Bahamas Marian Advocations

In a country of hundreds of islands, devotion to Mary, Star of the Sea, shines as a guide and refuge for those living by the ocean. The only Catholic jurisdiction is the archdiocese of Nassau.

Grand Bahama

History of Marian devotion in Bahamas

The devotion to the Virgin Mary in the Bahamas comes with the first European evangelizers and is deeply rooted in popular piety. The Marian advocacy brought by the missionaries - the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of the Merced - merged with local religious sensitivity, giving rise to unique expressions of faith.

The Marian shrines of Bahamas are centres for pilgrimage and community meeting. The Virgin Mary is venerated as a patron of many localities and as a protector of families. The patron parties in honor of Mary are manifestations of a living faith that is transmitted from generation to generation.

Bahamas Marian Advocations

← Back to Bahamas Marian Advocations

Mary, Star of the Sea, guide of the Bahamas

The Bahamas, an archipelago of more than 700 islands in the Atlantic, has a Catholic community that accounts for approximately 12 per cent of the population. The archdiocese of Nassau, erected in 1960, covers the whole country. Marian devotion is deeply linked to the maritime identity of the country: Mary is invoked as "Star of the Sea" (Stella Maris), the star that guides the sailors in the dark. Mary's Church, Star of the Sea in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, is one of the most important Marian centers in the country. Built in 1965, the church has a modern design that evokes a boat with its tower as a mast, and its windows represent the Virgin as a star that guides the sailors.

The Catholic community of Bahamas is extraordinarily diverse, composed of native Bahamians, Haitians, Filipinos, Hispanics and other Caribbean communities. This diversity is reflected in Marian celebrations, where each community brings its own songs and traditions. The Feast of the Assumption (August 15) and the Immaculate Conception (December 8) are the most important celebrations, with processions that go through the streets of Nassau and Freeport. During the month of May, parishes organize floral offerings to the Virgin, and children make their first communion on these dates. The church of Our Lady of Zion in Port Howe (Cat Island), built in 1850, is one of the oldest in the country.

The archdiocese of Nassau maintains a special tradition: the "Rosary of Nations," which is held each year in the Cathedral of Nassau during the month of October. In this celebration, the Rosary is prayed in fifteen different languages, representing the diversity of the Catholic community of Bahamas: English, Haitian Creole, Tagalo, Spanish, French, Polish, Korean and others. The image of Mary, Star of the Sea, presides over this celebration which is a visible sign of the universality of the Church. Each community brings its Marian songs and traditions, creating a mosaic of cultures united around the Virgin Mary.

The archdiocese of Nassau, built in 1960, covers the entire archipelago of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Archbishop, Monsignor Patrick Pinder, has actively promoted devotion to Mary, Estrella del Mar, as patron of fishermen and sailors. The feast of the Assumption (August 15) is held in Nassau with a maritime procession in the port of the capital. The image of Mary, Estrella del Mar, is carried on a boat decorated with flowers, followed by a flotilla of boats from all the islands. The procession concludes with the blessing of the waters and the imposition of the scapular on the new devotees.