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Prayer Corner
The repose of the soul of the Grand Father of Capt. Jeremy Allen of the M/V Major Bernard F. Fisher
The repose of the soul of Mary Reynolds Volk, the sister of AOS USA Administrative Board Secretary, Fr. Bill Reynolds |
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Congratulations to New Cardinal Veglio, Prayers for Filipino Tropical Storm Victims & New Leaders at IMO and NOAA
Dear Friends,
In this issue of the AOS USA Maritime Update, I want to congratulate our President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Archbishop Antonio Veglio for being named by Pope Benedict XVI as one of the new cardinals.
AOS USA member and AOS-Mobile chaplain, Fr. Lito Capeding, has shared links for the December Philippine Tropical Storm Washi (also known as Typhoon Sendong).
Catholic News Service reported on December 21, 2011:
"Church agencies teamed with international aid groups and the Philippine government to assist tens of thousands of people left homeless in northern Mindanao by flash flooding caused by an intense tropical storm that left at least 1,000 people dead. The country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that about 502,599 people in 13 provinces were affected by Tropical Storm Washi, which unleashed floods and landslides as people slept in their homes across northern Mindanao late Dec. 16. The council Dec. 21 placed the death toll at 1,010.
More than 43,000 people were in evacuation centers, while another 218,600 people were in need of assistance outside of the centers, the council reported. Philippine President Benigno Aquino declared a national calamity in the wake of the floods, which affected small but densely populated areas of Mindanao. The thousands of people remaining in shelters are at risk of disease, authorities said. Church sources in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, two of the worst hit areas, say exact casualty figures are difficult to pin down because of the extensive damage caused by the storm, the Asian church news agency UCA News reported. It is late this Tuesday evening, but I wanted to get this supplement out to our Christmas newsletter. After I sent out the last issue, I received two Christmas stories about AOS USA members bringing Christmas joy to the seafarers at our ports."
I am also including a link for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-USA. The ministry of AOS and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul have often paralleled. The society was visiting ships when AOS was beginning in Glasgow, and their members often volunteered as ship visitors at the first AOS missions. SSVDP has already established a relief funds, and I encourage our members to work through them at this time.
With the new year, new leadership has come to the International Maritime Organization and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Both of these organizations have a great impact on our US mariners and fishermen.
On this Epiphany Sunday, may you be the welcome to our visiting people of the sea. They are our modern magi. As they experience Christ in your AOS ministry, they will take the story of Christ back to their home in the US and far distant lands.
May the Blessings of this Feast of Epiphany be with all of you,
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L.
President - AOS USA
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 Seafarers' bishop to become Cardinal Today, 6 January, Pope Benedict named various bishops who will shortly be made Cardinals. Included in this list was the Archbishop who oversees the Apostleship of the Sea, Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers.
This announcement underlines the importance the Catholic Church is giving at this time to all those whose lives are constantly on the move; truckers, refugees and seafarers. The Apostleship of the Sea in particular works in more than 90 countries around the world to support seafarers, fishermen and their families.
Martin Foley, National Director of the Apostleship of the Sea in Great Britain, paid warm tribute to Archbishop Veglio. He said: "During the good Archbishop's tenure at the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, the worldwide Apostleship of the Sea has gone from strength to strength. His wise leadership and great pastoral skills, coupled with an approachable and friendly manner, makes him an excellent guide for the Church's outreach to seafarers. His elevation to become a Cardinal underlines both his own commitment to all migrants and in particular seafarers but also to the good work that the Apostleship of the Sea does in ports and in the international forum in partnership with other agencies."
Source: AOS-Great Britain
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 | Fr. Lito Capeding
AOS-Mobile
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Links Related to Typhoon Sendong
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Urgent Request for Assistance:
Typhoon and Flooding in the Phillipines and
Famine in the Horn of Africa
Dear Brother and Sister Vincentians,
The Council General's Office in Paris has requested our assistance to raise funds for two international disasters: the extreme tragedies caused by Typhoon WASHI in the Philippines and famine in the Horn of Africa. As a member of the international Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which spans 142 countries on five continents, the National Council is called upon from time to time in extreme situations to assist our Brother and Sister Vincentians in foreign countries when they have been faced with catastrophic tragedies. That time is now!
Typhoon WASHI struck in the middle of the night on December 16 in the Northern Mindanao Island in the Philippines. The storm caused massive destruction in 47 municipalities, mostly in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Lligan, reportedly killing more than 650 people (and another 1,000 missing), displacing another 40,000 people, and destroying more than 7,000 homes. Several Conferences and Councils in the stricken areas have swung into action, providing emergency relief services such as food, water, medicine, clothing, and other necessities. As in any disaster, the immediate basic needs are the first priority, but the real challenge will be the long-term recovery needs of the 40,000 displaced people.
Emergency needs continue for the people affected by the drought in Alitena, Northern Ethiopia. The famine caused by the drought has affected more than 13 million people, with 3.5 million people being displaced. Many individuals have fled to the bordering countries of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. The report we received indicated that 750,000 people in the famine areas are at risk of death if their basic needs of food, water, clothing, medical aid, and hygiene and sanitation are not provided. The international office in Paris is currently working with the Daughters of Charity, but they cannot do it alone. Very simply, they urgently need our help.
As we gather as Vincentian Brothers and Sisters around the country in the name of Jesus and in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, our patron, I prayerfully ask you to consider making a contribution to help our brethren in the Philippines and Africa who have lost everything. For some, it is the first time in their lives that they have experienced homelessness and a lack of basic necessities. For others, the anguish has been prolonged.
The Society's essential elements of spirituality, friendship and service call us to be compassionate toward our fellow human beings (RULE, Part III). Our core values are further outlined to guide us as we prepare ourselves for service: dignity of the human person, the virtue of humility, and the virtue of charity within and outside the Society. We are being called to help our Brothers and Sisters in the Philippines and Africa as they desperately work to help individuals restore their dignity and rebuild their lives.
To make a contribution, simply follow the link below and click on the "Council General Dual Disasters" box:
Make a Contribution to the Dual Disasters Fund
Or, send your Conference/Council check to:
National Council of the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul
58 Progress Parkway
Maryland Heights, MO 63043
(IMPORTANT: Please be sure to write "Dual Disasters" in the memo field.)
On behalf of the National Leadership Team for the Society for St. Vincent de Paul USA, thank you for your compassion, your service to those living in poverty, and your dedication to keeping the mission of St. Vincent de Paul and the vision of Frédéric Ozanam strong and vibrant.
Yours in St. Vincent and Blessed Frédéric,
Sheila Gilbert
President
National Council of the United States
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Mr. Koji Sekimizu elected as IMO Secretary-General
Mr. Koji Sekimizu of Japan has been elected as the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), with effect from 1 January 2012, for an initial term of four years.
Mr. Sekimizu, 58, is currently Director of IMO's Maritime Safety
Division. Mr. Sekimizu studied marine engineering and naval architecture and joined the Ministry of Transport of Japan in 1977, working initially as a ship inspector and moving on to senior positions in both maritime safety and environment related positions within the Ministry. He began attending IMO meetings as part of the Japanese delegation in 1980 and joined the IMO Secretariat in 1989, initially as Technical Officer, Sub-Division for Technology, Maritime Safety Division, becoming Head, Technology Section in 1992, then moving to become Senior Deputy Director, Marine Environment Division in 1997 and Director of that Division in 2000, before moving to his current position in 2004.
Congratulating the winner, IMO Secretary-General Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos said he looked forward to "working closely with Mr. Sekimizu between now and the end of the year to introduce him to the current state of organizational affairs so that the transition of administration from me to him will be as smooth, harmonious and successful as possible."
"For him to succeed in the hugely demanding and heavy task the Council entrusted him with today, he will need all the understanding, support and co operation of the entire membership and the Secretariat to enable him to provide direction and steer the Organization prudently and wisely in the challenging times that lie ahead. While I have no doubt that the membership will provide all that I just suggested (as they did to me, over the last seven and a half years, for which I am ever so grateful), I can assure him that the Secretariat will stand by him to support him in any way possible and under all circumstances," Mr. Mitropoulos said.
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Dr. Jane Lubchenco
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Statement from NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco on the selection of acting assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management
January 5, 2012
Today, I'm pleased to announce that I've chosen Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, to serve as NOAA's acting assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management, a position left vacant by the departure of Dr. Larry Robinson in November 2011. Eric's official start date is January 17.
The assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management drives policy and program direction for NOAA's stewardship responsibilities, including ocean resource management, coastal management, and protected resources.
I'm pleased that Eric agreed to shoulder this new responsibility. I've been grateful for his leadership as the head of NOAA Fisheries, leading efforts with fishery councils and the fishing industry to meet deadlines to establish annual catch limits, fostering new, productive relationships with commercial and recreational fishermen and women and working to effect significant reform of NOAA's enforcement program. Eric brings more than 25 years of experience in local, state and federal natural resource management to this new role.
Eric has also been working closely with David Kennedy, the assistant administrator for NOAA's National Ocean Service, on a number of cross-line priorities - including the response and recovery effort for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, NOAA's work in support of the president's National Ocean Policy and recent NOAA wide efforts to better focus coastal and ocean habitat science and conservation effort. In addition to continuing to work closely with the fisheries team on priority fisheries issues, Eric tells me he is looking forward to further strengthening the connections among NOAA's many coastal and ocean stewardship programs.
With Eric assuming this new NOAA role, Sam Rauch, currently NOAA Fisheries deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs, will serve as acting assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. Since 2006, Sam has led efforts to ensure the long-term sustainability of our nation's fisheries. He has also been instrumental in development of the new NOAA Habitat Blueprint and on a variety of critical protected resource issues. I am grateful to Sam for his willingness to shoulder broader responsibilities, and I look forward to his leadership.
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members
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
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