“She, I say, is that shining and brilliant star, so much needed, set in place above life’s great and spacious sea, glittering with merits, all aglow with examples for our imitation.”          
 ~ St. Bernard of Clairvaux
 
 
Just as Mariners of old would use the stars, and especially Polaris, the North Star, to navigate on their journeys, so the Church has given to Our Lady the title of “Stella Maris” to show her role as guide on our journey to Eternity.   Polaris was also given the name Stella Maris and it is often thought that the Star of Bethlehem and Polaris were the same. 
 
The Saints illuminate this meaning for us, “Mary…is interpreted to mean ‘Star of the Sea.’  This admirably befits the Virgin Mother…as the ray does not diminish the brightness of the star, so neither did the Child born of her tarnish the beauty of Mary’s virginity,” St. Bernard tells us. This allegory is perfect as Mary leads us to Christ and He is our everything.