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AOS USA Maritime Updates 
The Professional Association of Catholic Mariners and the Official Catholic Organization for Cruise Ship Priests and Catholic Maritime Ministers.September 30, 2010
In This Issue
House Passes Coast Guard Bill
President's Column
A peak inside the Ministry of a Cruise Ship Priest
PrayingHands 

     Prayer Corner

 
 
 Many of our Members have asked for prayers from their AOS Family.  Please keep the following in prayer:
 
Fr. Joseph Muha - Cruise Ship Priest  who is having major heart surgery on Oct. 11
 
Fr. Lawrence Burke - Cruise Ship Priest who suffered a stroke this weekend.
 
Len Falkenthal, brother of Fr. Tom Falkenthal, who had a brain cancer, and passed away last week.
 
Fr. Laurence Hansen - Cruise Ship Priest, who is recuperating from a bad fall.
 
The Father of Lesley Warrick, (Director of Seafarers' House in Port Everglades).  Lesley's Father passed away last week. 
 
Fr. Vicente Jazmines - Cruise Ship Priest who is battling Prostrate Cancer
 
Mr. Joseph Patronella - Volunteer with the Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center
 
Fr. Patrick Collins - Cruise Ship Priest who has a cyst on the sciatic nerve on his leg.
 
 
For our Gulf Fishers, Shrimpers, Crabbers and Oystermen, that God will bless them with a fruitful harvest this year.
 
For all those in pirate infested waters that God will protect them.
 
For those who have fallen into piracy, that they will find better, honest ways of sustaining their families, and turn away from a life of crime.
  
 

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   AOS Streaming Video

  U. S. Coast Guard Bill Passes

In a conversation between Fr.Sinclair and a House staff member who was instrumental in developing section 811 of House Resolution 1665, Fr. Sinclair was told that H Res 1665 was passed on then evening of September 28. At 9:00 p.m., on Wednesday September 29, the bill passed the Senate with two small amendments. It then went back to the House, where it was passed at 1:00 a.m. September 30. It now goes to President Obama for his signature.

This is great news for AOS USA, which has lobbied hard for five years to get section 811, Seamen's Shoreside Access, and section 902, Crew Wages on Passenger Vessels passed.

Section 811 reads:

Each facility security plan approved under section 70103(c) of title 46, United States Code, shall provide a system for seamen assigned to a vessel at that facility, pilots, and representatives of seamen's welfare and labor organizations to board and depart the vessel through the facility in a timely manner at no cost to the individual.

Section 902 is too long to reprint here, but protects seafarers under the Seafarer Penalty law, while also protecting cruise lines by setting a limit of penalty not to exceed ten times the unpaid wages that are the subject of the claims.

These two sections will have a tremendous affect on our US and foreign mariners.
 

Click here to read more about the Bill

 
  
For a Summary of the Coast Guard Act of 2010, click here:
 
 
 
Fr Sinclair Oubre photo
 All One Can Do Is Put Out the Invitation
 

"In order to work for the salvation of souls, we must go to them, mingle with them and live with them in close, familiar contact. We must do so for all the souls whose conversion God wants us especially to work, particularly the infidels. We should go to them first of all." Blessed Charles de Foucauld (Directory, art. XXVIII.)
 
 
For years now, I have used my vacation to pursue my avocation as a US merchant mariner. Once I clear my calender and find priests to cover the weekends at the parish, I head to the Seafarers International Union hall in Houston, and sit with the other mariners waiting for the next job call.
 
This past July, I did not have to wait long. On arriving at the hall, there were no jobs listed on the board for the Houston-area, but there were eight "all ports" jobs on the board. They were all for boats on the Great Lakes, and included a couple of bosun jobs, some in the steward department, one in the engine room, and one for an AB-Watchman.
 
Talking with the port agent, I asked what was the forecast for tanker jobs coming up. He was very pessimistic because things were slow, and there were many guys in the hall with A books or B books who had more time on the beach, and who would beat me out on any job that did arrive.
 
I then asked him about the watchman's job on the M/V St. Clair. He called manpower in Maryland, and they said the job was still available, and that if I wanted it, I needed to fly out the next morning to Sault St. Marie, and join the vessel as it locked through the Soo Locks.
 
Not having sailed on lakers before, I was a bit reluctant, but I took the job anyway. About an hour later, all the paper work was in order, and I headed back to Port Arthur to get my gear, and tie up loose ends before my 6:00 a.m. flight.
 
Part of the gear that I bring with me is my Mass kit. Though I sign on as a watchstander, I don't leave my spiritual life behind. I try to be more faithful to the Liturgy of the Hours since my schedule is much more regular than at the parish, and I also celebrate Mass in my cabin every Sunday.
 
Offering Mass on board causes all kinds of conflicting emotions for me. This doesn't have anything to do with saying Mass, but it revolves around how do I invite the Catholics on board to join me, and how strongly should I "encourage" my fellow crew members. Where is the line between giving a special invitation to fellow crew members to participate in a truly unique spiritual opportunity, and using my status as a priest to push people to Mass even if they are really not interested.
 
For years, I would tell folks that I was having Mass at a certain time, and then no one showed up. I would chastise myself that I needed to make the invitation stronger, but then I was reluctant to "make them come."
 
This past year, I was given a copy of The Spiritual Autobiography of Charles de Foucauld edited by Jean-Francois Six. Charles de Foucauld's early life is a combination of that of St. Augustine and St. Ignatius of Loyola. However, after his decision to radically follow Jesus as a "little brother," he was ordained to the priesthood, and lived as a hermit in the Sahara Desert.
 
Charles had two dreams. First, he hoped that he could attract other Catholics to take up his life of austerity, and join him in forming a religious community. Second, he wanted to imitate Christ so purely that the Muslims he lived among would be attracted to the Gospel.
 
 
When he was murdered at his hermitage in 1916, neither of his dreams showed any progress. No Catholics were attracted to his harsh and ascetical life, and none of the Muslims whom he lived among ever showed any interest in Christianity or becoming Catholic.
 
Even though Charles was killed in the Sahara Desert without gathering companions or baptizing a single convert, his life was not lost in the Church. After his death, small groups of Catholic men and women chose to live in imitation of the Little Brother of Jesus. In addition, Pope John Paul II prepared to celebrate his beatification, but died a month before it was to take place. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, offered the Church the life of Charles on November 13, 2005. 
 
This year, I stopped beating myself up. It really is the invitation that is important, not the response. The world may judge success by the marketing plan. However, Jesus was successful because he was faithful to his Father, and he offered an invitation to humanity. Each person must decide whether or not he or she will respond to this invitation of grace. Faucold
 
So, if Charles can spend fifteen years in the Sahara Desert living an invitation to Christ among the Tuaregs, then I should not be asking myself how many people are coming to Mass, but how am I a little brother of Jesus to the crew of the M/V St. Clair.
 
Yours in Christ Jesus,

Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
President
 
Rebeyro, Fr LloydA Peak Inside the Ministry of a
 Cruise Ship Priest

 Fr. Lloyd Rebeyro

 

On Saturday I disembarked from a Cruise Ship in Seattle after being on 5 cruises back to back.  It was a very interesting ministry and a most fruitful one from the spiritual point of view.  Both the Guests and the Crew / Entertainment Staff were very open to talking and seeking some spiritual guidance.
 
Many of the Guests were "desperately" looking for a priest to help and guide them, especially the 40 -50 years olds.  I made it my priority to walk around the ship and in all public places wearing my clerical attire from early morning to 11 pm.  Hence the guests and crew approached me for 'just simple  talk' leading to some serious guidance in the direction their lives were taking them.  I am still in contact with some who have since left the ships from previous cruises and are now home in Brazil and Peru .I have been lucky to meet some other crew members from previous cruise ship in the various ports of call when our ships werein port at the same time.
 
Many of the Guests after a day or two, when they were comfortable talking, opened their life stories of wandering away from the Church and their families and their desperate need now for help to come back to the Church and and to reconnect with their families and loved ones. And I would then tell them the Parable of the Prodigal Son's return to his loving Father.
 
One case that comes to mind is that of a 52 year old son who was with his 86 year old mother who was confined to her wheel chair.  He eventually approached me to talk and badly wanted to connect with his estranged Mother who brought him on this cruise but was not able to bond with him after being estranged for  30 years. This man cried and cried for help to make up for his PAST WANDERINGS..  After many "talk secessions" he felt he was able to HUG HIS MOTHER. and ASK FOR FORGIVENESS.  And that is what he longed to do for many years but did not know how to do it.
 
I had a similar case with the Cruise Director's family member who was not even a Catholic.   But  after much talking she then felt strong enough to continue with her life.....(instead of choosing the path of SUICIDE  which she was seriously contemplating.  She was an
extremely wealthy person but did not want money.  She only wanted to WALK IN THE RIGHT PATH AND DO THE RIGHT THING IN LIFE,  AND THAT WAS RETURNING TO THE CHURCH after a life of wild living.

Some of the crew were hurting badly as they were away from their family and loved ones and needed a friendly priest who was interested in them to raise their 'poor self
mage.' Each day, I made it my priority to stop and speak to all the crew members to tell them how good they were and what a good job they were doing.  I also complimented them on their good command of English and I in turn asked them to teach me some Filipino and Indonesian phrases which I used........much to their amusement because of my poor pronoucement.Yesterday before I disembarked a waiter came up to thank me for UPLIFTING  him with the compliments I paid him with regard to his English and personal performance. He said that he now felt like a new person!
 
One of the crew members was very anxious to make his First Communion as he had never done it when at home in Bali, so I instructed him during the 5 weeks cruise to Alaska and he received his First Communion at the Crew Mass on Sunday night. it was most edifying to the other crew members.  The Crew Masses were well attended.  It was scheduled for 11.15 pm but always started at 11.30 pm to enable them to freshen up after signing off  from duty at 11 pm.
 
Last week one of the Dinning Room Staff Officers lost his brother in Indonesia and was deeply upset.  He was happy to be reassured that his brother was now at peace with Almighty God  His Loving Father in Heaven. The next day, Sunday we celebrated mass for his brother at night...(same time as he was being buried in Bali) I offered that mass for his brother.  He asked if he could place his cell phone on the altar as it had his brother's picture in the casket) I was happy to do so.  The following day he flew home to his family.
 
I was asked to conduct the Inter Denomination Service for the entire 5 weeks which I was happy to do.  The assembly did the singing as the Good Lord did not give me a musical note in my head. They read the Sunday Scripture readings.  I preached briefly on a theme from the Readings but gently slipped on to the Story of my Priestly Vocation (40 years as a Priest this July) and they loved the story of my journey from Zanzibar British East Africa (presently Tanzania) and my Portugese heritage then onto to Dublin Ireland where I spent 35 years then later as Dean of a High School  in Dublin and presently to the United States. 
 
I told
 t
hem of the Arab Sultan and his beautiful Queen the Sultana. and that story then broke the ice of Religious Barriers, and later all through the cruises they wanted to know more stories of my ministry to the Priesthood. So I invited them to the Catholic Masses that were celebrated daily and were very well attended. 

These cruises have been wonderful and I thank you and all at the Apostleship of the Sea for giving us priests this wonderful opportunity to minister to the crew, staff and guests.
 


 Read & View More about the Oil Spill

 
Workboat Magazine held a free Webinar yesterday, to discuss the Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill on Boat Builders and Vessel Owners/Operators.  The audio file can be listened to here:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

May God Bless you with Smooth Sailing throughout your day!

Contact Info
Doreen M. Badeaux
Secretary General
Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America
1500 Jefferson Drive
Port Arthur, TX  77642-0646
PH:  409-985-4545
FAX:  409-985-5945