St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish was built in 1877 as the first Catholic Church in Ocean City, Maryland, as a mission church for St. Frances De Sales in Salisbury. The earliest reference to the church’s name appears in the records of 1885, but the name “Star of the Sea” dates back to antiquity. It is hard to imagine back in 1880 when St. Mary Star of the Sea was one of the three non-residential buildings balanced along a thread of sand facing borders of sea and sky that we now know as Ocean City, Maryland. During the seasonal months, Ocean City is the second largest city in Maryland bringing many tourists to our church community.

An ever-increasing number of tourists searched for a church as they visited the seashore, and the little church soon outgrew her walls. The need of light, of guidance, of hope, of harbor and of Sunday obligation led to the need for a larger church. In 1967, St. Mary Star of the Sea was officially established as a full-fledged Parish. The pastor had the benefit of foresight to buy nine lots between 17th and 18th Streets, and in 1954 Holy Savior Church was built as a “mission church” for St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish.

The continuing growth of the Catholic community soon found Holy Savior making additions to the church and the building of a larger church hall. In 2008 the old parish hall was torn down. A new parking lot and the Father Stephen Connell Parish Center were built to further enhance our Christian community and to provide space for religious education for our church family.

Each member brings his or her gifts, enhancing the growth of St. Mary Star of the Sea/Holy Savior Church. Like the early Christian Community, we do things with one mind and one heart.

“God prepared the heart of Mary as a fitting home to the Holy Spirit. May we, His chosen people, become temples of His glory. We ask Mary to help us, her spiritual children, so dear to her heart, to stay ever united in friendship with her Son and never separate ourselves by sin.”