The Stella Maris is a classic depiction of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, that many sailors have had a devotion to for centuries. She is Our Lady, the Star of the Sea. The North Star. The light above every ocean who guides seafarers across dark and stormy seas so that they may reach the haven of peace and light prepared by Him who calmed the sea. This particular painting of the Stella Maris sought to go beyond the sea and to tell a story. Mary’s story. The Journey of her life, and that of the Church. Our Journey. A more complete title for this piece would be to call it Our Lady, Star of the Journey. A journey is never smooth, and one does not become a hero or a Saint without facing challenges. We seek calm and peaceful Seas, but the ones we face are Storms. Tempesta, a girl’s name of Old French origins rooted in Vulgar Latin which means Storm, is a tribute to Our Lady’s many apparitions and connections to France. Her Journey was the greatest Storm ever faced by a mere mortal, and was only overcome by the Source of Light within her, Jesus. Christ is the Life within Mary. The True Light of the Night Sky, and by His Grace Mary, Our Mother, is the Stella Tempesta Maris.

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    Mary is the Star of the Sea, the guide and help for us through the storms of our lives, but she is not the Source of Light. Christ is the Light. The Source of all Life and Light. Here, Mary stands in imitation of Christ Crucified. A human example. No one can achieve what Christ did. He is God and Man. Mary, however, is only human like us, and therefore a much more achievable example. Her model of saying Yes to God is what we are all called to humbly do, but her Fiat was not just one Yes to God. It was and is still a continual Yes to Him. She is a Perfect Model made for us, though what she was called to do, we will never have to do. We will never have to sacrifice or endure as much as she did. We can, however, say Yes and receive Grace as often as she did. If only we humbly ask the Father for His Grace.

 

    God is present - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father by means of the Shekhinah, the Glory Cloud at the top; Jesus, the Son, through His Life in the Womb, Death on the Cross, and Resurrection into Heaven; the Holy Spirit as the Dove descending upon Mary. Mary is Full of Grace from top to bottom. Head to toe. She is also Full of Grace from side to side from the Cloak that envelops her. This is Mary’s Mantle, the Cloak of Grace. She is not the source of this Grace. God is. But Mary, under this Cloak of Grace with God’s Children, reaches out beyond the safety of the Cloak and opens her Mantle up to present Jesus to the world, while inviting us into it with welcoming arms. 

 

    The Cloak is a symbol of being a Traveler. A Pilgrim on a Journey.  Mary’s journey began at her conception, like all of us. As a child, she was sent by her parents to be raised in the Temple. She traveled to visit and help Elizabeth, traveled to Bethlehem, to Egypt, back home to Navareth, and to Cana. Mary journeyed with Christ in His ministry, and through His Crucifixion bringing a willing disciple with her.  She was present with Jesus from after His Resurrection until His Ascension into Heaven, and was Assumed into Heaven to continue her Journey to help Jesus reach other willing disciples and bring us closer to Him. 40 gold stars on the Cloak are a sign of this Transformation and New Life of the Church Cloaked in His Grace. Those following Christ are all under her Mantle; under her protection and guidance to Jesus on the Cross. 

 

    While on earth, Mary was also under the protection of Joseph. Just as God could have chosen to enter this world in a flash of Lighting from the Heavens above, but instead chose to enter it as a baby with two regular human parents, so too is this Cloak made. It could have been a singular complete piece of fabric Divinely made with no need for a clasp, a clasp that has the potential to break, but God’s idea of Perfection is different than Man’s. Perfection is not a seamless Cloak. It is one that the Creator allows His creation to partake in, and for the creation to continually work in union with the Creator. The Lily Clasp is the embodiment of St. Joseph working in union with the Father’s Grace to guard and protect Mary on her journey. An unnecessary instrument made necessary by God’s Choosing. Perfection is Trinitarian. The Cloak, the Clasp, and their Union are all three necessary for the One Thing to Be.

 

    The Handmaiden is veiled with a wimple and clothed in a long clean garment. Though the waves of the Storm attack our Lady and the Cloak of Grace pushes them back with a mighty Wind, the Handmaiden’s Garment remains unmoved and undisturbed. It is a sign of her constant unwavering Purity and Virginity. 

    Her Crown has 7 points to represent the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The small star at the base is a sign of her Immaculate Conception. This is the Crown of the Woman born to be the Queen of Heaven, a position the Hebrews established by God as the Mother of the King. 9 Roses adorn the Crown for the Fruits of the Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control) and represent Divine Completion. The Holy Spirit descends upon her like a Dove as He did at the Annunciation. Above Mary, the 9 Choirs of Angles rejoice for all of God’s Glory and encircle His Chosen Queen to defend Her from the Dragon. 

 

    Mary’s Heart is pierced by 7 Swords. The Prophecy of Simeon to Mary, The Flight of Mary into Egypt, The Losing of Jesus in Jerusalem, Mary Meets Jesus Carrying the Cross, Mary Standing at the Foot of the Cross, Mary Holding the Body of Jesus Taken Down from the Cross, and Mary Standing at the Burial of Jesus. (The Sorrows of Our Lady painting dives deeper into the details of this image.)  Mary’s blood pours out in Sorrow for God’s Children and runs to the Crown of the King that encircles the Christ Child to unite with His Holy Wounds and His Sacrifice. Jesus is the Offering to God, the Father, and for the world. Her womb is the Tabernacle, the New Ark that carried the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. 

 

    The Roses, Petals, and Blood within her Mantle represent the Body of Christ. 12 Roses represent the Saints in Heaven. 

24 petals for the Church body here on Earth. Disciples Big and small. Developed and developing. 36 portions of Blood for the Sacrificial Blood of Christ from which the Church was and is formed. 6 of these portions are streams of Blood of which 3 are running from Mary’s Heart and 3 are covering the Crown of Thorns. Together, these 6 represent the Fall of Man and our Original Sin against God. The 30 droplets of Blood are partly for Jesus’ Ministry, the age He was when His Mother gave Him to the world with full Scriptural knowledge that it would one day come with the Messiah Sacrificing Himself for All, and partly a sign of His Death itself because it was Man’s betrayal of God through Judas in the amount of silver that Jesus was handed over to be Sacrificed. Sin is represented both from the Beginning and at the Crucifix. Intentionally, I did this so that 12+24+36 would equal 72, a number that represents the building of the Church because 72 disciples were sent out two by two to heal and preform miracles. Unintentionally, I realized when the painting was completed that 72 for the Church + 40 Cloak Stars + 7 Crown Points + 9 Crown Roses+ 9 Choirs of Angels + 7 Swords = 144. 144,000 is the number marked by the seal of God. It is a Sacramental number. God is Good!

 

    In her Coronation, we see the great sign that appeared in the sky in John’s Revelation. A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Mary stands above the moon and upon the Cross, her Foundation. The Crucifixion in front of the Moon (the Beginning and End of Day) is very intentionally meant to appear as the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus’ Blood flows down to the Earth to cover the Sin that comes from the venom of the Dragon. The serpent spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current, but the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. 

 

    The colors of the Dragon represent the Seven Deadly Sins. The Skin is stained with Green Envy and Orange Gluttony. The Eyes are inflamed with Yellow Greed and the Horns protrude with Red Wrath. The jaw of the Beast has venomous Fangs discolored with Purple Pride and a slackened Tongue contaminated with Blue Lust. Spewing from this vile mouth is the most destructive Venom of its Light Blue Sloth.

 

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    The descriptions above are the combination of my intended meaning of the symbolism portrayed in the painting in union with many I discovered along the way and have been allowed to recognize. God, no doubt, has many more veiled to me that may be revealed to others. Holy water was added to all water for making this watercolor painting.

 

    This painting was made possible with the help of Many. Thank you Colleen Wiswall, Pat and Charlie Wiswall, Brad Colvis, Philip Blaxton, Harrison Wiswall, Jonathan Veith, and Jen Bossert for all the time, support, and advice you gave me artistically, theologically, symbolically, and/or linguistically with Latin. I am very thankful to you and grateful for our relationships. You are as much a part of this painting as I am. And a special thanks to Christina Davidson for asking me to paint it for her.

 

    The original painting was completed on the vigil of Our Lady’s Assumption and blessed by Fr. Thomas Vordtriede the following day, August 15th, 2023, the feast of Our Lady’s Assumption, after celebrating Mass. It wasn’t my plan, so it must have been God’s.

 

Stella Maris, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Mother of the Church, Our Lady Star of the Journey pray for us.