WILDWOOD – As the boat carrying Bishop Dennis Sullivan and Deacon Timothy Mulranen left the sand for the sea, the multitudes on the shore – devoted faithful and curious beachgoers – held up their cell phones, eager not to miss a moment.
“Oohs” and “ahhs” were heard every time the boat pitched and yawed on the waves.
Finally, about 30 yards into the deep, Bishop Sullivan tossed a wreath of flowers into the sea, and the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
“It was a perfect launch,” said Denise Spicer of Huntington Valley, Philadelphia, as she smiled and nodded in appreciation.
PHOTO GALLERY: Vigil of Assumption Mass & Wedding of the Sea in Wildwood
PHOTO GALLERY: Assumption Mass & Wedding of the Sea in Atlantic City
For the past seven years, Spicer and her friend Chuck Valentine have traveled to Wildwood for the annual Wedding of the Sea and Mass on the Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Saint Ann Church, Notre Dame de la Mer Parish.
“It’s a marvelous day with the Blessed Mother,” Valentine said.
The friends were among the thousands to take part in Assumption and Wedding of the Sea celebrations Aug. 14-15, festivities in South Jersey’s shore communities that keep alive a tradition that began centuries ago – when an Italian archbishop calmed stormy seas with a toss of his pastoral ring. The Italian tradition is a blessing for the Mother Mary’s intercession in the relationship between town and sea.
In Wildwood, Atlantic City, Stone Harbor, Cape May, Brigantine, Avalon, Longport, Ocean City and Sea Isle City, faithful brought their love and petitions to the mother of Jesus.
“On Mary’s Assumption, we express our love for her. She draws us to Jesus,” Bishop Sullivan told the faithful Aug. 14 in Wildwood and Aug. 15 on the solemnity during the liturgy celebrated at Hard Rock Casino’s Etess Arena, Atlantic City. That Mass was organized by the Parish of Saint Monica.
It is the Blessed Mother, “crowned with the glory of heaven, who shows us the path to the resurrected life,” Bishop Sullivan preached. “The glory now enjoyed by [her] awaits us on the last day. We look to this glory, this destiny, with great hope.”
In asking for the Mother Mary’s graces on the sea and its people, Bishop Sullivan reminded the faithful of their own duty and responsibility “to protect and preserve God’s gift of the ocean.”
The wreath tossed into the waters “affirms our care for this gift. … [May it] help each one of us to be a better sign of your love in our world,” he prayed, thanking God for the sea, where “you feed us, give us great relaxation and remind us of the beauty of you, its creator. May we always show our love and appreciation by caring for the ocean as you would want us. May its beauty and mystery always remind us of your presence.”
Joining Bishop during the two days of festivities were clergy, seminarians, religious women, local dignitaries, religious education students, and in Atlantic City, youth participating in the Diocese’s annual Summer in the City program.
The religious education students, recent first communicants and those preparing for confirmation, participated in the crowning of Mary during the liturgies.
“It’s a beautiful experience for all of them to see the entire community honor Mary,” said Donnamarie Sexton, parish catechetical leader at Notre Dame de la Mer Parish.
Shannon Vail-Massie, religious education teacher for the summer-intensive eighth-grade program, added that the day and their part in it “is helping the young Church grow deeper in the faith and be active members of the community.”
Her 11-year old daughter, Molly Mae, has been attending the Wedding of the Sea celebration in Wildwood ever since she can remember.
“It’s always fun and exciting,” the youngster said. “Mary’s very special to me. Without her, I wouldn’t have Jesus.”
Along the procession route from Wildwood’s Saint Ann Church, down Magnolia Avenue to the boardwalk and shore, Christine Ferrara carried heartfelt intentions for her daughter, son-in-law and three granddaughters beside her. Three generations on the path to heaven, in the Blessed Mother’s footsteps, just like generations before.
“This celebration has been going on for hundreds of years, and now I get to pass it on to my grandchildren, so they can love her, too. I want to instill in their hearts the same love she has for us,” she said.
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