Our Lady, Star of the Sea is an ancient

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

for

Mary, the mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

. The words ''Star of the Sea'' are a translation of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

title . The title has been in use since at least the

early medieval period The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They ...

. Purportedly arising from a

scribal error A typographical error (often shortened to typo), also called a misprint, is a mistake (such as a spelling mistake) made in the typing of printed (or electronic) material. Historically, this referred to mistakes in manual type-setting (typography). ...

in a supposed etymology of the name ''Mary'', it came to be seen as allegorical of Mary's role as "guiding star" on the way to Christ. Under this name, the Virgin Mary is believed to intercede as a guide and protector of seafarers in particular. The

Apostleship of the Sea The Apostleship of the Sea is an agency of the Catholic Church. It is also sometimes known as ''Stella Maris'' (Star of the Sea), and its patron is the Virgin Mary as Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Founded in Glasgow, Scotland in the early 20th centur ...

and many coastal churches are named or Star of the Sea.

Etymology and history

The name ''Stella Maris'' is first applied to the Virgin Mary in the ''Liber de Nominibus Hebraicis'', a translation by Saint Jerome of a work by

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; grc, Φίλων, Phílōn; he, יְדִידְיָה, Yəḏīḏyāh (Jedediah); ), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo's deplo ...

, but this is apparently a

misnomer A misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the name ...

based on a

transcription error A transcription error is a specific type of data entry error that is commonly made by human operators or by optical character recognition (OCR) programs. Human transcription errors are commonly the result of typographical mistakes; putting one’ ...

. The

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

name (originally pronounced "Maryam", but by

Masoretic The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

times pronounced "Miryam") was rendered in Greek as ''Mariam'' (). In most manuscripts of Jerome's work, one of the interpretations offered is as "stella maris", star of the sea. But this was probably originally ''

stilla ''Stilla'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Raphitomidae. Distribution This genus occurs off New Zealand. Species Species within the genus ''Stilla'' include: * ''Stilla anomala'' Powell, 1955 ...

'' (as in one manuscript), meaning "drop of the sea", based on ''mar'', a rare biblical word for "drop". It seems that at some later stage a copyist transcribed this as , "star of the sea", and this transcription error became widespread. Another opinion states that Jerome himself interpreted the name as meaning "star of the sea" or Stella Maris, by relating it to a Hebrew word for star, (ma'or), from the verb ('or), to be light or shine. The etymologization of the name of Mary as "star of the sea" was widespread by the early medieval period. It is referenced in Isidore's '' Etymologiae'' (7th century). The plainsong hymn ("Hail, Star of the Sea") dates from about the 8th century.

Paschasius Radbertus Paschasius Radbertus (785–865) was a Carolingian theologian and the abbot of Corbie, a monastery in Picardy founded in 657 or 660 by the queen regent Bathilde with a founding community of monks from Luxeuil Abbey. His most well-known and influe ...

in the 9th century has an allegorical explanation of the name, writing that Mary is the "Star of the Sea" to be followed on the way to Christ, "lest we capsize amid the storm-tossed waves of the sea." In the medieval period, came to be used as a name of

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

in its role as lodestar (guiding star, north star); it may have been used as such since Late Antiquity, as it is referred to as "always visible" by Stobaeus in the 5th century, even though it was still some eight degrees removed from the celestial pole at that time. In the twelfth century, Saint

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, O. Cist. ( la, Bernardus Claraevallensis; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templars, and a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order through ...

wrote: "If the winds of temptation arise; if you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary. If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary. Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary."

Anthony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Catholic Church, Catholic priesthood (Cath ...

also wrote of Mary as Star of the Sea.

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

, in his encyclical , also quoted Bernard of Clairvaux in saying: "Mary… is interpreted to mean 'Star of the Sea'. This admirably befits the Virgin Mother… (for) as the ray does not diminish the brightness of the star, so neither did the Child born of her tarnish the beauty of Mary's virginity." ''Stella maris'' was occasionally also used in reference to Christ. Robert Bellarmine (writing c. 1600) deprecated this use of the title, preferring the allegory of Christ as the

morning star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

as the "brightest star of all", classing the less-bright polar star as "paltry" ().

Devotional application

The idea of Mary as a guiding star for seafarers has led to devotion to Our Lady, Star of the Sea in many Catholic coastal and fishing communities. Numerous churches, schools and colleges are dedicated to ", Our Lady Star of the Sea," or "Mary, Star of the Sea." Stella Maris Monastery, the foundation house of the

Carmelite order , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

, was established on

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/Elijah), is a c ...

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

in the early thirteenth century. The abbey was destroyed several times, but a refounded monastery is still considered the headquarters of the order. Devotions to this title of Mary are found in the popular Catholic hymn, ''

Hail Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star "Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star" is a Marian hymn written by Father John Lingard (1771–1851), a Catholic priest and historian who, through the works of William Cobbett, helped to smooth the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act in Engl ...

'' and the ancient prayer . The widely sung "Sicilian Mariners Hymn", , also reflects this devotion.

Patronage

Our Lady, Star of the Sea is the patroness of the Netherlands, as well as the American state of Hawaii. The Roman Catholic Church honors Our Lady, Star of the Sea, with a feast day assigned to 27 September.

Seafarers

The

(AOS) is often known locally as , whom seafarers recognise for providing pastoral, practical and spiritual support via their port chaplains and ship visitors in ports around the world. Our Lady Star of the Sea is the patron of the AOS. The

has for many years now, been commemorating the Feast of , Our Lady, Star of the Sea, with Mass each year in September for seafarers. It is a day to pray for all seafarers and give thanks for their contribution to global trade. The dates, times and venues of Masses for 2019 in England and Scotland can be found her

At a gathering during the Mass in

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...

in 2016, Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols said, "Caring for seafarers is a profoundly Christian thing to do."

Gallery

File:StaroftheSea.jpg, A nineteenth-century painting of Mary, Star of the Sea. File:Workshop of Filippo Lippi - Madonna and Child - Walters 37429.jpg, The star on Mary's robe alludes to her epithet of , the Star of the Sea. The

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

. File:Goleen Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, and St. Patrick South Wall Fourth Window Star of the Sea Detail 2009 09 10.jpg, Our Lady, Star of the Sea,

Goleen Goleen () is a small rural village in County Cork on the south-western tip of Ireland. Farming, tourism and construction work are among the main occupations of the local people. Location Goleen is located towards the south-western end of the ...

Church of Our Lady,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. File:Faro Stella Maris CDU.jpg, Lighthouse on the Uruguay River near the town of

Concepción del Uruguay Concepción del Uruguay is a city in Argentina. It is located in the Entre Ríos Province, Entre Ríos province, on the western shore of the Uruguay River, some 320 kilometers north from Buenos Aires. Its population is about 80,000 inhabitants ( ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. File:Bundoran Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea Rosary Chapel Star of the Sea Window by Jo Tinney 2013 09 19.jpg, Stained glass window by Jo Tinney, Alpha Stained Glass Studio Derry, depicting Our Lady, Star of the Sea with the Donegal Bay as seen from Bundoran in the background.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control Titles of Mary pt:Stella Maris