game. It also features in Yale college songs like Bright College Years and is often seen on flyers and graffiti on the Yale campus.

Death of Osama Bin Laden

In May 2011, the phrase "For God and country" was used as a confirmation signal by U.S. Navy SEALs during the death of Osama bin Laden in Abottabad, Pakistan. On his radio, the U.S. Navy SEAL responsible for killing bin Laden reported over a radio, “For God and country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo.” After a pause, he added, “Geronimo EKIA”.