A stained glass window to the right of the altar area depicts Jesus on a boat speaking to fishermen.[/caption]
Name of Church Mary Star of the Sea
Address 870 West Eighth Street, San Pedro CA 90731
Phone number (310) 833-3541
Website www.marystar.org
Mass Schedule Saturday vigil, 5:15 pm. Sundays, 7:30 am, 9 am, 10:30 am, (Spanish), noon, 1:30 p. (Croatian). Monday through Saturday 8 am, Wednesday, 5:15 pm. Rosary Monday through Friday at 7:30 am before Mass.
Confessions Wednesday, 6 pm. Saturday, 4 pm. Sunday, 9 am.
Names of priests Father Maurice Harrigan, pastor. Norbertine Fathers Charbel Grbavac and Alphonsus Hermes, associate pastors. Father Ivan Gerovac, SJ, chaplain for the Croatian and Italian communities. Father Harrigan was born into a large family in Glendale and left a successful business career to enter the seminary. He served in other parishes before becoming pastor of Mary Star of the Sea in 2014. He is orthodox, a good homilist, and a good confessor/spiritual advisor. The Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey are an orthodox and pious community of priests.
Special activities and groups Daughters of Isabella; Maritime Minsitry/Apostleship of the Sea; Knights of Columbus; Adoration; Christian Care Ministry; various prayer and ethnic groups; St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Music Depends on the Mass, cantors and choirs.
Fellow parishioners This parish has a mix of ethnic groups.
School Yes, both elementary and high school, both are served by the Norbertine Fathers. Mary Star of the Sea Elementary School is by the church; Mary Star of the Sea High School is about a 10-minute drive away.
Parking There is a large lot by the church.
Cry room Yes.
Additional observations Mary Star of the Sea is a parish of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It sits on a hill overlooking the Port of Los Angeles; it has traditionally been known as the “fisherman’s parish,” due to its close ties with the local fishing and cannery community. Its first parishioners included Croatian, Portuguese and Italian fishing families; many of their descendants still attend the parish. It was established in 1889 (a year after San Pedro became a city), making it one of the region’s oldest parishes. The current church was built in 1958. Special features include a 10-foot bronze statue of Mary mounted on top of the church’s bell tower, with her arms outstretched to the port. Inside you’ll see some ocean-themed art, such as a statue of Mary holding a tuna clipper over the altar, a mosaic of Mary standing on ocean waves over the church’s entrance, and a stained glass window to the right of the altar area depicting Jesus on a boat speaking to fishermen. The parish’s Stella Maris Bookstore is open Wednesdays and Sundays and sells religious items.
Love that statue of the Holy Mother!
Nearby, in Angel’s Gate Park, is Mission Maria Stella Maris. It’s an SSPX church. It’s next to Fort MacArthur, the oiled-bird sanctuary, and an injured-seal rehabilitation center.
No SSPX church is worth driving to because no SSPX church is in regular communion with the Catholic Church. Its priests are not authorized to celebrate Mass; every SSPX Mass is illicit. No illicit Mass is worth driving to.
Agree. I don’t understand why there are pro-SSPX posters here on Cal Catholic Daily. It’s not Cal SSPX Daily. SSPX is not in union with the Church. SSPX is like land of the lost compared to the real Church.
SSPX livin’ rent free in the novus ordo heads.
Don’t see SSPX doin same. Wonder why
…
Are you kidding me? The SSPX posters are all over this site bashing the new Mass for not having any Latin and saying that every parish should offer the TLM.
I don’t see why there are, at times, faithless, immoral, pro Democrat, Godless, Catholic beautiful traditions-hating, egotistical, “chic,” materialistic, socialistic, “youth-forever,” adulthood-rejecting, Californiacated coastal “hipsters”– with irresponsible, disobedient-to-God, “freedom-to-sin” lifestyles– pro gay, feminism, birth control, abortion, IVF, “shacking-up,” Satanic rock “music,” dope, etc.– trying to make comments on this website, pretending to be Catholics. The SSPX is a big part of the on-going, recent Catholic history and discussion on some highly complex, intellectual religious topics. Not for dumb, overly-simple-minded, socialistic Californiacated kids, with no theological background nor advanced religious training. The SSPX beliefs are exactly the same, 100% — as what every single Catholic in this entire world was raised on, taught, educated in, and practiced, prior to the reign of Pope St. John XXIII and his initiating of the Second Vatican Council– to “update the Church”– “Aggiornamento,” in Italian. All the Saints of 2,000 years, prior to the Council– were taught, and practiced this same, exact religion, that the SSPX believes in and practices,100%. Nothing else. Very simple, easy-to-understand. Now, it is considered to be “out-of-date,” or “forbidden, condemned and worthless,” by a handful of Vatican II architects, Church elites– and they make all the decisions. And make (and break) “the rules.” Is it all really “out-of-date,” “condemnable, and worthless?” Fine. Let them debate it all. And the intellectual religious discussions continue, amongst them. But I don’t care. If they claim they are so “led by the Holy Spirit,” or “led by the Spirit,” or whatever they claim– to back-up their Modernistic, Vatican II-style Church theological, liturgical, moral, and physical church building wreck-o-vations, and “improvements”—- “Aggiornamento”— whilst millions of Catholics, worldwide, are not interested, and are abandoning the Faith, and with the horrific continuation of shocking, unpunished clerical sex abuse crimes– how about “the Spirit moving the Vatican elites” to tackle real, extremely serious Church issues? Like the “gay mafia,” gay-infested seminaries, and clerical sex abuse crimes? And Church leaders (like the Bad German Bishops, and many others) refusing to accept Catholic teaching, and rejecting Canon Law, on very serious sins– such as giving Holy Communion to Bad Catholics like Pres. Biden, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and others– and coddling gay promoters, like Fr. James Martin and Sr. Jeannie Grammick? And Bad Religious Orders (like the Bad Jesuits, and others) operating Bad Catholic Schools– like LMU, Santa Clara U., USF, Abp. Mitty High School, and thousands of others? Etc. Those are the real problems that the Church must tackle! Why isn’t the Holy Spirit moving Church leaders to tackle these extremely serious issues? And if the Catholic Church is seeking Christian unity, with the dogma of papal primacy, and “Ut Unum Sint,” etc.– how about realistic discussions on differences of belief, among Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox churches? For one thing– all Orthodox churches — those in union with Rome, and those not– do not accept Catholic dogmas of Original Sin and the Immaculate Conception of Mary. They believe that humanity bears the consequences of the first, or Original Sin of Adam and Eve (including the worst consequence, of which is death)– but not the personal guilt for it– you bear the guilt for your own sins. In Baptism, you enter the Church as a new child of God, a new member, joined to the Body of Christ, an inheritor of Christ’s Eternal Life. Baptism cleanses the consequences of Original Sin, and joins the candidate to the Body of Christ, and opens the doorway to Salvation. (A different concept than that of St. Augustine.) Our Blessed Mother, the Theotokos, was born with the same consequences, to tendency of corruption and sin, as all other humans, but she did not consent to sin. She was pure, and a pure virgin. The Feast of the Conception of the Virgin Mary is celebrated by the Orthodox on Dec. 9th. And the Orthodox do accept the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. All of that, and the Catholic dogma of Papal primacy, and profound differences between Catholic and Protestant teachings– seems, to me, much more complicated — and more profound– for honest discussions of Christian unity–than the discussions for Church unity, between the Vatican and SSPX.
I remember back in the 1980s there was a controversy over a girl in the high school here becoming pregnant and the school not allowing her to attend the graduation ceremony. Story here:
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-05-24-me-7539-story.html
The school principal was correct.
An unmarried mother-to-be, with a great, big, pregnant belly– full of a 6 1/2 month old, big, kicking baby, growing in her belly– attending high school graduation — at a Catholic high school? In a maternity-style graduation gown? With the baby due pretty soon, in a couple of months? Who does this smart-aleck girl think she is? Not an ounce of respect for God, or for the privilege to attend a Catholic high school– which her poor parents paid good money for? And where was the smart-aleck boyfriend? Is he providing support for a wife and child? What a terrible example, at a Catholic graduation ceremony! If the girl and boy had each completed all the proper requirements for a high school graduation certificate– I would just send each of them a certificate in the mail. And that’s it.
How very uncharitable of you. I have first-hand experience with this, and the kind principal allowed my daughter to join her class at the graduation. The graduation gown covered all, so no one was aware. My wonderful daughter went on to graduate from university and her daughter and my grand-daughter, the ones you would shun and shame, graduated from university with distinction. This was many years ago while my daughter was in a Catholic high school. As parents we were of course shocked to the core, but we put all our fears in the hands of the Blessed Mother and her Son. I am so gratified that both my daughter and grand-daughter are practicing Catholics and are living faith-filled lives.
My daughter’s unplanned pregnancy was a blessing that we could never have foreseen at the time. It changed our lives and made us more compassionate toward others, especially pregnant teens who are being seduced by the abortion culture. A hardened heart helps no one. Perhaps volunteer at Birthline or spend some time in prayer for unwed mothers. They need our help not our condemnation.
Well, I have second thoughts about my comment of June 17 at 10:42pm. Perhaps I sounded too stern. A girl who is in trouble, and got pregnant out-of-wedlock, really needs a helping hand, and Catholic priests, nuns, and laymen in charge of a high school, must provide help and support, as well as help a girl and boy get on the right path, and correct wayward behavior. There were apparently no plans to abort the poor child, which is wonderful. A helpless unborn baby, and the mother-to-be, need plenty of help, love, proper care, and support– and a happy, healthy birth, and a good future. Sometimes, kids get on the wrong path, and get smart-alecky about it. But the job of adults in charge, is to help the young person.
Thank you for your response.
I appreciate the news about Mission Maria Stella Maris now I know where to attend the Traditional Latin Mass. As a Croatian myself it’s sad that Mary Star of The Sea does not offer the TLM which of course it was originally built for.
Hooray! Credible sources in the Vatican have leaked that the pope is preparing a document that will ban the TLM all over the world, permanently, and immediately. Christmas is going to come early this year, it seems.
Why do you hate Tradition?
The new Mass is the current expression of ongoing liturgical tradition. I don’t hate tradition. You have to realize tradition isn’t static. The new Mass is traditional when celebrated properly. Traditional does not mean pre-Vatican II. Vatican II saw a need for the tradition to be reformed.
Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.
This is me laughing out loud at your comment.
The pope needs to get serious and ban gay infestations of seminaries, and clean up clerical sex abuse, for starters. Ban ex-Jesuit clerical sex abuser, Marko Rupnik, and tear down all his artwork, worldwide. If you were a fine Catholic priest, reverently offering the beautiful, holy Latin Mass, or an altar boy, learning his beautiful Latin responses and prayers for Mass, or a prayerful nun, clad in the holy habit, doing good for Christ, in an era prior to Vatican II—you would be very proud of your holy Catholic Faith and timeless, beautiful Mass, and proud of your fine service to God and His Church. Everyone would look up to you. Many little Catholic boys would desire to learn to serve Holy Mass as altar boys, many would be moved to become a priest, and many young girls would dream of becoming a nun. You have no idea of the awe-inspiring beauty and holiness, which once deeply moved and inspired people, and a highly holy and highly intelligent Mass and religious Faith of millions, which once converted millions, and made Saints on this earth, for God’s holy Kingdom– and is now gone.