About Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea · Key West, Florida
The Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Key West, Florida, the oldest parish in the Archdiocese of Miami and the second-oldest Catholic parish in the state of Florida. Established in 1846 and dedicated in 1852 under the patronage of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, it is located at 1010 Windsor Lane. Designated a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI on February 11, 2012, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Key West Historic District, the parish serves one of the most historically and geographically distinctive Catholic communities in the United States — the southernmost parish in the continental U.S.
- Established
- 1846
- Patron
- Our Lady, Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher Marino, V.F.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Miami
Why belong here
St. Mary Star of the Sea is the spiritual home of the southernmost Catholic parish in the continental United States — a community that has worshipped on this island since 1846 and combines extraordinary historic depth with a vibrant, multilingual, present-day parish life. Belonging here means sharing in the oldest Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Miami, praying in one of only five Florida minor basilicas, gathering before the famed Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto that islanders credit with sparing Key West from a major hurricane for over a century, and finding a home in a parish where the Liturgy of the Hours is lived in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. For visitors and islanders alike, it offers daily Mass, perpetual Eucharistic adoration, sacramental confession before every Mass, an active school (the longest-running Catholic school in Florida), and the kind of rooted, multigenerational Catholic identity rarely found elsewhere in the country.
Mass times at Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30–6:00 pm (before Vigil Mass)
- Sunday 30 minutes before each Mass (7:00 am, 8:30 am, 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 6:30 pm)
Adoration times
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel: open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (10:00 pm–6:00 am for scheduled adorers only)
History of the Parish
The Catholic presence in the Florida Keys goes back to the Spanish Jesuits who arrived in 1566, but the modern parish of St. Mary Star of the Sea was established on October 10, 1846, when the first recorded Mass was celebrated in Key West by a visiting Havana priest on the second floor of city hall at the foot of Duval Street. Father John F. Kirby arrived in 1851 and built the first Catholic church in Key West on the corner of Duval and Eaton Streets; it was dedicated on February 26, 1852, as the fifth Catholic church in Florida and the first in South Florida, under the patronage of Our Lady, Star of the Sea — a title chosen because the parish boundaries are bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary from Montreal began the first Catholic school in Florida in 1868, the Jesuits took over administration in 1898, and after the 1901 arson fire destroyed the original wooden church, the present Victorian/Renaissance Revival church was built 1904–1905 by Brother Cornelius Otten, S.J. The Jesuits served for seventy-two years until 1970, when the parish was returned to the Archdiocese of Miami.
- 1846 — first recorded Mass in Key West, second floor of city hall
- 1851 — Father John F. Kirby arrives from Savannah
- 1852-02-26 — first church dedicated on Duval & Eaton Streets
- 1858 — parish school opened
- 1868 — five Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary arrive from Montreal
- 1898-02-15 — Rev. Anthony B. Friend, S.J. arrives as first Jesuit pastor
- 1901-09-20 — original church destroyed by arson fire
- 1904-02-02 — construction of present church begins
- 1905-08-20 — present church dedicated by Bishop W. J. Kenny
- 1970 — Jesuits turn parish over to Archdiocese of Miami
- 1971 — added to the National Register of Historic Places
- 1989 — declared a National and State Historical Site
- 2012-02-11 — Pope Benedict XVI designates the church a minor basilica
Architecture and the Church Building
The current basilica, designed and built by Brother Cornelius Otten, S.J., a Dutch Jesuit architect-builder of the New Orleans Province, is representative of the eclectic period of American Victorian architecture — a modified early Renaissance Revival with rusticated exterior walls, round arches, lunettes filled with transitional Gothic arches, louvered shutters, and colored glass windows. Otten's careful economy held construction costs to $24,444, an astonishing figure for a church of its size. A major restoration began in 1987 under the guidance of a historic architect; Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy consecrated the new altar and blessed the new furnishings on December 17. The building is a contributing property in the Key West Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Architect: Brother Cornelius Otten, S.J. (Dutch Jesuit, New Orleans Province)
- Construction cost: $24,444
- Style: Victorian eclectic / modified early Renaissance Revival
- Features: rusticated exterior walls, round arches, lunettes with transitional Gothic arches, louvered shutters, colored glass windows
- Major restoration: 1987, altar consecrated December 17
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
On May 25, 1922 — the Feast of the Ascension and the 25th anniversary of Sister Louis Gabriel's entrance into the religious profession of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary — the parish dedicated the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette. Sister Gabriel designed the artistic structure from natural rock gathered from the church grounds and throughout the island; friends in the community funded its construction. Sister Gabriel had survived three major hurricanes since her arrival in Key West on August 25, 1897, just three weeks after her vows, and her deep desire to keep Key West safe from future storms generated her passion to build the Grotto. Tradition holds that since its erection, Key West has not experienced the full brunt of a hurricane, and the Grotto is featured in guided tours of the island and broadcast from by television news crews when a hurricane threatens. Inlaid stones depict a rosary, with the Mysteries named on bronze plaques.
- Dedicated May 25, 1922
- Designed and built by Sister Louis Gabriel, S.N.J.M.
- Statues: Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette
- Material: natural rock from the church grounds and island
- Inlaid rosary with named Mysteries in bronze plaques
- Center of prayer before hurricanes and tropical storms
Designation as a Minor Basilica
On February 11, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI designated St. Mary Star of the Sea as a minor basilica — the first basilica in the Archdiocese of Miami and the fifth in the State of Florida. Archbishop Thomas Wenski had made the formal request through the Holy See's Congregation for the Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments. The solemn Mass with the conferral of the insignia of a basilica was celebrated on May 31, 2012, the feast of the Visitation of Mary. The basilica adopted the motto 'Spe Salvi facti sumus' ('in hope we were saved') from Pope Benedict XVI's second encyclical, which concludes with a reflection on Stella Maris, Mary Star of the Sea.
- Designated 2012-02-11 by Pope Benedict XVI
- First basilica of the Archdiocese of Miami; fifth in Florida
- Dedication Mass: 2012-05-31 (feast of the Visitation)
- Insignia: umbrellino, tintinnabulum, Vatican coat of arms on façade, crossed keys of St. Peter
- Motto: 'Spe Salvi facti sumus'
Mass and Worship Schedule
The basilica offers daily Mass Monday through Saturday at 7:30 am, a Saturday Vigil Mass at 6:00 pm, and four Sunday Masses in English (7:30, 9:00, and 10:30 am High Mass) plus Sunday Masses in Spanish (12:30 pm) and Haitian Creole (7:00 pm), reflecting the multilingual character of the Keys community. Confessions are heard 30 minutes before every Mass, and Saturday confessions run 5:30–6:00 pm. The Perpetual Adoration Chapel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the overnight hours 10:00 pm–6:00 am reserved for scheduled adorers.
- Daily Mass Mon–Sat: 7:30 am
- Saturday Vigil: 6:00 pm (English)
- Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am (High Mass) English
- Sunday: 12:30 pm Spanish
- Sunday: 7:00 pm Haitian Creole
- Confessions: 30 min before every Mass; Sat 5:30–6:00 pm
- Perpetual Adoration: 24/7
Devotions
Beyond the Mass schedule, the parish sustains a robust devotional life centered on the Blessed Mother. The Walking Rosary is prayed in the Grotto promptly at 8:00 am each morning, immediately following the 7:30 am daily Mass — a beloved island tradition. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed at 3:00 pm daily. The Perpetual Adoration Chapel provides a place of Eucharistic prayer around the clock. The Marian patronage, Stella Maris, is woven through the parish's identity and liturgy.
- Walking Rosary in the Grotto — 8:00 am daily
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy — 3:00 pm daily
- Perpetual Adoration Chapel — 24/7 (overnight reserved for scheduled adorers)
- Patronal devotion: Stella Maris (Our Lady, Star of the Sea)
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Christopher Marino, V.F., with Rev. Jaime Iglesias Garcia and Rev. Félière Louis, C.S. serving as parochial vicars. Rev. John C. Baker is in residence, and Rev. Deacon Peter H. Batty assists in ministry. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Miami under Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
- Rev. Christopher Marino, V.F. — Pastor
- Rev. Jaime Iglesias Garcia — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Félière Louis, C.S. — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. John C. Baker — In Residence
- Rev. Deacon Peter H. Batty
Schools and the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
In 1868, at the request of Bishop Verot, five Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary from Montreal, Quebec, were sent to Key West to open a school for girls and form a convent — the first Catholic school and the longest-running Catholic school in the State of Florida. The sisters initially taught in an abandoned army barracks, then in 1874 purchased the present eight-acre school site for $1,000 and built the Convent of Mary Immaculate, considered the handsomest educational building in the state and later renamed Mary Immaculate High School (1886–1986). St. Francis Xavier School served Black children from 1872 to 1961. After 115 years of devoted educational service, the Sisters of the Holy Names ended their mission in Key West in 1983.
- 1868 — first Catholic school in Florida opened by SNJM sisters
- 1874 — eight-acre school property purchased for $1,000
- 1886–1986 — Convent of Mary Immaculate / Mary Immaculate High School
- 1872–1961 — St. Francis Xavier School
- 1983 — Sisters of the Holy Names conclude 115 years of service
Visiting the Basilica
The basilica is located at 1010 Windsor Lane, Key West, FL 33040, and is the southernmost Catholic parish in the continental United States. Travelers reach Key West by U.S. Highway 1 (the Overseas Highway) and by Key West International Airport (EYW). The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto is a featured stop on guided tours of the island, and the church itself is a contributing property in the Key West Historic District. Parking is limited as in most of Old Town Key West; many visitors arrive on foot or by bicycle.
- Address: 1010 Windsor Lane, Key West, FL 33040
- Phone: 305-294-1018
- Fax: 305-292-8096
- Airport: Key West International (EYW)
- Road access: U.S. Highway 1 (Overseas Highway)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father J. A. Corcoran1847 – c.1850
Newly ordained Irish priest sent to Key West by Bishop Portier to serve the growing Catholic population.
- Rev. John F. Kirby1851 – c.1870s
Sent from Savannah by Bishop Francis X. Gartland; built and dedicated the first St. Mary Star of the Sea Church on the corner of Duval and Eaton Streets on Feb. 26, 1852.
- Rev. Felix Ghione1879 – c.1898
Italian diocesan pastor, canonically irremovable until he chose to leave; he resigned from Italy, prompting the Jesuits to take over.
- Rev. Ronald B. MacDonald, S.J.c.1890s
Jesuit assistant to Father Ghione before the formal Jesuit takeover.
- Rev. Anthony B. Friend, S.J.1898 –
First Jesuit pastor, arriving Feb. 15, 1898, beginning 72 years of continuous Jesuit administration of the parish.
- Rev. John Q. Minvielle, S.J.c.1960s – 1970
Last Jesuit pastor; turned the parish over to the Archdiocese of Miami in 1970.
- Rev. Charles Zinn1970 –
First archdiocesan pastor, previously chancellor of the Archdiocese of Miami; received the parish during ceremonies presided over by Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll.
- Rev. John C. Bakerc.2012 – present (In Residence)
Pastor at the time of the Feb. 11, 2012 designation as a minor basilica; now listed by the parish as In Residence.
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