Ave Maris Stella

AVE MARIS STELLA

Hail Star of the Sea!
Hail Lady Mary,
our gentle candle
in the darkness!
Send us the light
when we are
falling into sorrow
when we are
cast about by waves
of fear and anger
when we are
drowning in despair.
O Mother of Holy Hope
renew us with the
child-like trust and joy
of your son Jesus.

Amen


"The world was not created
under some kind of constraint
. . .rather, it was felt, it was
born of a wise liberty, of the
gay spontaneity of God's mind;
in a word, it came from the
hand of a child."

Hugo Rahner, SJ

"Star of the Sea is one of the most ancient titles of Our Lady, going back to St. Jerome and the earliest centuries. The title occurs also in the Alma Redemptoris Mater : the music `Porta manes et stella maris' is found in a codex of the ninth century. Sailors called a compass `star of the sea' because it was shaped like a star. Is Our Lady the true compass of the Christian life?" (courtesy of Dame Felicitas of Stanbrook Abbey.)

Here the Mother of God joyfully navigates the turbulent waters while the Word of God, Christ Emmanuel, carefully cherishes the small orb of the world. This icon was commissioned by a family in Lakewood, Coiorado.

---

• Other Icons by Fr. William McNichols

• Information about Fr. William McNichols and his Icons

---

This page is managed by Fr. Raymond A. Bucko, S.J. of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Creighton University. E-Mail: bucko@creighton.edu Page Last Updated: August 16, 2001

---