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AOS USA Maritime Updates 

The Professional Association of Catholic Mariners, Cruise Ship Priests and Catholic Maritime Ministers.

 

August 3, 2012
In This Issue
Happy Coast Guard Day!
Special Report from Fr Higgins on Mass onboard MSC Flaminia prior to explosion.
Chaplain Reflects on Years with AOS
Prayer for Hurricane Season
Resource Links
Upcoming Events
PrayingHands 

    

Prayer Requests:

 

 

Please keep the following AOS-USA Members in your prayer:

 

Fr. Tim Brian - Cruise Ship Priest member, who is facing heart problems.

 

Fr. Marvin Klemmer - Cruise Ship Priest member facing illness.

 

Fr. Donald Koch - Cruise Ship Priest member facing illness.

 

 

 

 

 

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   AOS Streaming Video

 Happy Coast Guard Day!

 

 

Tomorrow, August 4, is the 222nd anniversary of the enactment of legislation establishing the Revenue Cutter Service (RCS), the forerunner of today's US Coast Guard.

 

While nominally intended to enforce the collection of revenue from imported cargoes, the service was engaged in multiple missions from the beginning. Over time, other agencies and functions were merged into it.

 

In 1915, with the merger of the RCS and the Life-Saving Service, the name of the agency was changed to the United States Coast Guard.

 

An illustrious history, and proud present, and an exciting future!

 

AOS-USA takes this time to say "Thank you" to the men and women of the US Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxilliary for the work they do to protect mariners and the waterways.

 

  

Higgins, Fr Bob  Special Report on Mass onboard MSC Flaminia just prior to her Explosion and Fire

 

Courtesy: 

AOS Charleston Port Chaplain, Fr Bob Higgins

 

 

Sunday, July 8, 2012, was my first Sunday back in the Charleston area, after having been away for four months, to participate in a Bereavement Course, after the death of my mother.

 

 It was a rare occasion, to say the least, in that I did not have an assigned Church to say Mass at, since my official assignment had not yet begun.

 

So, at the crack of dawn, I got up and headed over to the Wando Terminal to see if I would be able to say Mass on a ship. Fortunately, with the assistance of Charleston Port and Seafarers Ministry "CHAPPS" Volunteer, Gene McLaughlin, I was able to offer Mass for the Crew of the MSC Flaminia, in the crew mess hall.

 

As always, we (Gene and I) had a great time, talking and joking with the crew after the Mass, and then they all headed back to the Center, where they would board the bus to take them shopping.

Several days later, I was in the office of Saint Mary Catholic Church, on Hasell Street, and the secretary asked me, "Did you hear about the fire on the Flaminia"?

 

My heart sunk as she pulled up the article on the internet, explaining that there had been an explosion and fire on board, when they were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, half way between New York and Antwerp. All had to abandon ship.

 

The article, with photos, confirmed, one dead, and one missing. My initial reaction was to pray: pray for the souls of those mariners, and for their families. I was in shock. I realized that I was the last person that they had seen, the last man on the ship, before they left for Antwerp.

 

My second reaction was to call Sergio Fedelini, Vice President, and the local head of MSC, here in Charleston, and offer my
assistance to the MSC family locally, and, in New York if needed. For, the next weekend, I would be in New York for a wedding, and I offered to stop in and visit the wounded sailors in the hospital.

 

My heart was saddened even deeper, when Toni Haynia, of MSC confirmed that there were now two dead, and one missing.

As time goes by, I have been able to reflect on the incident of being able to say Mass on the MSC Flaminia. Sometimes, we may simply take it for granted, that what we do is routine and insignificant. We may wonder about what kind of impact we have on the lives of others, as we go about our daily routines.

 

In this case, it has truly made me conscious of the importance of
what we do. To have been able to give those men their last sacraments (Eucharist), was wonderful. It was food for the journey. We need to take advantage of every opportunity that we have, to stop, and thank GOD, for the many gifts that HE gives us. For, we know not the time, the day, or the hour.

 

It gives me great peace and joy, to know that GOD put me in the right place, at the right time, and that I cooperated with HIS plan.
 

Fr. Bob Higgins
Rev. Fr. Robert F. Higgins

AOS - Port of Charleston, SC
 

 

 
Stricken MSC Flaminia Nears UK Coast
 
The Journal of Commerce Online - News Story
 

  Flaminia

 

 

 
Firefighters to reboard vessel for container-by-container inspection

 

Firefighters planned to reboard the MSC Flaminia to attack remaining fires as the stricken container ship moved within 170 nautical miles of the U.K. coast, owner Reederei NSB said.

The ship and three accompanying tugs were moving at a four-knot speed, the company said. The vessel was reported listing by 11 degrees because of damaged cargo and water poured on the fire.

 

After the prevailing fog of the last days lifted, firefighters Wednesday reboarded the ship, but intense heat prevented a close inspection of cargo holds. The ship's firefighting system, reactivated earlier this week, was switched off.

"Overall, the situation onboard MSC Flaminia has improved," the company said on its Web site. "The emission of smoke from cargo holds 4 and 5 has declined significantly. Nevertheless, hot spots inside of individual containers should still be reckoned with."

 

The company said it was unclear when firefighters could begin inspecting individual containers to eliminate any smoldering fires.

 

British authorities are expected to decide within the next few days on granting permission for the ship to enter a sheltered coastal area.

 

The ship caught fire July 14 in the mid-Atlantic, approximately 1,000 miles from land, en route from Charleston to Antwerp.

One crewmember died from burns, a second seaman is missing and three remain hospitalized. Eighteen crewmembers and two passengers escaped injury.

 

The MSC Flaminia, an 11-year-old ship with capacity of 6,732 20-foot-equivalent units, reportedly was carrying 2,876 containers.

 

    

Ducette, Msgr John Chaplain Reflects on Years with Apostleship of the Sea

 

Courtesy: Western New York Catholic

(Diocese of Buffalo)

 

(Editor's note:  AOS-USA congratulates long time Pastoral Member, Msgr. John Ducette as he continues to reach out to the people of the sea.)

  

 

Every year in June, Msgr. John Ducette marches down to the Erie Canal to bless the boats that pass through on their way to Lake Erie. As chaplain for the Apostleship of the Sea, it is his job to pray for the safety and salvation of all seafarers.


The Apostleship of the Sea reaches out to mariners, fishers, their families and all those who travel the waterways of the world. The chaplains try to accommodate the unique lifestyle of these people, serving the way a parish priest would, offering sacraments, prayer and kindness.

Back in the 1930s, Buffalo would see 2,000 vessels coming in to its port. The construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the '50s allowed many ships to bypass the Erie Canal. That and a decline in local industry has greatly reduced the commercial travel through these parts, and the role of the apostleship.

"I've ministered whenever they call on me," Msgr. Ducette said. "For instance, when they first dedicated the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. There are the Little Rock and the Sullivans. I was there on the day of the dedication and blessed both vessels, and I blessed the monuments they put on that property since then."
Msgr. Ducette has occasionally worked with the Coast Guard. He was asked to do a blessing at the Buffalo Yacht Club a couple years ago, and has been known to help sailors with more personal needs as well.

"I'm available to do any sort of priestly ministry to anyone on the seashore who would call me. And I'm committed to pray for the safety and salvation of seafarers wherever they are in the world," he said.

At 76 years old, Msgr. Ducette still has a love for the water and takes his duties as chaplain very seriously, but admits he receives few calls.

"Not many these days," he said bluntly. "Our country is becoming more and more secular, and the religious ceremonies are not too appreciated by the secular community. So I don't get too many calls. But if they call me, I go."

The international organization came to the Port of Buffalo on May 28, 1963, with Msgr. Edmund J. Britt as the first local chaplain. His successors include Father Thomas Devine and Msgr. Leo McCarthy. A longtime interest in boating led Msgr. Ducette to take over the chaplaincy after Msgr. McCarthy in 1978. He also has served as a chaplain for Town of Tonawanda police since 1985. That role allows him to carry a badge and celebrate an annual Mass for officers. If they need a priest, he goes. And although he enjoys both roles, he thinks they are more suitable for a younger man.

"I'm an old man," he said, recounting a story of having to climb a ladder to board a tall commercial vehicle that offered no gangplank. "That's pretty tough for an old geezer."

Recently, while celebrating the noon Mass at St. Mary of the Cataract in Niagara Falls, he asked people to pray for the safety of tightrope walker Nik Wallenda as he attempted to cross the falls.

He offers the daredevil the same advice he gives to boaters in the Niagara River. "The river is not treacherous, but it is unforgiving of any mistake or neglect. When you challenge nature, like Mr. Wallenda is doing, if you make a mistake, you're going to pay for it."

 

 

 

Prayer for Hurricane Season

 

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, and invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us.  

Amen.

Originally dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Audrey in 1957.  - Fr. Al Volpe, Cameron Parish, LA  

 

Other News Items  

 

Apostolatus Maris Bulletin April 2012 (111)  

   

2012 Easter Message from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants 

 

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

  

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

AOS World Congress Invitation 

 AOS World Congress Provisional Time-Table (Agenda) 

Recommendations of XXII World Congress Poland 2007 

 

 

World Fisheries Day

November 21, 2012

World Fisheries Day Home Page: http://www.gdrc.org/doyourbit/21_11-fisheries-day.html 

World Fisheries Day Face Book Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Fisheries-Day-November-21/141778879204555   

 

 

Houston Maritime Ministry Training Program
February 17 - March 1, 2013
Houston International Seafarers' Center

 


 

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