​Stella Maris, Our Lady Star of the Sea

                                                                                                                       By Br. Dismas Bartolo Baume

In the early morning hours on 26 March of this year, M/V Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Less
than 10 miles away, as the crow – or, perhaps, the raven – flies, a blue light silently watched the tragedy.

The light sits in the middle of the cross on a steeple. That steeple is St Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic
Church on Riverside Avenue. The light is a navigation aid, helping sailors maneuver safely through the
harbor waters at night. The church was completed – to the day – 153 years before the Key Bridge
Collision. Coincidentally, at the end of his Gospel, John (21:11) tells us 153 is the number of fish the
Apostles pulled out of the water before recognizing Jesus on the shore, cooking them brunch.
Even in coincidence, Mary effortlessly guides us to her son. In the encyclical, Spe Salvi, human life is
likened to “a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy”. Pope Benedict XVI tells us we need
lights of hope amid these turbulent waters, and these lights of hope are people who reflect or carry
some portion of the Light of Christ. Therefore, the greatest of created beings, Mary, would be the
greatest of these lights, a star, to guide us to our Creator.

St Anthony of Padua points out the difference in salutation used for Mary by us and by the angels. He
notes that the angels are already safely ashore at our intended destination. They are safe from the
tempestuous waters that bitterly threaten to capsize us. He argues this is why the angels salute Mary
with “Hail! Full of Grace” (Lk 1:28). Meanwhile, we are navigating this bitter sea of tears, so call to her
with “Hail, Mary”. Her name joins the bitterness we face in our exile to the bitterness of the sword that
pierced her heart (Lk 2:35).

St Bernard of Clairvaux gives us practical advice for following the Star of the Sea to her son. He exhorts
us to keep our eye fixed on the Star of the Sea: when engulfed by winds of temptation; when at risk of
running aground on rocks of adversity; when tossed by waves of ambition and pride; when anger, greed, or cares of the flesh batter the gunwales of our souls; when the maelstrom of sin, sadness, and despair threaten to drag us down. Call upon Mary. Following her, he tells us, we will not stray.
The shipwrecked St Anthony speaks of the Star of the Sea leading us to safe shores. St Bernard gives
vividly violent imagery of the life on the high seas of history, described by Pope Benedict in Spe Salvi. In
that encyclical, he also references a popular medieval Marian hymn: Ave Maris Stella – Hail, Star of the
Sea – a particular favorite of St Dominic, who would sing it often on his travels. Bl Bartolo Longo, a
member of the Dominican laity, described the rosary as a “safe port in our universal shipwreck” and as a “sweet chain which unites us to God”. He doesn’t call it an anchor chain but I would bet it pays out.
Finally, I would like to take a moment to pray for the repose of those lost in the Key Bridge Collision and all those lost at sea.

Hail Mary, Star of the Sea, intercede for those claimed by the sea. Ask your son, Our Lord, to shine His
Face upon them as we pray:
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Eternal Rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
Amen.