AOS USA Maritime News 23 April 2010

AOS USA Maritime Updates

The Professional Association of Catholic Mariners and the Official Catholic Organization for Cruise Ship Priests and Catholic Maritime Ministers.

April 23, 2010

In This Issue

April 8th Marks First Anniversary for Maersk Alabama

Reflections of A Cruise Ship Priest

National Day of Remembrance & Prayer

Prayer Corner

For the Crew of the Deepwater Horizon, for the 11 missing oil rig workers, and for all their families and friends.

Pray for the safety of crewmembers sailing in pirate-infested waters on the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Maersk Alabama

Mrs. Linda Lowe, wife of Fr Bill Lowe, former Episcopalian priest now serving as a Cruise Ship Priest. Linda was in a serious motorcycle accident. She has had some improvements but it is slow. Continue prayers for the family.

For Catholic Mariners, that they will feel the presence of their God while at sea. And that they may not lose heart or lose faith in Him.

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Apologies for My Absence

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

I want to apologize to the membership for not communicating with you for a while through this wonderful forum.

Since December, Doreen and I have dedicated a tremendous amount of time responding to Celebrity Cruises' decision to only have cruise ship priests on 20% of its sailings. In addition, Doreen and I have been in extensive discussions with with our AOS Bishop Promoter, Bishop Kevin Boland, our AOS National Director, Sr. Myrna and the director of the USCCB Secretariat for Cultural Diversity, Fr. Allan Deck, S.J. about the effect these changes will have on the viability of the program.

However, your president and secretary general have been engaged in numerous other activities to promote AOS USA, and advocate for seafarer welfare.

In March, I chaired the Seafarers 2010 Conference in Houston. The Administrative Board of AOS USA endorsed our active participation in this conference, and it was great to have AOS USA members from Port Arthur, Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christ, Lake Charles and Mobile taking part. We developed four consensus statements. You can read this at www.seafarerissues.net.

I am presently at the Council of American Master Mariners Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. A number of years ago, I was honored to take the place of the great Franciscan priest, Fr. Vivant Lalonde. In recognition of Fr. Lalonde's great humanitarian service to the maritime community, CAMM established the Lalonde Spirit of the Sea Award. You can see more information about Fr. Lalonde and the Spirit of the Sea award at http://www.mastermariner.org/lalonde.html.

CAMM is a great group to work with, and I am excited to announce that they have just voted to adopt the Seafarers 2010 Conference positions as their own.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
President - AOS USA

Rescue Bid Search Continues for 11 Missing Gulf of Mexico Rig Workers

Editors Note: Though it is very difficult to carry out the ministry, the Motu Proprio Stella Maris lists offshore oil rig workers as part of the community of the faithful that is part of the Apostleship of the Sea's ministry. Please pray for the eleven missing men, the 15 crewmembers who were rescued, and all their families.

This accident is very personal for those of us in the Diocese of Beaumont. A staff writer for our diocesan paper's husband was to go out the morning after the explosion. A matter of nine hours made the difference between life and death.

Lloyd's List
Rajesh Joshi - Friday 23 April 2010

EFFORTS continued yesterday to search for 11 missing oil workers from the semi-submersible drilling rig Deepwater Horizon off Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico, and to extinguish the massive fire that has raged since Tuesday night, writes Rajesh Joshi in New Yor k.

The Deepwater Horizon is listing at 70°. A spokesman for the US Coast Guard told Lloyd's List that the agency continued to monitor the unit's stability, and the potential for it to topple over.

The spokesman said there was a sheen of diesel for two miles around the site. The Deepwater Horizon was understood to have 700,000 gallons of diesel on board. Although the quantity spilled was not known, the spokesperson said "most of the diesel on the water was being consumed back into the fire", which in turn appeared to be minimising the pollution risk.

There were 126 crew members on the Deepwater Horizon, of whom 115 were accounted for. The USCG spokesperson said the search for the 11 missing oil workers would continue for as long as there was a reasonable probability of their being located. Warm water temperatures and the overall weather conditions were cited as positive factors. The spokesperson said an earlier report from Wednesday that the 11 workers had been found was inaccurate.

The cause of the explosion and fire remained under investigation, although the USCG said preliminary indications were that it was not a terrorist act.

The Deepwater Horizon is owned by New York-listed Transocean, the world's largest drilling contractor. BP Exploration & Production is the lease operator. The casualty happened around 2200 hrs Tuesday, 42 miles southwest of Venice, Louisiana.

April 8th marks one year since the attack on the M/V Maersk Alabama

In the midst of our Easter celebrations, the first anniversary of the first attack by pirates on the M/V Maersk Alabama came upon us. Our prayers continue to pour out to the Alabama's crewmembers and their families as they continue to cope with the trauma. In addition, AOS USA continues to join its prayers with all those in the maritime community, that seafarers, whether sailing in the Gulf of Aden, the Nigerian Coast, the Straits of Malacca or the South China Sea will be kept safe, and that the 350 seafarers from 15 ships who presently are being held against their wills will be returned to their families soon.

Here are a number of links regarding the recent anniversary:

Reflections on Cruise Priest Ministry

By Fr. Jack Treacy, SJ

As a university campus minister, I love sharing stories with my students of my occasional cruise chaplaincies. Given my audience, I usually stress the more entertaining moments-snorkeling in the Caribbean, zip-lining in Alaska, kayaking in Mexico, rock-climbing on board the ship while at sea and such. And I usually add something along the lines of "And it's a free cruise. All I have to do is say Mass everyday!"

Of course, those of us who serve as cruise chaplains know that it can be so much more than simply showing up for the daily liturgy. While I appreciate the leisure and opportunities afforded by these chaplaincies, I'm also grateful for the many moments of grace that are part of the experience. Those who gather for daily liturgies do build a sense of community. I sometimes joke that our liturgical gathering space, whether it be a lounge or showroom, is "Mary, Star of the Sea Parish" for the duration of our liturgies. Even as I sometimes wonder if folks aren't bored with my homilies day after day after day, I marvel at the ways that I see people reaching out to one another, coming to know about the others' lives, families and concerns. I also make it a practice to always mention the staff and crew of the vessel in our intercessions, so the passengers find another way to connect with those who are serving us so generously and graciously.

Presiding at the interdenominational liturgies is also a moment of grace. How different from my own childhood, when I wasn't sure if I could attend a friend's Protestant service!

We chaplains know that our ministry isn't confined to liturgies. Again and again, I find that passengers who wouldn't find their way to a church are first surprised and then sometimes grateful to learn that there is a chaplain aboard the ship. I've had wonderful conversations not only with active Catholics but also with alienated Catholics and unchurched persons on a variety of topics, in situations that include pastoral counseling. So often these dialogues begin with, "Father, could I speak to you about something?"

I find that making clear to the Cruise Director or contact person that I am more than willing to be of assistance in any situation brings other opportunities as they feel comfortable in referring passengers to speak with me. I recall counseling a passenger who had just gotten word of her mother's death at home, or another who had come on the cruise shortly after the death of her husband and was finding it difficult to be in the midst of so many couples. She simply needed to have someone listen to her story.

I always make it clear as well that I would appreciate having a Crew Mass. I consider those liturgies to be especially meaningful, as the staff members are giving up valuable free time to gather for Eucharist. Since the liturgies are usually scheduled for 10:30 PM or 11:00 PM, I find I need my second wind, but it is always worth it. I remember when one crew member told me she hadn't been able to attend Mass in seven months because of her duty schedule!

The few times I was available during Holy Week, I found that providing the Triduum even in a rather modest form was a powerful experience for those who participated. One cruise I had to plead with the Cruise Director to find time for a Good Friday service. I finally said, "Please-give me any hour of the day, any place on the ship, but it is Good Friday, and we really should have a service." She managed to reduce the afternoon tea service by a half hour, allowing me an hour in the late afternoon. Over 200 of the 1200 passengers showed up for the service! The director herself attended all the services and later told me how much she appreciated them.

I remain grateful for this opportunity to serve others while enjoying travel and the life at sea that I wouldn't otherwise have. May our gracious God continue to bless our shared ministry, and especially all those who labor at sea!

Fr. Jack Treacy, SJ, is a Jesuit priest ordained in 1990. He serves as Director of Campus Ministry at Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA. He recently was the cruise ship priest on the M/V Mercury.