Our Marian Shrine

Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. 
Amen.

Schubert Ave Maria by Traditional [Classical Music]

Star of the Sea a Marian Shrine

With the blessing of the Archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, Star of the Sea parish is building a Shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary. Sixteen shrines along the east and west walls of the church will portray the most important apparitions of Our Lady throughout history. Each will feature a 48-inch statue or image of that apparition, candles and kneelers for devotions, and a pamphlet describing not only the facts of the apparition but also the most vital words of Our Lady’s message at that time. 

The following apparitions are included:

  • Fatima (Portugal, 1917) Feast Day May 13
  • Lourdes (France, 1858) Feast Day February 11
  • Akita (Japan, 1973)
  • Guadalupe (Mexico, 1531) Feast Day December 12
  • Good Help (Wisconsin, 1859) Feast Day October 9
  • Knock (Ireland, 1879) Feast Day August 21
  • Miraculous Medal (Paris, 1830) Feast Day November 27
  • La Salette (France, 1846) Feast Day September 19
  • Sheshan (China, 1868) Feast Day May 24
  • Manaoag (Philippines, 1610) Celebrated all month of May
  • La Vang (Vietnam, 1798) Feast Day November 22
  • Czestochowa (Poland, 1655) Feast Day August 26
  • Good Success (Ecuador, 1594) Feast Day February 2
  • Kibeho (Rwanda, 1981) Feast Day November 28
  • Banneux (Belgium, 1933) Feast Day May 31
  • Mt. Carmel (Israel, 1251) Feast Day July 16

These shrines already have small images of each apparition with devotional candles. The statues and paintings should be completely installed by the summer of 2022. We invite you to visit our shrine church, located five minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge, at 4420 Geary Blvd in San Francisco. Parking is available and the church is open from 6am to 7pm each day, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the main altar. At night Eucharistic adoration continues in the side chapel, accessible by code for those who sign up for one hour of prayer a week. Shrine church priests offer three Masses daily, at 7am (traditional Latin), noon (English) and 6pm (English, or Latin for greater feasts). Confessions are available 20 minutes before each Mass, and a public rosary is recited after each Mass. Fr. Joseph Illo, pastor, welcomes all pilgrims in the name of God and on behalf of the other priests and parish community. You may call the parish office for further information at 415-751-0450.

CHILDREN’S FLOWERS TO OUR LADY

A NEW TRADITION AT STAR OF THE SEA With the desire to welcome our young families, and to build community, and to show our love to our youngest parishioners, we began a new tradition that is tied to the Apparitions of Mary’s shrines at Star. Each Sunday after the 9:30am Mass, we invite the children attending this Mass to get a fresh flower that we provide, and to gather in front of the main sanctuary to listen to one of our priests talk about one of our Lady’s apparitions. The children then follow our priest to the chosen shrine and they place the flowers in a vase on the shrine to our Lady. It is a well liked and successful activity that the children are eager to participate, and it brings joy to all of us attending the Mass. The children and adults are learning all about the different apparitions of Mary.

CHILDREN’S FLOWERS TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Video recorded at Star of the Sea Church

PRAY THE ROSARY EVERY DAY

We pray the rosary in community after Mass: Monday to Friday 7:00am, 12noon, 6:00pm; Saturdays 8:30am, 12noon; Sunday 11am (Latin); Live Stream daily Family Rosary at 5:00pm Facebook & Youtube.

…On 13 May 1917, the shepherd children ( Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto) reported seeing a woman “brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun.” The woman wore a white mantle edged with gold and held a rosary in her hand. She asked them to devote themselves to the Holy Trinity and to pray “the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war”

Light a Candle

We have 16 new candle racks for each of the Apparitions of Mary’s shrines in our church. Light a candle in one of our shrines for someone in need of your prayers, for your prayer intentions, or In gratitude to God for answered prayers.