The consecration ceremony took place in 1955. The twelve candles, brackets and crosses, which were blessed with Holy Oils, are symbolic of the teaching of the twelve apostles. To qualify for consecration of its church, a parish must be debt free and the main altar must be based on a solid foundation resting on the ground. Also, before a church can become a Basilica, it must have the status of a consecrated church. By virtue of its rank as a Basilica, the church is given the distinction of having its own Coat of Arms or Armorial Shield.
Armorial insignias are of military origin and are a by-product of feudalism of the Middle Ages.
Later, they were attached to documents of charters, authenticating land holdings. Finally, shields of arms were adopted by ecclesiastical dignitaries and religious communities. A Coat of Arms is symbolic of the special characteristics of either a person or a community. The heraldic shield of the Dyersville community, located above the pulpit, is surmounted by the Papal canopy. The chief, which is in the upper cross section of the shield, has the colors of the United States flag, red, white and blue.