Stella Maris (Our Lady, Star of the Sea)

            

Stella Maris "sea-star" is a name of (a) Ursae Minoris or Polaris, the "guiding star" (also "lodestar",

"ship star", "steering star", etc.) because it has been used for celestial navigation at sea since antiquity.

In the bow of our ship
and to protect us in the trip,
Virgin Mary is written….. the name,
of Our Lady, which they say once came,
to save the sailors and the crew,
the only one who helped them through
the crisis and in the uproar,
a few hundred miles off the shore.

The prayer of all the sailors was one the same,
all were praising her holy name…
It was the day after the disaster,
after the loss of five sailors and the Master.*    *captain

In the stormy south Chinese sea,
All the weather reports agree,
That we will soon be hit by Typhoon Iris

Around us a strange silence,
A bad sign, said the wisest.....
we will not get to Honduras,
(our destination, desirous)….

Winds frightening chorus
ceased, that strange peace,
and while the rumble did increase,
It brought towering waves

and opened the sea graves,
alas for all six braves,
who rushed to shut the huge crack,
caused by this terrible sea attack.

----------------- * * * -----------------

* Stella Maris (The Star of the Sea) has long been the favourite title by which people of the sea have called on her in whose protection they have always trusted: the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her son, Jesus Christ, accompanied his disciples in their vessels, helped them in their work and calmed the storms.
And so the Church accompanies seafarers, caring for the special spiritual needs of those who for various reasons live and work in the maritime world. Pope John Paul II
Our Lady, Star of the Sea
Our Lady, Star of the Sea is an ancient title for the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The words Star of the Sea are a translation of the Latin title Stella Maris.
This aspect of the Virgin has led to Our Lady, Star of the Sea, being named as patroness of the Catholic missions to seafarers, the Apostleship of the Sea, and to many coastal churches being named Stella Maris or Mary, Star of the Sea. This devotion towards Our Lady with this ancient title is popular throughout the Catholic world.
Paschasius Radbertus in the ninth century wrote of Mary, Star of the Sea, as a guide to be followed on the way to Christ "lest we capsize amid the storm-tossed waves of the sea." At this time too the plainsong hymn "Ave Maris Stella" ("Hail, Star of the Sea"), became increasingly popular.
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 Stella Maris, Our Lady Star of the Sea, or Mary, Star of the Sea.

* Extract from "The Broken Mooring Line", an autobiographical poetic work by Odysseas Heavilayias. / page c34 / e-mail: od.heavilayias@yahoo.com  / text editting: k.mataraga / text adaptation: Kellene G. Safis

source

 Utopia