“Hail Queen of heaven, the Ocean Star, guide of the Wanderer, here below. Thrown on life’s surge, we claim thy care, save us from peril and from woe.”
This 19th-century hymn is a balm to the weary soul who puts his trust in the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Ocean Star, who is celebrated every year on Aug. 15 with the Feast of the Assumption – an important Marian day but also the patronal feast day for the French Acadian community, especially in the Maritime provinces.
From 1755-64, the Catholic French settlers of Nova Scotia, known as the Acadians, were expelled from their homes along the Bay of Fundy by the ruling British soldiers. While many landed in foreign lands as far away as Louisiana and the Caribbean, several families were dispersed within the Maritimes, or made their way back there eventually, and a stronger Acadian culture was forged.
Later, in 1881, a convention of Acadians occurred, the result of which was the choosing of the Feast of Assumption as their national day. A few years later, they chose their flag, a tri-colour similar to the flag of their native France, but with a gold star on top of the blue section, a symbol of Our Lady, Star of the Sea.
Rarely does a day go by that I don’t see this flag in my community. There are many Acadians in Nova Scotia, including one community about 10 minutes from my home. The Church of St. Croix in Pomquet, Antigonish County, was built in 1863 and overlooks Pomquet Harbour in St. George’s Bay. A drive through the community reveals many homes proudly waving the Acadian flag, and there are still cultural events throughout the year, one of which centres around the upcoming Feast of the Assumption.
While it’s true that attendance at these Acadian churches is not what it used to be, and that some churches have had to close, I venture to guess that most people of Acadian heritage still feel connected to the Catholic Church, or at least to their patron Our Lady of the Assumption, Star of the Sea.
My own grandfather was a French-speaking Acadian who was intimately connected with the ocean waters that surround this province. He grew up on the Bras D’or Lakes in Cape Breton and went on to become a Merchant Marine, repairing ships during the Second World War.
For as long as I knew him, he was always painting ships. There was always a canvas set up near his desk in the sitting room, where he would work on painting another schooner or clipper slicing through the sea. He was also a man of faith, which he passed on to my mother and her brother, and, which, in turn, has been passed on to me, my siblings and my cousins, and now my own children.
It made sense for the Acadians to choose as their patron the one who is also patron of the sea that they relied on for food and economic stability. They were fishers and seafarers and people of faith. In times of triumph and trouble their thoughts would automatically turn to the Mother of Christ as intercessor for their every need.
Our cultural connections to this kind of faith may be waning but are not completely severed. We need to recover the kind of faith that sustained these people even as they were being thrust from their homes and torn from their families. Being scattered throughout North America and even returned to France could easily have been the last the world heard of the Acadian people, but it wasn’t, because they were a people of such deep faith.
If the Feast of the Assumption is not on your radar, consider bringing it into focus. If you can, take your family to Mass that day (it used to be a holy day of obligation and still is in the U.S.), with the intention of an increase in faith reminiscent of the Acadians.
If you live near the ocean, maybe say the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary on the beach, focusing on Mary as our ultimate guide on this sea of life. Pray that she will be the Gold Star for your family. As the first verse of the song concludes, “Mother of Christ, Star of the Sea, pray for the wanderer, pray for me.”
Lazzuri writes from her home in Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband, six children, and her mom. She can be reached at [email protected].
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