Our Lady of Good Voyage is a Marian devotion of the Catholic church which has its origin in the maritime communities of Portugal and Spain. The oldest Shrine dedicated to Our Lady under this title is located in the Portuguese village of Ericeira near Lisbon. A procession of boats and a blessing of the fishing fleet is commonly associated with the annual celebrations of her feast on the 15th of August, the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.  Devotion to Our Lady of Good Voyage followed the Portuguese and Spanish immigrants who went throughout the world to continue their work on the sea, and who brought with them their piety and faith.

The devotion to Our Lady of Good Voyage is particular to the New England fishing industry. The first church in the United States dedicated to this title of Our Lady was established in 1889 in the Massachusetts fishing village of Gloucester, located one-hour north of Boston. The 19th century saw tremendous growth in the New England cod fishery. Men of Italian, Canadian, West Indian, and especially Portuguese descent flocked to Gloucester for work as fishermen. The Gloucester church was built for the Portuguese families who made their living on the sea and whose devotion to Our Lady was strong. They would pray to her for the safe travel of their husbands and sons at sea, begging for her protection and intercession. This is why the image of Our Lady shows her holding a ship in her hand.

Designed by Ethan Anthony AIA and his Firm Cram and Ferguson Architects. 

Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel was completed and dedicated as the first new Catholic church to be built in Boston in more than 60 years. Located in the Seaport District and designed to seat 200, it replaces the former 1949 Seaman's Chapel.

The exterior of the new Chapel, at first a contemporary design, was modified to express a more Traditional appearance as a result of a collaboration between Exterior architect, Stantec, and Cram and Ferguson Architects, LLC. Ethan Anthony, Matthew Alderman and Kevin Hogan designed the interior which is inspired by centuries of English Catholic wooden churches. It speaks also to Cardinal Sean's desire that the church reflect the ship of the spirit on the voyage through life.

An important part of the design effort was the reuse of items salvaged from closed churches in the Boston Archdiocese, including approximately thirty stained glass windows, the pendant light fixtures, woodwork items, the Baptismal font, a Victorian era altar and a Romanesque reredos. Even the 23 carat gold leafed cross that tops the tower was fashioned by welding together two reused crosses salvaged from another Parish church.

The chapel front doors were hand made by Historic Door in Philadelphia with new traditional iron hardware fashioned by Carl and Susan Close of Hammersmith Studios in Newton. They are surrounded on either side by new stained glass windows depicting Our Lady of Good Voyage on one side and St. Peter on the other, hand made by Lyn Hovey Studios in Boston. (Cram and Ferguson LLC)

The cross has been repurposed from the former parish of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Quincy. The bell was created by the Verdin Bell Company of Ohio. It is made of brass and is twenty-four inches in diameter. The beautiful, high-pitched sound of the bell reminds listeners of the sounds of buoys and lighthouses at sea. In church architecture, the door does not merely provide a function, but it also serves as a powerful symbol of Christ who said: “I am the door” (John 10:9). As one passes through the doors, one enters into the life of Christ. The pilgrim leaves the chaos of the world behind and enters into the peace and rest of the Lord, who alone is holy. The front doors feature gothic wood planks with wrought iron gothic hinges. The hinges incorporate themes including an anchor and fish.

View a time-laps of construction.

At the start of 2019, the Shrine has undergone some changes within the interior of the Church.  The most notable addition is the detailed stenciling of the sanctuary wall.  The stenciling project was part of the original plans for the Shrine.  The designs all complement other aspects of the Shrine and frame the beautiful triptych window above the altar.  The stenciling was designed and completed by EverGreene Architectural Arts.  

The stenciling  includes symbols already found throughout the Shrine including an anchor, the  Fleur-de-lis, a Christogram of the letters I.H.S., and a monogram representing the name of Mary.

The fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily composed of three petals bound   together at their base.  The flower is a symbol of the Virgin Mary, the mother of   Jesus. The whiteness and beauty of the lily is symbolic of the purity of Mary Immaculate.  As a Marian symbol, it is often seen in churches, especially ones dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The monogram depicts the letters MRA which stand for the name of Mary. 

The monogram for Our Lady was a popular pilgrim's badge, in the 14th and 15th century, worn by those who had visited her shrines.  A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ.  In the Latin-speaking   Christianity of medieval Western Europe the most common Christogram became "IHS" or "IHC", denoting the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus, ΙΗΣΟΥΣ.  An anchor was added to the design, keeping with the nautical theme of the Shrine.  An anchor is also an  ancient symbol of the church signifying hope and security. It was found among the catacomb inscriptions of the first century.  It is a symbolic prayer for aid to mariner.

One of the final additions to the Shrine was the completion of the text which goes around the ceiling of the Nave and the ceiling of the Mary Shrine in May of 2019.  With a deep blue background, the gold text in the nave is an excerpt of Psalm 107: "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, and they cried to the Lord, and He turned the storm into a breeze and its waves were still."


The text in the Mary Shrine is an excerpt from the Prayer of Azariah which can be found in Daniel 3:51-90: "Oh, ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord, oh ye whales and all ye that move in the waters, bless the Lord, bless and exalt Him forever."

Keeping with the nautical theme of the Shrine and close history with the Boston Fishermen working in the Seaport, a statue of St. Peter the Fisherman has been installed within the Shrine in December 2018.  St. Peter is depicted holding a fishing net and two keys referencing the passage in scripture: “...you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church…” Matthew 16:18.  The life of St. Peter is documented in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Peter’s original name was Simon. He was a fisherman who was called by Jesus to be one of the twelve Apostles along with his brother, Andrew. During one conversation, when Jesus asked who the people said He was, Simon said that He was the Son of God, a truth that had been revealed to him by the Father, but was (at that time) unknown to the other Apostles. Jesus called him “Cephas” or Peter, which means Rock, and told him that on this rock He would build His Church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it.  The Feast Day  of Saint   Peter the Patron Saint of Fishermen is June 29th.

The two statues of Our Lady of Good Voyage and St. Peter were decorated with some stenciling in February of 2019.  The words "Our Lady of Good Voyage" have been added over the statue and a pattern of stars now embellishes the previously blank wall behind it.  The stars stem from an ancient devotion to the Blessed Mother under the title of Star of the Sea from the eighth century hymn Ave maris stella (Latin for "Hail Star of the Sea").  It was especially popular in the Middle Ages and has been used by many composers as the basis of other compositions.  The "Ave maris stella" was highly influential in presenting Mary as a merciful and loving Mother. The title, "Star of the Sea" is one of the oldest and most widespread titles applied to Mary. The hymn is frequently used as a prayer for safe-conduct for travelers, especially those who travel by sea.  

Similarly, the wall behind the statue of St. Peter has been embellished with the words "St. Peter" stenciled above the statue and a golden frame within the niche.