The Bishop made the request for this “spiritual bond” during his ad limina apostolorum in January and received word from His Eminence, Santos Cardinal Abril y Castellò , the Cardinal Archpriest of the Basilica and His Eminence, Emmanuel Cardinal Montero de Castro, the Cardinal Apostolic Penitentiary for the Holy See during Holy Week.
St. Mary Major is one of the four major and ancient basilicas in Rome. The other three are St. Peter’s, St. Paul-outside-the-Walls, and St. John Lateran. The Basilica of St. Mary Major, originally built by Emperor Constantine in the Fourth Century A.D., has received countless millions of pilgrims for over 1,600 years. As an ancient pilgrimage site, it enjoys numerous spiritual pilgrimages, including the Plenary Indulgence.
“A ‘spiritual bond’ is a very great and special privilege granted by the Pope, which joins the Basilica of St. Mary Major to a notable Marian Shrine somewhere in the world,” Bishop Provost said. “We might think of it in American terms as ‘twining’. However, it is far more important to us as Catholics, because it implies that pilgrims may visit this Marian Shrine at Our Lady Star of the Sea, so honored, and receive there the same spiritual benefits that the pilgrim would receive when visiting the ancient and venerable Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.”
In a letter to Father Timothy Goodly (the pastor, and the parishioners of Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bishop Provost “requested this honor, in part, to acknowledge the immense suffering that our people have experienced as a result of hurricanes over many decades and centuries.” The aftermath of Hurricane Audrey in 1957 left approximately 500 people lost or killed and immense property damage.”
The parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea was established by Bishop Maurice Schexnayder, Bishop of Lafayette, on June 21, 1958. In 1963, the present Shrine, dedicated to the Mother of God, Protectress from storms, was built at the initiation of Bishop Schexnayder. The seven-foot marble statue of Our Lady with child was commissioned by the Bishop while in Rome and sculpted from Carrara marble by Enrico Pandi. The 36-foot high Shrine was dedicated on Sept. 11, 1963.
In his letter to the people of Our Lady Star of the Sea parish, Bishop Provost noted, “Bishop Schexnayder dedicated the Shrine for two reasons – to pray for and memorialize the deceased and to offer our prayers to Mary, Star of the Sea, for protection from future storms.”
The Bishop also pointed out in the letter that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, as well as the Cardinal Archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major and the Cardinal Apostolic Penitentiary in Rome, acknowledge the pain and suffering of the parishioners of Star of the Sea, and the people of Cameron Parish and pledge their prayers for the assistance of the people. The Pope and the Cardinals are also fully aware that in establishing this “spiritual bond” the Catholic faithful preserve and foster their devotion not only the Catholic faith, as taught faithfully by the Successor of Peter for more than 20 centuries but also to our Blessed Mother, from whose intercession we all benefit under the title of Our Lady Star of the Sea.
The Plenary Indulgence has been granted by the Holy Father to all Christian faithful who have fulfilled certain conditions (namely Sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayers for the Holy Father) and who visit the Shrine of Our Lady Star of the Sea for sacred devotions or there pray orations for Sunday long with having recited the Creed on the following days: August 5, the Feast of the Dedication of St. Mary Major; the appropriate patronal feast day; all liturgical Solemnities of the Blessed Virgin Mary; during the year on appropriate days chosen by the faithful and on days of pilgrimage, such as the opening of hurricane season.
Bishop Provost will celebrate a Mass to Avert Storms at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 31, in Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church.
