Stella Maris FNE Group

“Stella Maris,” Latin for “Star of the Sea,” is one of the names given to Polaris, the fixed North Star. “Stella Maris” is also a title for Mary, who guides us to her Son like the stars guide ships that travel over the sea to a safe harbor, “Ad Jesum Per Mariam.”

We ask Our Lady, Star of the Sea to be our protector saint because we trust that she will protect us under her mantle as she guides us through troubled waters to her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As St. Bernard de Clairvaux said:

“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.”

With this name we pay tribute to our FNE brothers from Philadelphia, who chose “North Star” for their name, in gratitude for the help they gave us in establishing a new group for South Florida. We also pay tribute to the explorers and missionaries who crossed the Atlantic, using the stars to guide them, to bring the faith to the New World.

Our Lady, Star of the Sea also connects us to our local history because Our Lady, Star of the Sea is the name of the oldest Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Miami and the second oldest Catholic church in the state of Florida. This church in Key West was recently made a basilica, the first in the Archdiocese.

Visit this page for instructions on how to find Polaris in the northern sky.

Our Colors

Dark blue and white are the colors on our neckerchiefs. Dark blue represents our lives. It is the color of the dark of night and the deep waters of the ocean. White represents the Purity of Mary, the bright Star of the Sea, who guides us to her Son as we travel through the hardships of this life.