Prayer for Crew and Family of
M/V Costa Concordia
Blessed Lady, Star of the Sea, You know a parents suffering when a child is lost, or has died. Intercede, we pray, for your people of the sea. Pray for the passengers and crew members of the M/V Costa Concordia. And with your motherly care, be with those who still wait for rescue, and be a source of solace for those who have lost loved one's. AMEN |
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Prayers for Crew and Passengers of M/V Costa Concordia & AOS-Italy
Dear Friends,
As we write this special edition of AOS USA Maritime Update, the news of the grounding and sinking of the M/V Costa Concordia is filling the internet and t.v.
We ask that our brother priests, pray in a special way at Mass tomorrow for the 50-60 passengers and crew who are presently listed as missing, and also for the repose of the souls of the three known fatalities. For our diaconal, religious and lay members, please pray a special rosary to our Lady Star of the Sea asking for intercessions for all those affected by this maritime tragedy.
AOS-Great Britain has issued a press release on the work
| M/V Costa Concordia | of the Concordia's AOS chaplain, and the response by AOS-Italy. I have also included a number of links to news agencies who are covering the story.
Finally, AOS USA has been outspoken on the issue of criminalization of seafarers. The motus operandi of coastal nations has been to arrest the captain first, and investigate, maybe, later. This was the situation in New Zealand with the captain of the container ship Rena. Now it appears that it is the same fate for the captain of the Concordia. The New York Times has already reported that:
"After questioning him for several hours, the Italian police detained the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, and the first officer for questioning on charges of manslaughter, failure to offer assistance and abandonment of ship, police said, pending a formal arrest."
The tendency to criminally charge ship personnel immediately after an incident continues to be a great concern for me personally as a mariner. It is as if the mob wants a head, and the mariner will do just fine. Never mind, how company, governmental or industry policies may have brought about the incident.
For me, this is all very fast. In the days ahead, if the captain or first officer are found criminally negligent, then they will need to be prosecuted for their actions. However, the scapegoating of mariners because an accident has occurred must be stopped.
AOS USA Secretary General, Doreen Badeaux, reminds us how important cruise ship ministry is:
"Though some people may view cruise ministry as simply a way for priests to access free cruises, the reality is that the presence of a priest onboard is very important. On an occassion such as today, it is easy to see the need for the priest. However, for cruise passengers or crew who lose a loved one while at sea, who are going through relationship problems, or other issues, the priest's presence and ministry is just as important to them on that day, as on the day of a ship's sinking. I am personally grateful to know that the AOS Italy chaplain was onboard, is safe, and was able to assist passengers and crew. I look forward to the day when all cruise lines will have priests onboard for their passengers and crew as well."
Fr. Sinclair Oubre, J.C.L. President - AOS USA
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From the New York Times: As Divers Search Cruise Ship, Reason for Crash Is Unclear Published: January 14, 2012
ROME - The capsizing of a luxury cruise liner off the Tuscan coast of Italy that killed at least three people and left up to 60 missing raised questions on Saturday about whether the ship had steered dangerously off course and whether the crew was sufficiently prepared for an emergency.
Passengers were seen in a rescue boat from the stranded ship.
Early Sunday, rescuers made contact with two survivors still inside the ship, raising hopes that others might still be alive. The Costa Concordia, carrying 4,200 passengers and crew on a weeklong Mediterranean cruise, slammed into an undetermined object near the island of Giglio on Friday night, as passengers in the galley had just sat down to a candle-lit dinner, tucking into appetizers of grilled mushrooms and scallops. "In a moment, everything was up in the air," said Alessandra Grasso, 24, a passenger from Sicily. "People, chairs, glasses, food." Anxious survivors, many comparing the experience to the movie "Titanic," recounted a chaotic and terrifying scene in which some crawled through hallways to escape down perilous ladders to lifeboats, while others leapt overboard into the wintry Tyrrhenian Sea.... READ FULL ARTICLE |
AOS-Great Britain Issues Press Release on AOS-Italy's Ministry to Those Affected by Capsizing of M/V Costa Concordia
Seafarers' charity Apostleship of the Sea has spoken of how its chaplain helped passengers on board the Costa Concordia, which sank off the Italian coast on Friday night. The cruise ship was carrying thousands of passengers and hundreds of crew.Three people are confirmed dead with dozens still missing.The chaplain onboard assisted shocked crew and passengers, including those injured.
National Director of the Apostleship of the Sea in Italy Fr Giacomo Martino, said, 'The work of cruise chaplains onboard is of great value to encourage and support crew and passengers at difficult moments.' He praised the crew of the ship. 'The crew worked to save passengers with great generosity and a spirit of selflessness.' Thousands of passengers have begun to arrive at the Savona cruise terminal where the local Apostleship of the Sea is joining other agencies to distribute clothing and food. It is also providing spiritual and emotional support.The priest and parishioners on the island of Giglio, where the ship sank, worked during the night to assist those leaving the ship. Fr Giacomo called for prayers to be offered for those who have died and those missing. Each year the Apostleship of the Sea deploys chaplains on many cruise lines to support the pastoral and practical welfare of crew and passengers. Last year more than 700 cruise chaplains provided 15,000 days of cruise chaplaincy across the world.
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Costa Crociere Issues Press Release
Saturday, January 14th 2012
Time 5.30 pm (CET)
"I want to express our deep sorrow for this terrible tragedy that devastates us " - said Gianni Onorato President Costa Crociere- " I am here only now because, as you will understand, I have been from the down until now on the Isola del Giglio to be close to the rescue operations.
First at all, I would like to thank all the authorities, law enforcement and volunteers who made all efforts to help and assist our Guests involved in this terrible event."
We are not at this time able to provide an answer to all the questions, because the competent authority are trying with our cooperative efforts to understand the reasons for this incident.
On the basis of the first evidences, still preliminary the ship Costa Concordia under the command of the Master Francesco Schettino was regularly sailing from Civitavecchia to Savona, when suddenly the ship stroked a rock.
The Master who was on the bridge at that time, understood the severity of the situation immediately performed a maneuver aimed to secure Guests and crew, and started the security procedures in order to prepare for an eventual ship evacuation.
Unfortunately, this operation was complicated as result of a sudden tilt of the ship that has made difficult the disembarkation.
Thanks to the commitment of all forces coordinated by the Coast Guard, from that moment on, rescue operations have been further strengthened.
From the first time the company mobilized all its resources ashore to put in to assist our guests and crewmembers and prevent possible environmental impacts.
Time 12.00 pm (CET)
The accident involving the Costa Concordia last night is a tragedy that has stunned our company.
Our first thoughts reach out to the victims and we would like to express our deepest condolences to their families and friends. We are in close contact with the people who have been injured and are keeping a close eye on their progress. All our efforts are now focused on assisting our guests and the crew who were on board at the time, to make sure they return home as soon as possible. Costa Cruises customer service has already started contacting by phone all the guests who were supposed to join the cruise today in Savona and, from tomorrow, in the other scheduled ports of call. At the moment no changes are planned to the schedule of other Costa Cruises ships. For more information please contact the call centre on 800-462-6782. Everyone who works for Costa Cruises would like to express their heart-felt gratitude to the Coast Guards, the authorities and the people of Giglio and Porto Santo Stefano, who have contributed so much to the rescue operations and to helping our guests and crew. They also thank the doctors who are assisting the injured and all those in need of assistance. The Company is cooperating fully with the competent authorities investigating the accident.
Time 5.00 am (CET)
It is a tragedy that deeply affects our company. Our first thoughts go to the victims and we would like to express our condolences and our closeness to their families and friends. In this moment all our efforts are focused on the completion of the last emergency operations, besides providing assistance to the guests and the crew who were onboard in order to have them going back home as soon as possible. The emergency procedures started promptly to evacuate the ship. The slope, gradually taken over by the ship, made the evacuation extremely difficult. We would like to express our profound gratitude to the Coast Guard and all the forces co-ordinated by the Coast Guard, including the authorities and citizens of the island "Isola del Giglio", who have been involved in the rescue and assistance to guests and crew members. The company will fully co-operate with the relevant Authorities in order to determine the causes of what happened.
Time 1.00 am (CET)
Costa Cruises confirms the evacuation of about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 crew members on board of the Costa Concordia. An incident occured near the island 'Isola del Giglio' of the coast of Italy. The evacuation started promptly, but the position of the ship has worsened, making it more complicated to complete the last part of the evacuation. At this moment, the cause of the incident cannot yet be confirmed. The Company is currently working with the highest commitment to provide all the needed assistance. The Costa Concordia was sailing across the Mediterranean Sea, starting from Civitavecchia with scheduled calls to Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliari and Palermo. About 1.000 passengers of Italian nationality were onboard, as well as more of 500 Germans, about 160 French and about 1.000 crew members.
The Guests had to embark today in Savona and in subsequent ports will be contacted directly by Costa Cruises.
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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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