The best-known patron saint of sailors is St. Nicholas of Myra (feast December 6), the 4th-century bishop who, according to ancient tradition, calmed a storm at sea and saved the sailors who prayed to him; ports, ships and seamen’s churches around the world bear his name. Sailors also pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady, Star of the Sea (Stella Maris), to St. Brendan the Navigator, to St. Erasmus (St. Elmo), and to St. Francis of Paola, patron of seafarers. Below are their stories, the Church’s old prayer against storms, the hymn Ave Maris Stella, and prayers for sailors, the Navy and everyone who works at sea.
A short sailor’s prayer, written for this page:
St. Nicholas, patron of sailors, and Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for (name) and all who sail.
Lord, you calmed the wind and the waves: keep them safe on the water,
guide them through every storm, and bring them home to the harbor they long for. Amen.
St. Nicholas, patron of sailors
Nicholas was bishop of Myra, a port on the southern coast of present-day Turkey, in the early 4th century. Old Greek stories tell how sailors caught in a violent storm called on him, and he appeared on their ship, took the helm and calmed the sea; others tell how he obtained grain from passing ships for his starving city. In 1087 sailors from Bari carried his relics to Italy, where they are still venerated. He is also the patron of children, which made him Santa Claus. See the St. Nicholas prayer.
The collect of his feast in a 1916 missal:
O God, who didst honor the blessed Pontiff Nicholas by countless miracles, grant, we beseech, that by his merits and prayers we may escape the torments of hell. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
Our Lady, Star of the Sea
From early centuries Mary has been called Stella Maris, “Star of the Sea,” the star that guides sailors home. The Apostleship of the Sea, the Catholic Church’s ministry to seafarers, now called Stella Maris, puts its work under her protection. The 9th-century hymn Ave Maris Stella in the translation of Edward Caswall (1849):
Hail, thou Star of Ocean,
Portal of the sky,
Ever Virgin Mother
Of the Lord most high!
Oh, by Gabriel’s Ave,
Utter’d long ago,
Eva’s name reversing,
‘Stablish peace below.
Break the captive’s fetters,
Light on darkness pour;
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a mother,
Offer Him our sighs;
Who for us incarnate
Did not thee despise.
Virgin of all virgins,
To thy shelter take us;
Gentlest of the gentle,
Chaste and gentle make us.
Still as on we journey,
Help our weak endeavour;
Till with thee and Jesus
We rejoice for ever.
Through the highest heaven,
To the all-holy Three,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
One same glory be.
Other patron saints of sailors
- St. Brendan the Navigator (May 16): the 6th-century Irish abbot whose legendary voyage across the Atlantic in a leather boat made him the patron of sailors and mariners.
- St. Erasmus, or St. Elmo (June 2): a bishop and martyr; sailors saw the blue glow on their masts during storms, “St. Elmo’s fire,” as a sign of his protection.
- St. Francis of Paola (April 2): said to have crossed the Strait of Messina on his cloak; Pope Pius XII named him patron of Italian seafarers. See St. Francis of Paola.
- St. Peter and St. Andrew, the fisherman apostles. See the patron saint of fishermen.
- St. Christopher, patron of all travelers. See the patron saint of travelers.
A prayer against storms
From the prayers for various needs in a 1916 missal:
From thy household, O Lord, we beseech thee, drive away the spirits of evil and let pass the danger of tempests of the air.
Prayers for sailors
Written for this page.
For a sailor or member of the Navy
Lord, watch over (name), who serves at sea.
Give (him/her) courage in danger, patience in long months away from home, and good companions on board.
Keep our family united across the distance, and bring (him/her) safely home. Amen.
Before setting sail
Lord of the wind and the sea, bless this boat and all who sail in it.
Give us fair weather, a steady hand and a careful eye, and bring us safely back to port.
Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us. Amen.
Scripture for those at sea
Psalm 106:23–30 (107 in modern Bibles), Douay-Rheims:
They that go down to the sea in ships, doing business in the great waters:
These have seen the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.
He said the word, and there arose a storm of wind: and the waves thereof were lifted up.
They mount up to the heavens, and they go down to the depths: their soul pined away with evils.
They were troubled, and reeled like a drunken man; and all their wisdom was swallowed up.
And they cried to the Lord in their affliction: and he brought them out of their distresses.
And he turned the storm into a breeze: and its waves were still.
And they rejoiced because they were still: and he brought them to the haven which they wished for.
Jesus calms the storm (Matthew 8:24–26):
And behold a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves, but he was asleep.
And they came to him, and awaked him, saying: Lord, save us, we perish.
And Jesus saith to them: Why are you fearful, O ye of little faith? Then rising up he commanded the winds, and the sea, and there came a great calm.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of sailors?
St. Nicholas of Myra. Sailors also invoke Our Lady, Star of the Sea, St. Brendan, St. Elmo and St. Francis of Paola.
Who is the patron saint of the Navy?
There is no single official patron; St. Nicholas and Our Lady, Star of the Sea, are most often invoked, and St. Michael the Archangel is invoked as protector of all the armed forces.
What is St. Elmo’s fire?
A blue glow of electricity on ships’ masts during storms, named after St. Erasmus (Elmo), whom sailors took it as a sign of protection.
More prayers for travelers
- Patron saint of travelers
- Catholic travel prayer
- St. Nicholas prayer
- Patron saint of fishermen
- Patron saint of soldiers
- Patron saint of weather
Texts and sources
- Collects of St. Nicholas and against storms: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), public domain (archive.org).
- Ave Maris Stella, trans. Edward Caswall (1849), in Henry Formby, Catholic Hymns (1860), public domain (Wikisource).
- Psalm 106:23–30 and Matthew 8:24–26 (Douay-Rheims).