Tradition of Faith and Hope
Frs. John Dolan and John George at the ceremony
For Mike and Linda McGovern, parishioners at Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Cape May, NJ, the Wedding of the Sea is much more than a summer ceremony. This is a celebration of faith, tradition, and community that brings together parishioners, vacationers, community members, and first responders each year to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The event begins with Mass honoring Mary's entry into heaven. After Mass, Mary is crowned, and her statue is carried through the town to the beach. Led by mounted sheriffs and Mike McGovern and his fellow Knights of Columbus, clergy, parishioners, neighbors, and community members walk together, singing songs of Mary.
Mike McGovern, Knights of Columbus Council 6202, helps carry the statue of the Virgin Mother in the procession.
Once the procession reaches the ocean, the ceremony continues. At the water’s edge, Fr. John Dolan, OSFS, Pastor, prays with the group, which has grown in size and now includes sunbathers and vacationing families. Then, with the help of a Cape May Beach Patrol rowboat and lifeguard, Fr. Dolan brings a wreath into the ocean and casts it out to sea. The gesture symbolizes both gratitude and prayer—honoring Mary as the protector of those who live, work, travel, and find renewal along the water.
The parish’s celebration is inspired by an Italian tradition associated with the Bishop of Venice’s symbolic “marriage” to the sea. Fr. Frank Danella, OSFS, brought it back to the parish when he became pastor in 2011. Held annually, the ceremony attracts standing-room-only crowds in church.
Traditionally, the Wedding of the Sea recognizes the close relationship between a community and the waters that sustain it. Yet, as Fr. Dolan explained in his homily, the sea can also represent the journey every person must make.
“The sea is powerful. It is beautiful. It can provide life. But it can also be unpredictable and frightening,” he observed. The same can be said of life. There are times when the waters seem calm, and we believe we know exactly where we are going. At other times, we are carried by waves we cannot control.
Mary shows us how to meet both the calm and the storm. Her defining virtue, Fr. Dolan suggested, was her “humble availability to God.”
Fr. Dolan in the boat just before lifeguards push the boat into the ocean.
Fr. Dolan compared Mary’s attitude to standing before God with open hands. When our hands are closed, we cling to our own plans, expectations, and fears. “With open hands, we allow God to place something in them—or take something away,” said Fr. Dolan. “Mary teaches us not simply to ask God to bless the plans we have already made, but to remain open to the life God may be inviting us to embrace.”
The procession is a collaborative effort involving Cape May’s civic leaders, police and fire departments, beach patrol, and other first responders. This year, the procession was led by lifelong parishioner Sheriff Andrew Raniszewski of the county’s Mounted Unit.
According to Mike McGovern, the ceremony has become “an anchor event” of summer.
“People make it a destination event for their vacation,” Mike explained. He recalled visitors from outside the Catholic faith who planned their Cape May trips around the ceremony because they admired its sense of faith and tradition.
The Knights of Columbus St. Mary’s Council 6202 plays a central role in organizing and supporting the event. The council itself has grown alongside the celebration, increasing from 15 members in 2010 to about 70 today. Mike credits the strong partnership between the Knights and the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales with helping the tradition flourish.
“People make it a destination event for their vacation ”
The Oblates began administering Our Lady Star of the Sea around the time Mike and Linda joined the parish. Mike, a 1969 graduate of Oblate–run Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia, was thrilled to be around Oblates again.
“Their preaching,” he explained, “is thoughtful, engaging, and grounded in the realities of everyday life.”
Linda added, “Their experience as teachers has helped make them effective communicators. They always are bringing the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales to our parish.”
Mike names Oblates who are fellow North alums who have ministered there, calling them “more than remarkable”, including Fathers Frank Danella, Ed Fitzpatrick, Dave Devlin, Jim Dever, and John Dolan.
For full Mass, Procession, and Wedding of the Sea Ceremony, click here.
The Wedding of the Sea invites people to honor Mary, reflect on their faith, and pray for all whose lives are connected to the water. What began as the revival of an old Italian custom has become a beloved Cape May tradition and a powerful expression of the Oblates’ ministry at Our Lady Star of the Sea.
Whether or not you have ever stood beside the ocean, we all know what it means to encounter deep water. The Wedding of the Sea reminds us that though the storm may be strong and the horizon far, we never travel alone. Mary, Our Lady Star of the Sea, encourages us to move forward with open hands and enduring hope.
Paula M. Riley
Oblates Communication Team
