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Prayer Corner
For the people of Japan recovering from the effects of Earthquake and Tsunami, and Nuclear radiation.
We especially pray for the fishermen & mariners of Japan who have been affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami, and will likely be affected for months and years to come.
For the people of Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast, especially Fishermen, Mariners and Coastal families who rely on the sea for their livelihood.
For Fr. William Bauman AOS USA Cruise Ship Priest who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He asks for prayers from his AOS Family for "Faith to return to the Lord in a happy death".
For Fr. Joseph Gaugh, AOS USA Cruise Ship Priest who is recovering from a hip infection.
For Fr Cleo Schmenk, AOS USA Cruise Ship Priest recovering from cataract surgery.
For the sister of Fr Frederico DeSouza, (AOS USA Cruise Ship Priest ), recovering from open heart surgery in Mozambique.
For the Mother of Fr John Belmonte, (AOS USA Cruise Ship Priest), recovering from illness.
For our mariner member, Jon Furukawa, during his deployment in Iraq.
For those held hostage by pirates throughout the world.
For our Fishers, Shrimpers, Crabbers, Lobstermen, Oystermen, etc., that God will bless them with a fruitful harvest this year.
For all those in pirate infested waters that God will protect them.
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Join AOS USA Today!
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
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 Dear Friends,
Yesterday, the Apostleship of the Sea - Diocese of Beaumont was a co-host for the 40th Anniversary Observance of the Sinking of the Texaco Oklahoma. The East Texas Catholic has a short story, and pictures of the event on its web site.
The day consisted of two parts. First, a moving memorial at the Seamen's Memorial Sundial. Second, a first class symposium on maritime safety.
The three living survivors were able to relate their struggles of those fateful two day of March 27-28, 1971. In addition, a representative of the family, and the permanent chief mate, who had gone on vacation 18 days before the tragedy, related how they dealt with the crisis. A second panel with representatives from MARAD, Texaco Marine and the Coast Guard shared how this tragedy changed maritime practices so that shipping became safet.
Finally, the keynote address was given by John Cullather, the recently retired head of staff for the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. He addressed how five maritime tragedies from 1963-1983 moved Congress to strengthen maritime laws.
AOS USA ANNUAL MEETING - DULUTH, MN
Now that this giant event is completed, it is time for me to focus all my attention on the AOS USA Annual Meeting that will be held from May 3-6, 2011, in Duluth, Minnesota. Our AOS USA cruise ship priest and ministry member, Fr. Bob Sipe, has invited us to visit the two busiest shipping communities on the Great Lakes, Duluth, MN. and Superior, WI.
In a recent Administrative Board conference call, a draft agenda was developed. Here are some of the highlights:
- Tuesday afternoon: Commercial fishing, Deepwater Horizon, & AOS and AOS USA's response to this incident.
- Wednesday: Ministry in the Great Lakes;
- Catholic & Ecumenical ministry on the Great Lakes
- Canadian and US-flagged Shipping on the Great Lakes
- Brainstorming on how to minister to the 90+Lakers
- Thursday Morning: Business Meeting
- Election of Vice President to replace Deacon Reggie Seymour
- AOS USA's continued service as the agent to the USCCB for the Cruise Ship Priest Program
- AOS World Congress in Rome-2012
- Update on the Our Lady Star of the Sea Mosaic at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
- Thursday Afternoon: Free time to explore the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center and other great sites
- Friday: Address by Fr. Allan Deck, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
President
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Inn on Lake Superior
1-888-668-4352
The Inn on Lake Superior will play host to AOS USA's tenth annual conference. This is the second time we will be in the Great Lakes. Our third conference was held at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Michigan in 2004.
This year's conference will be hosted at the Inn on Lake Superior. Located in Duluth Minnesota, in Canal Park, The Inn on Lake Superior is a classic Duluth Hotel with deliberate comfort and a Minnesota vacation hotel plush with amenities. This is Duluth MN lodging at it's finest-perfectly adorned to make you feel like royalty nestled between the Lake Superior shoreline and famed Canal Park shops and restaurants. This jewel of a Duluth MN hotel offers a unique lodging experience for tourism, travel, and business. Your furry family members are also invited to stay - pets are very welcome at the Inn on Lake Superior.
Indoor/outdoor heated pools, complimentary bed and breakfast bar, nightly outdoor campfires along Lake Superior, exceptional rooms and suites, free high-speed internet access, and beautiful conference facilities featuring the fine foods from Savories Catering are among the luxurious extras setting the Inn on Lake Superior in Canal Park apart from other Duluth hotels. The only thing we overlook is the Lake.
The hotel is holding a block of rooms for AOS USA through April 15, 2011. So if you are considering coming, but are not sure, I strongly encourage to make your hotel reservations now. These can be easily canceled up to 72 hours ahead of time, and you will not be charged. However, it would be sad that you would have to pay a higher rate, if the reservation date passed, or the room blocks were filled.
To call for reservations, call 1-888-668-4352. We have a room block from May 2-May 6. Be sure to tell them you are with the Apostleship of the Sea USA conference. If you need to come earlier or stay later, I believe that they will be happy to work with you.
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Issue Date: Issue #144 March 2011,
Great Lakes mariners begin to see recovery, prepare for environmental rules Rich Miller |
Weakened by the recession in 2009, the Great Lakes shipping industry experienced a turnaround in 2010 that is reflected by statistics: U.S.-flagged tonnage was up 34 percent through November, with a 17 percent increase in exports through the St. Lawrence Seaway.  | | Bulk carriers sail in the St. Lawrence Seaway. After volumes plunged in 2009, Great Lakes shipping has staged a comeback, as shipments of grain and iron ore are increasing. (Photo courtesy St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.) |
For operators like Mark Barker, the rebound registered in a more personal way. All of his company's ships were back on the water, and there were more jobs for people who wanted them. "It's gone a lot better," said Barker, president of Interlake Steamship Co. of Richfield, Ohio, as the season was winding down in mid-December. "We had ships tied up in 2009 and this year we brought our whole fleet out. We tried to cycle guys through (in 2009) to get everyone some work, but there were definitely some people who didn't get as much as they needed. We've had more people working and more consistent work." The gains have been paced by an increase in demand for iron ore, as U.S. and foreign steelmakers respond to a recovery in the manufacturing sector. That's been the case for Interlake, which operates a fleet of 10 "lakers" transporting coal, iron ore, stone and grain between U.S. ports. "In 2009, steelmaking utilization was down to about 40 percent, and it's back up in the 60 to 70 percent range now," Barker said. "I don't think we'll be back to pre-2008 levels real soon, but things come back. We've rebounded a little bit as far as the steel sector goes."
 | | Interlake Steamship Co.'s 767-foot Kaye E. Barker delivers a load of coal to a power plant at Marquette, Mich. (Photo courtesy Interlake Steamship Co.) |
That trend is reflected at major U.S. ports. At the Port of Duluth-Superior on Lake Superior, the largest port on the lakes, year-to-date tonnage was up 25 percent through November. Domestic shipments of iron ore nearly doubled. At the Port of Toledo on Lake Erie, overall tonnage was up 20 percent, led by a 45 percent increase in iron ore. READ FULL STORY IN PROFESSIONAL MARINER |
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Interim Vice President Elected by Administrative Board
On January 25, 2011, Deacon Reggie Seymour sent a note to the AOS USA president informing him that he would have to step down from the office of vice president of AOS USA. He noted, "Personal reasons necessitate that I withdraw from any activities at least for the foreseeable future. I have thoroughly enjoyed my association with the Apostleship of the Sea and I am particularly sorry to give up my office. If I can be of any help to my successor, I am available by telephone. Best wishes to all of you. I will look forward to joining again as soon as possible."
Fr. Sinclair, AOS USA president expressed his appreciation of Deacon Seymour's many contributions to AOS USA and the New Orleans Catholic maritime ministry. In a note, Fr. Sinclair stated that, "...I have always appreciated your dedication to the seafarers, your hard work in the maritime ministry, and most of all, your past experience with the immigration service. Working with you helped me to understand a group of good men and women, who play an invaluable role in protecting our nation's security.... I hope that you will have many happy years to enjoy with your wife, and to continue your diaconal ministry to the Church of New Orleans."
The AOS USA constitution, Article 5 sec. 4, calls upon the Administrative Board to fill any board vacancies at the next board meeting. The March 24, 2011 teleconference was the first meeting of the board since Deacon Reggie's resignation.
At that time, the mariner member, Chris Fogerty, was placed in consideration. Chris has been a member for two years. He is a US merchant mariner, and is employed by ConocoPhillips in Houston. There, Chris is the Senior Operations Coordinator for Polar Tankers. He would like to bring more Catholic mariners into AOS USA, and develop means by which mariners give greater support to the Catholic maritime ministry.
The Board unanimously elected Chris. He will serve until the Duluth Annual Meeting, when the membership will permanently fill the vacancy.
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Adbon Callais Offshor Explands
Its Holy Fleet
AOS USA deeply appreciates is long relationship with Abdon Callais Offshore, and its president and AOS USA members, Mike Callais. In the March issue of Workboat Magazine, we learned of the expansion of the "Holy Fleet."
For years, ACO has named many of their new builds after Catholic saints and important Catholic leaders. In the Gulf of Mexico today, the names of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, St. Martin de Porres, and Mother Theresa are frequently heard over the VHF.
Now, Master Boat Builders, in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, is constructing three additions to the "Holy Fleet." Between now and December of 2011, the following vessels will be completed: - Infant of Jesus of Prague
- St. Joseph the Worker
- Our Lady of LaSallette
Our prayers are that these vessels will be protected by the prayers of Our Lady Star of the Sea, and that they will be a sign of Catholic evangelization in the Gulf of Mexico oil patch.
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AOS Special Fund
for the victims of Tsunami in Japan
Vatican, 17th March 2011
Prot. n. 5856/2011/AM
Re: AOS special Fund for the victims of Tsunami in Japan Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We have seen the dramatic images of buildings shaking and collapsing for the most powerful earthquake followed by the devastating tsunami that hit the Northern Japan only a few days ago. It is still early to realize the magnitude of the tragedy, entire cities are destroyed, hundreds of people are dead and ten of thousands are displaced. I do not have words to express my solidarity to all the people affected by this tragedy and I assure them that they are in my thoughts and prayers. The government emergency and rescue response has being immediate and it will continue for weeks and months. However, I understand that facing this immense catastrophe even a technological advanced and developed country like Japan needs assistance to rebuild the lives of broken families and communities. As it happened for the tsunami that stroke the coasts of Asia in 2004, I think that the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) as worldwide community should be present as an extraordinary manifestation of solidarity. It should offer its contribution to assist the victims of this calamity. The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, which is responsible for the overall direction of the Apostleship of the Sea, has decided to set up a special "AOS special Fund for the victims of Tsunami in Japan" with an initial donation of 3.000 (three thousands) Euros. This fund, with other donations, aside from providing assistance to respond to the immediate needs of the survivors, will sustain a long-term commitment plan for the people who are at the heart of our ministry, like seafarers, fishers and theirs families. The donations received will be given directly to AOS in Japan. The National Director Soon-Ho Kim, with the supervision of the AOS Bishop Promoter, H.E. Msgr. Michael Goro Matsuura, has taken the responsibility to coordinate this effort by submitting rehabilitation projects and budgets in order to help devastated fishing communities and rebuild their lives. This Pontifical Council has created two different bank accounts, one in US$ and the other one in Euros, where you can send donations (see attachment). Please let us now about any transfer of funds. I would be grateful if you could forward this message to your collaborators and colleagues and give all the publicity that you think fit. I thank you in advance for your support and generosity and pray for the blessing of Mary, Star of the Sea, for this endeavor. Sincerely yours in Christ, Archbishop Antonio Maria Vegliò President Fr. Gabriele Bentoglio Under Secretary |
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Instruction to remit donations for the
AOS special Fund for the victims of tsunami in Japan
In USA dollars
BANK: JP MORGAN CHASE BANK
ADDRESS: 4 CHASE METRO TECK
7th Floor 11245 Brooklyn
New York
COD. SWIFT: CHASUS33XXX
ABA ROUTING NR: 021000021
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 001 - 1 - 975 000
BENIFICIARY:
ISTITUTO PER LE OPERE DI RELIGIONE
(Cod. Swift: IOPRVAVXXXX)
00120 CITTA' DEL VATICANO
Details of payment: Pontificio Consiglio Migranti - account no. 22 52 70 14
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In Euros
BANK: JP MORGAN - CHASE BANK
ADDRESS: 14, JUNGHOFSTRASSE
60311 FRANKFURT AM MAIN
BLZ 50110800
IBAN: DE81501108006231606168
CODICE SWIFT: CHASDEFXXXX
BENEFICIARY:
ISTITUTO PER LE OPERE DI RELIGIONE (IOR)
00120 Città del Vaticano
Details of payment: Pontificio Consiglio Migranti - account no. 22 52 70 13
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members
AOS USA Annual Conference
When: May 3-6, 2011
Where: Duluth, Minnesota
Focus: Connecting Great Lakes Seafarer Welfare Agencies with US and Canadian Lakers and Their Crews
National Maritime Day: May 22, 2011.
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