Explantation of Papa Stronsay Coat of Arms

The Blue Chief with the golden star. The chief dominates the field of the shield. This represents the Queenship of Mary, on whose feast day, 31 May 1999, we bought the island of Papa Stronsay. More specifically, the chief designates Her Queenship under the title of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour, the icon enshrined in the monastery where the Mother of God wears a blue veil which is adorned with the eight pointed golden star of the Stella Maris, the Star of the Sea.

What is the Star of the Sea? What is its significance?

Star of the Sea, or in Latin Stella Maris, is the interpretation of the original Hebrew name of Mary (Miryam). This interpretation was made in 400 A.D. by the Father and Doctor of the Church, St Jerome, who translated the Sacred Scriptures from Hebrew into Latin. This title of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary has been well received throughout the world ever since then.

For example, St Paschasius Radbertus (d. 865) wrote: “Mary, Star of the Sea, must be followed in faith and morals lest we capsize amidst the storm-tossed waves of the sea. She will illumine us to believe in Christ, born of her for the salvation of the world.”

St Bernard (d. 1153) in one of his recorded sermons says: “The Golden Star of the Sea...is the Virgin Mary who beseeches Her Son that in His clemency he accord us the precious gift of Salvation in consideration for His Mother....O thou, whosoever thou art, that findest thyself rolling rather on this world-tossing ocean amid storms and tempests than walking on land, turn not thine eyes away from this refulgent star if thou wouldst not be overwhelmed by the storm. If, then, the winds of temptation rise against thee, or thou runnest on the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call on Mary! (Respice stellam, voca Mariam!) If thou art tossed on the waves of pride, or ambition, or calumny, or envy, look to the star, call upon Mary. (Respice stellam, voca Mariam!) If anger, avarice or the carnal seductions come to rock the fragile barque of your soul, lift your eyes towards Mary. If, troubled at the enormity of thy sins, or confounded by the defilement of conscience, or terrified with horror of the judgment to come, thou beginnest to be swallowed up in the abyss of sorrow or the gulf of despair, think of Mary. In perils, in straits, in adversities, think of Mary, invoke Mary! May Her sweet name not leave thy lips nor thy heart. And to obtain her intercession turn not away from Her example. In following her, thou missest not the way; asking of her, thou needest not despair; keeping thy thoughts on her, thou canst not err. She holding thee up, thou fallest not. She protecting thee, thou needst not fear. She guiding thy way, thou feelest no weariness. She being propitious, thou reachest the end of thy journey.”

The same saint writes elsewhere: “Mary is the star who enlightens the earth and warms souls more than bodies; She makes virtues grow and burns up vices.”

St Bonaventure (d. 1274) writes: “This name is most fitting for Mary, who is to us as a star above the sea....She guides to the landfall in Heaven those who navigate the sea of this world in the ship of innocence or penance. Well do we compare Mary to a star of the sea, because of her shining purity, her brightness, all that she does for us.”

Between 800 A.D. and 900 A.D. the beautiful hymn Ave Maris Stella! Hail, Star of the Sea! was composed. For more than 1000 years it has been dearly cherished as an expression of our love and devotion to the Mother of God. There is no popular song that has survived as long as the Ave Maris Stella. Elvis the King is dead, the Beatles have come and gone, yet... in 900 A.D. the first monks on Papa Stronsay sung the Ave Maris Stella and continued it for three or four centuries before the monastery was finally disbanded. And now, 800 years later, Papa Stronsay resounds with this hymn again every night as the Fathers and Brothers make their way to the chapel for Night Prayers.

The Cross on the gold field of our shield is of such a peculiar and unique shape that the Lord Lyon King of Arms, rather than describe it with the use of the many crosses already existing in the science of Heraldry which dates from the Middle Ages, has added it to their number, nominating it “the Papa Stronsay Cross.”

In the year 1856, a slaty stone measuring three inches wide by eleven inches high was dug up on Papa Stronsay. It was discovered within twenty yards of the foundations of the St Nicholas Chapel, at a depth of about three feet. Upon it was carved an ornamental cross of Celtic origin, indicating its presence on the island since the first millenium A.D., when the followers of St Columba sailed from Iona in the west of Scotland to Orkney. Above the cross were engraved some letters in Pictish writing, but authors disagree how to read them. Certain believe that the inscription reads DNEDI – an abbreviation for Domine Deus Jesu (Lord God Jesus). Others, comparing this stone with the better known Drostan Stone, read it as DNIESU – Domine Jesu. This stone, popularly referred to as the Papa Stronsay Cross, was kept at Milsetter in North Walls on the island of Hoy, but it appears to have been lost by 1898.

The hill of Calvary was crowned with the Cross of our Saviour and therefore it is fitting that Golgotha Monastery places the Cross in the field of its Arms. Stat Crux dum volvitur orbis – the Cross stands while the world turns. Indeed the world has turned many times on its axis and many times kings and emperors have succeeded one another to the grave since the Papa Stronsay Cross was carved and surmounted with the inscription O Lord Jesus. The Holy Cross was much loved by the unknown monk who, between 700 and 800 A.D., carved this emblem of Salvation into the stone with unique lines and beautiful circular adornments. The new monastery of Papa Stronsay raises up that Cross again and takes it for the island’s attribute, that all may believe that we can be saved from the eternal fires of hell only by Our Lord Jesus Christ, the unique and only Saviour of the world. O Crux, Ave, spes unica – Hail, O Cross, our only hope!

The Cross is the main charge of the Arms because of the Holy Mass. The Holy Sacrifice of the Cross, the Mass, is the centre of Christian life, for in this sacrifice alone is the death of Jesus truly made present in an unbloody way; such that the true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ is daily offered on the altars of Papa Stronsay. That Holy Sacrifice, which is always the same Sacrifice, ever ancient yet ever new, united today through time to the sacrifice on Calvary, brings grace to those who are disposed to receive it, whoever they may be and wherever they may be; it makes expiation for sins and brings relief to the souls in purgatory.

The Cross is red, which is the colour of Our Redeemer’s Blood. On the Cross He paid for our souls in the coin of His own Blood that we might be washed of our sins and enjoy the happiness of Heaven. Red is the colour of Charity and of fire. He, the Divine Fire, Our Lord Jesus Christ, consumed Himself in the flames of His Charity for the salvation of souls. This sacrifice is made present in the Holy Mass, which has returned again to this island’s altars after many centuries.

The Field is gold. A gold background represents Heaven as we see in nearly every icon, and as we see in the icon of the Mother of Perpetual Succour. We must keep our eyes on Heaven our true home and we must guard against them being fixed on the earth which is not our true home; it is the place of our trial, our land of exile, our valley of tears; for we are bound for eternity. Gold represents the eternity of joy and holiness, the glory of God and his angels and saints. Our desert in the pathless sea continually reminds us that we have not here a lasting city; that we must flee the world, the flesh and the devil and set our sails for the port of salvation, which is Heaven. This was the way of the early monks of Papa Stronsay, who left their homes in Ireland or Scotland to live a holy and voluntary exile in this desert in the pathless sea. Their exile they joyful embraced, heartened by the sight of the Heaven which they have now possessed for many centuries. We do as they did, we hope as they hoped, and we ask the prayers of those unknown, glorious saints of Papa Stronsay who are now in Heaven, to help us on our way to be united with them in eternity.

The colours of the field are Gold and Red. These colours combine to give us the colours of the Royal Houses of Scotland and Norway. Orkney was ruled first by Norway until 1468 and then by Scotland. This political history is signified in these colours. We petitioned these Royal colours for our Arms that we might place them at the feet of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Papa Stronsay motto is taken from the words spoken by St Columba to King Brude as reported by St Adamnan. Written about 680 A.D., this is probably the first recorded conversation in history where Orkney is mentioned. St Adamnan was born 624 and died 705. It was during his lifetime that a large monastic centre was established on Papa Stronsay. It is very likely that St Adamnan knew about Papa Stronsay. Possibly St Cormac, the bishop and hermit, to whom the following passage refers, even visited this Holy Island. We cannot tell but there is no reason why this would be unlikely. The following is a translation from the Latin of St Adamnan’s account of the meeting between St Columba and King Brude: “At another time a soldier of Jesus Christ, named Cormac, about whom we have related a few brief particulars in the first part of this book, made a second attempt to discover a desert in the ocean. He had sailed far from the land over the boundless ocean, when St Columba, who was then staying in Drum Alban, recommended him in the following terms to the chief of the Orkney Isles, in presence of King Brude: ‘Some of our brethren have lately set sail to discover a desert in the pathless sea (desertum in pelago intransmeabili); should they happen after many wanderings to come to the Orkneys, direct this chief, whose hostages are in your hands, to take measures that no evil shall befall them.’” The saint recommended this precaution, because he knew that after a few months St Cormac would arrive in Orkney. And so it came to pass, and to this timely recommendation of our saint, St Cormac owed his escape from impending death.

This motto was chosen because of the link between the early monks of Papa Stronsay and the present monastery. The first monks sought a desert in the pathless sea and we seek the same holy place. It was also chosen because, in the context of St Adamnan’s document, the same favour of hospitality bestowed on the early monks by the rulers and people of Orkney has been shown to the Fathers and Brothers who have come from many countries around the world to the Holy Island of Papa Stronsay. The motto expresses the idea that, although over 1350 years have passed from 650-2002 A.D. and many things in the world have changed radically, there are elements which have never changed: souls seeking deserts, the pathless sea, Catholic monks and Orkney hospitality.

click to enlarge (120K)

The Coat-of-Arms of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

St Alphonsus devised these arms from a miraculous vision which occurred shortly before the inauguration of the Institute. While the Blessed Sacrament was being exposed, the Cross was seen with the instruments of the Passion in the Sacred Host. Note that the same instruments (spear and sponge) appear in the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Succour. The motto Copiosa apud eum redemptio (With Him there is plentiful redemption) is taken from Psalm 129, and expresses the essence of the Redemptorist vocation: to preach the mystery of salvation to the most abandoned souls.
These arms remain our principal device. The Papa Stronsay arms have been designed only for Golgotha Monastery Island. The motto Desertum in pelago intransmeabili, unlike the Redemptorist motto, is not taken from Sacred Scripture but from the words of a saint.

Ave, Maris Stella Hail, Star of the Sea

Ave, maris stella, Dei mater alma, Atque semper Virgo, Felix caeli porta. Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore, Funda nos in pace, Mutans Hevae nomen. Solve vincla reis, Profer lumen caecis, Mala nostra pella, Bona cuncta posce. Monstra te esse matrem, Sumat per te preces, Qui pro nobis natus Tulit esse tuus.
Virgo singularis, Inter omes mitis, Nos, culpis solutos, Mites fac et castos. Vitam praesta puram, Iter para tutum, Ut, videntes Jesum, Semper collaetemur. Sit laus Deo Patri, Summo Christo decus, Spiritui Sancto, Tribus honor unus. Amen. Hail, bright star of ocean, God’s own Mother blest, Ever sinless Virgin, Gate of heavenly rest.	Taking that sweet Ave Which from Gabriel came, Peace confirm within us, Changing Eva’s name. Break the captives’ fetters, Light on blindness pour, All our ills expelling, Every bliss implore. Show thyself a Mother; May the Word Divine, Born for us thy Infant, Hear our prayers through thine.	Virgin all excelling, Mildest of the mild, Freed from guilt, preserve us Pure and undefiled. Keep our life all spotless, Make our way secure Till we find in Jesus Joy forevermore. Through the highest heaven To the Almighty Three, Father, Son and Spirit, One same glory be. Amen.

back to top