Hail, Star of the Sea (Ave Maris Stella)
Traditional prayer of the Church. · The rights holder named on the source
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Hail, Star of the Sea
“Hail bright star of ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva’s name.
Break the captives’ fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus
Joy for evermore.
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three
Father, Son, and Spirit
One same glory be,
Amen!”
Latin text
Ave, maris stella,
Dei Mater alma,
atque semper Virgo,
felix caeli porta.
Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
funda nos in pace,
mutans Hevae nomen.
Solve vincla reis,
profer lumen caecis,
mala nostra pelle,
bona cuncta posce.
Monstra te esse matrem,
sumat per te preces
qui pro nobis natus
tulit esse tuus.
Virgo singularis,
inter omnes mitis,
nos culpis solutos
mites fac et castos.
Vitam praesta puram,
iter para tutum,
ut videntes Iesum
semper collaetemur.
Sit laus Deo Patri,
summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto
tribus honor unus. Amen.
Meaning in brief
This hymn greets Mary as the bright star of ocean, God's own Mother and Gate of heavenly rest, recalling the angel Gabriel's greeting (Luke 1:28). We ask Mary to intercede with her Son, so that sin may be taken away, blind eyes opened, and our life guided along the straight path to Jesus.
Intentions and hope
Many people pray this hymn to ask for the Blessed Virgin Mary's guidance, especially when traveling or when life feels like sailing on a rough sea. People also sing it to ask for conversion, a pure heart, and faithfulness in following Jesus, trusting that Mary joins our prayer to her Son.
When and how to pray
- Sing or pray this hymn at Evening Prayer (Vespers), especially on solemnities, feasts and memorials of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Saturday, traditionally dedicated to Mary, is also a fitting time.
- Pray it slowly, verse by verse, alone or with your family and community, standing or kneeling before an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- Many people pray it before setting out on a journey, asking Mary, Star of the Sea, to accompany them.
- In May and October, the months of Mary, this hymn can accompany the Rosary or the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Where it comes from
History
The oldest written form of this hymn is found in Codex Sangallensis 95, a ninth-century manuscript from the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland. Its presence in that manuscript suggests that the hymn may already have been composed in the eighth century. [5][3]
The author is unknown. The idea that Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (twelfth century) wrote it cannot be right, because the hymn is older. The attribution to Venantius Fortunatus (died 609) is judged to be insufficiently grounded, and Paul the Deacon (died 787) has also been proposed as its author. [4][5][3]
In Latin, the hymn has seven stanzas of four lines each, built on the rhythm of word stress and without rhyme. In the Middle Ages it was widely used in the Liturgy of the Hours, and many other hymns were composed on its model. [4][5]
In the Roman Breviary, the hymn is appointed for Vespers in the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the Office of Saturday, and for the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Officium Parvum). [4]
Tradition · The title "Star of the Sea" comes from an interpretation of Mary's Hebrew name (Miryam) in the tradition of Saint Jerome. According to this tradition, Jerome rendered it "stilla maris" (a drop of the sea), and medieval copyists then wrote it as "stella maris" (star of the sea). The details are told in different ways, and this is not official Church teaching. [6]
Sources & version
Text: The rights holder named on the source. Checked word for word against the source on 2026-11-05.
- Ave Maris Stella (in English and Latin) - Hozana
Text taken from hozana.org
Prayer text © The rights holder named on the source; quoted with attribution and a link (owner decision K2, ADR 0067).
- Ave Maris Stella
Latin text from catholic-repository.org
Latin text quoted with attribution and a link.
- Ave Maris Stella
Published by Preces Latinae
Cited as a factual source; the source text remains its publisher's.
- Ave Maris Stella (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913)
Published by Catholic Answers / Robert Appleton Company
Cited as a factual source; the source text remains its publisher's.
- Ave Maris Stella (New Catholic Encyclopedia)
Published by Encyclopedia.com / New Catholic Encyclopedia
Cited as a factual source; the source text remains its publisher's.
- Ave Maris Stella
Published by Locus Mariologicus
Cited as a factual source; the source text remains its publisher's.
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