November 3, 2020 – On April 13, 2020, a substantial wind and rainstorm hit Baltimore and literally ripped the famed star cross from its place atop the steeple of St. Mary Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church in South Baltimore, causing it to dangle at a perilous ninety degree angle more than 130 feet above the ground below. For more than a century and a half, the star cross atop the Church has served as a beacon of faith to welcome sailors entering Baltimore’s harbor.

Just after the storm passed, Father Joshua Law, Rector of the Church, contacted the Archdiocese of Baltimore who immediately called upon Lewis Contractors to take the proper measures not only to protect the residents of the area, but also to save Baltimore’s iconic “unofficial lighthouse.”

In less than an hour, Lewis team members were joined by a trusted crane subcontractor and worked well into the evening to remove the more than 100 pound cross and make the situation safe. Standing more than 4 foot tall and erected in 1868, it had only once before suffered damage of any type, then in 1965. During the 1965 renovation that was funded by parishioners of the Church, the cross, originally lit by candles, had its light brightened by the installation of a fluorescent star shaped bulb.

While restoring the steeple, the Lewis team came across a heretofore-unknown time capsule memorializing the original restoration. This time capsule contained offering envelopes with names of the parishioners who had so long before saved the cross. Father Law has published the names of the donors in order for family and friends of the faithful to remember the generous donations of the past. Following careful restoration of the damaged wood members and louvers, restoration of the cross itself and installation of a new LED star light, on October 20th the streets surrounding the Church were once again filled with parishioners and neighbors as Lewis lifted the cross into the air and set it upon its new structurally sound steel base.

In an upcoming celebration, a new time capsule fashioned from storm-damaged wood, which will contain letters and photos of parishioners and friends as well as information about the project, will be installed to memorialize the most recent restoration.

With its new light and timer, each evening from dusk to dawn the St. Mary Star of the Sea cross has once again taken its place in the Baltimore skyline as, in the words of the parish, “an enduring symbol of hope in God.”

Watch a time lapse video of the entire process here.