Camden Diocese parishes down the shore celebrated the Wedding of the Sea last weekend, commemorating an event in 1445 on the Feast of the Assumption, when the Bishop of Cervia in Italy, traveling by ship from Venice, calmed the stormy seas by throwing his pastoral ring into the water. Today, parish priests do the same, embarking on the open seas to throw a ring and wreath into the Atlantic Ocean. Left photo, during the celebration at St. Michael Church in Atlantic City, Father Jeffrey Cesarone, administrator, blesses Carrie Sharra and Jimmy Poulson, the bearers of Mary’s crown. At right, at the celebration at Notre Dame de la Mer in Wildwood, Father Michael Field, Father Joseph Wallace, Father Charles Noone, and Deacon Joseph Pierce offer their prayers to Mary.
Photos by Alan M. Dumoff