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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.

 

December 6, 2011
In This Issue
Christmas Greetings from AOS USA
P&I Clubs' Guidance on Sleigh Rides
Will We Miss the Holy Family?
Pontifical Council's Christmas Message
Special Greetings from the PCPCMR Staff
Resource Links
Upcoming Events
PrayingHands 

     Prayer Corner    

 

Let us pray for all the people of the sea, and the chaplains and maritime ministers who care for them.

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Prayers and Blessings for a  

Holy Christmas 

 

Fr Sinclair Oubre photoDear Friends,

 

Having now prepared all the gifts for my nieces and nephews, everything seems to be ready for the family Christmas activities.

However, those of us baptized into the new life of Jesus know that this season is not about the gifts that we give, but the great gift we receive, our Savior Jesus Christ. The gifts that we give are only a poor imitations of the great gift that God has given us.

This is our Christmas issue. We want to share with you the many Christmas greetings, and special items that have come to us over the last few days.

The Pontifical Council has just released its latest edition of the Apostolatus Maris Bulletin. We have a link to it, and other important resources.

Finally, on behalf of Doreen, our Secretary General and the entire Administrative Board of AOS USA, I want to extend to all of you the warmest blessings and prayers during this Christmas Season.

Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
President - AOS USA 
Sleigh-1Broker Nick Angus reminds us that nothing in life is inevitable save death, taxes, P&I and compliance (Thanks to Sam Ignarski & Bow Wave

All employees planning to dash through the snow in a one horse open sleigh, going over the fields and laughing all the way are advised that a Risk Assessment will be required addressing the safety of an open sleigh for members of the public. This assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly where there are multiple passengers. Please note that permission must also be obtained in writing from landowners before their fields may be entered. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.
 
Benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available forOne Horse Sleigh-2 collection by any shepherds planning or required to watch their flocks at night. While provision has also been made for remote monitoring of flocks by CCTV cameras from a centrally heated shepherd observation hut, all users of this facility are reminded that an emergency response plan must be submitted to account for known risks to the flocks. The angel of the Lord is additionally reminded that, prior to shining his/her glory all around, s/he must confirm that all shepherds are wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment to account for the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and the overwhelming effects of Glory.  
 
Following last year's well-publicised case, everyone is advised that Equal Opportunities legislation prohibits any comment with regard to the redness of any part of Mr R Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R Reindeer from reindeer games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence.  
 
While it is acknowledged that gift bearing is a common practice in various parts of the world, particularly the Orient, everyone is reminded that the bearing of gifts is subject to Hospitality Guidelines and all gifts must be registered. This applies regardless of the individual, even royal personages. It is particularly noted that direct gifts of currency or gold are specifically precluded, while caution is advised regarding other common gifts such as aromatic resins that may evoke allergic reactions.  
 
Finally, in the recent instance of the infant found tucked up in a manger without any crib for a bed, Social Services have been advised and will be arriving shortly.
 

Doreen BadeauxWill We Miss the Holy Family?

 

Over 2,000 years ago, the Holy Family would have passed any number of good people who didn't have room for them and didn't have time to stop and help. Most of us have probably wondered if we would have recognized them had we been there. We will never know.

 

What we can do is work to recognize the Holy Family in today's world.

The Apostleship of the Sea is a unique ministry of the Church, which is exactly where one might encounter the Holy Family if they arrived today.

On the national level, our church has been prioritizing it's mission, but most of those priorities seem to be focused on Parish life, and helping new immigrants to feel welcome in those parishes. This is important work, but it leaves ministries like ours in the margins, since our mission is outside the parish structures.

 

And yet, the Holy Family themselves were not looking for a Parish to take them in, offer Mass in their Language, or provide Baptism classes. They were just passing through town. They simply needed basic human services and a couple of friendly people to give them hospitality.

Such is the work of the Apostleship of the Sea: offering hospitality, human services and Pastoral Care to people who are "just passing through".

 

If we wait for these people to knock on our parish doors....we may miss them entirely.

 

Today's Holy Family may arrive in the form of a foreign seafarer who has been away from home for 9 months, and needs an escort out of a local dock and a place to call home, so he can speak to his wife who has been raising the family and maintaining the house on her own.

 

Or perhaps they will arrive in the form of a Vietnamese shrimper and his wife, who are seeking assistance to fill out complicated government forms in order to get assistance after a poor year in the shrimping industry. The Holy Family may even come in the form of an elderly couple onboard a cruise ship, who are taking one last trip together, knowing that one has a terminal disease.

 

If a friend called you and told you that the Holy Family would be arriving in your Diocese today, wouldn't you drop everything you're doing to run and greet them? Imagine some informed voice calling you to tell you that the parents of Jesus Christ Himself were arriving onboard a ship at your local port and needed a ride to a hotel, and perhaps a meal from the local soup kitchen. I think it is safe to say that most of us would stop in the middle of Christmas dinner, leave our own families, and volunteer to serve them.

 

The trouble is, there never is that informed voice telling us what's really going on. This Christmas, we invite you to welcome the Holy Family into your hearts, and to look for them in your own ports. They are out there, and are in need of your hospitality.

Veglio, Archbishop
 

Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of

Migrants and Itinerant People

 

2011 Christmas Message

 

 

Dear People of the Sea,

 

            On Christmas Day we are invited to reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation of the eternal Word of God, as we read in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint John:"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:1-14).

 

            The mystery of the Incarnation brings first and foremost a message of universal Love which we are invited to share in the increasingly international, multicultural and multireligious maritime world. A Love that embraces all the people of the sea without barriers or discriminations and becomes the foundation of a new way of living together respecting the diversity and dignity of every human being.

 

This mystery is the celebration of Emanuel, the "God with us", which invites us to be Jesus' witnesses in the ever more varied world of the sea to become instruments of a new evangelization showing how the Christian prospective enlightens, in an unprecedented way, the great problems of history. (Synod of Bishops, XIII Ordinary General Assembly, Lineamenta, 7).

 

            Moreover, Christmas announces that the Word of God was incarnated in our divided and imperfect human reality in order to bring it to perfection. With the power that comes to us from the Lord Jesus who walks together with all of us, we want to commit ourselves in finding lasting solutions to the different problems you have to face every day, including exploitation and abuses in the working environment, the criminalization of your actions, the abandonment in foreign ports, the separation from your families and the ever more threatening danger of piracy.

 

            As I wish you a Holy Christmas, I hope that the gifts of joy, peace and serenity brought by the Baby Jesus will reach you wherever you may be, and will be shared by your families and bear fruits of love and happiness.

 

With all best wishes,

X Antonio Maria Vegli�

President

 

 X Joseph Kalathiparambil

 Secretary

 

Christmas Greetings from our Friends at the Pontifical Council

Dear friends in the maritime world,

I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of the graces and blessings of the Lord.  

While we rejoice for the recent release of the crew of the M/V Savina Caylyn, we cannot forget the seafarers that are still in the hands of the pirates and all the seafarers sailing in the seas and oceans of the world that will spend Christmas and New Year far from their loved ones.  

To all chaplains, volunteers and supporters goes my sincere gratitude for your commitments and dedication in providing material and spiritual assistance to seafarers, fishers and their families. 

May the Lord continue to give you strength and courage to minister to the people of the sea standing at their side, upholding their rights giving voice to their demands. 

Have a great Holiday Season! 
Best regards, 
Fr. Bruno Ciceri
 
My Dear Friends, May the wonder of His birth fill your heart. May the Joy of the season bring you peace. May the gift of His life bring you hope. May sweet memories of Christmas past and joyous blessings of today bring you joy,peace and love.

Christmas Blessings, with love

 

Antonella Farina 
 
 
Other News Items  

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin December 2011 (110) 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin Sept 2011 (109) 

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin July 2011 (108)   

 

Audio Report: No Pirates of the Caribbean - Vatican Radio (December 7, 2011) 

 

Piracy video from Lloyd's List 

 

 

Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members

  

             

AOS USA Administrative Board Meeting

Port Arthur, Texas

November 28-29, 2011

  

AOS-USA Annual Meeting

Houston, Texas

May 15-17, 2012  

 

Houston Maritime Chaplaincy Training Program

Feb. 5-16, 2012

@ Houston International Seafarers' Center

Houston School Application

    

AOS-USA Annual Meeting

Houston, Texas

May 15-17, 2012

 

 

XXIII World Congress of the Apostleship of the Sea
November 19-23, 2012 
@ The Vatican 

AOS World Congress Invitation 

 

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