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Prayer Requests:
For the repose of the soul of Wilfred Gardner, a Catholic passenger who passed away while onboard a cruise ship on June 2. His wife Carol was truly appreciative of the presence of the Cruise Ship Priest onboard, Fr Al Winshman. Please keep the Gardner family in your prayers.
Prayer For Hurricane Season
Bishop Maurice Schexnayder (2nd Bishop of Lafayette, LA)
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 calmness; 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 of Mexico, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its sleep, overstep its conventional boundaries, 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 passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son on 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 stormless eternity awaits us.
Amen.
For all seafarers who are just starting their careers, especially those who are struggling to find work in the current economic climate.
A Seafarers' Prayer
O God, I ask you to take me into your care and protection along with all those who sail ships. Make me alert and wise in my duties. Make me faithful in the time of routine, and prompt to decide and courageous to act in any time of crisis. Protect me in the dangers and perils of the sea; and even in the storm, grant that there may be peace and calm within my heart. When I am far from home and far from loved ones and far from the country that I know, help me to be quite sure that, wherever I am, I can never drift beyond your love and care. Take care of my loved ones in the days and weeks and months when I am separated from them, sometimes with half the world between them and me. Keep me true to them and keep them true to me, and every time that we have to part, bring us together in safety and in loyalty again. This I ask for your love's sake. -Amen-
AOS PRAYER
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers.
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us,
or we perish.
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To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
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AOS/USCCB Website:
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. (Psalm 107:23-24)
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 AOS/USCCB & AOS-USA Visit with AOS Oakland
By: Capt. Pietro Parravano
Fishing Representative
AOS-USA Board of Directors
Dear Friends, On June 20, 2016, I hosted Sr. Joanna Okereke, HHCJ for a visit to the San Francisco Bay area. Our visit started at the Oakland Seafarers Center located at the Port of Oakland. She was welcomed by John Claassen (AOS), Bob McKoon (AOS) and the staff of the Seafarers Center. Several members of the crew from M/V Cosco Thailand were at the Center. The crew had productive discussions with Sr. Joanna about the important role of Seafarers Centers and the vital support from AOS-USA as they travel to many ports.
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Sr. Joanna with Dungeness crab traps Pillar Pt. harbor Half Moon Bay
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Sr Joanna Okereke, & Capt. Pietro Parravano, with John Claassen, Bob McKoon and staff and volunteers of the Oakland Seafarers' Center
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She also met the family of John Claassen who reside in San Francisco. The visit was enriched by the visit of the family of Vijay Tiwari, an engineer on the M/V Cosco Thailand. His family flew from India to be with Mr. Tiwari and met at the Oakland Seafarers Center. |
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Image from Star of the Sea Catholic Church in San Francisco
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Mr. Claassen and Mr. McKoon invited us for a delicious lunch at a restaurant on Jack London Square. Sr. Joanna had an astonishing view of the bustling activity of the ships loading and unloading. During lunch, Sr. Joanna was able to listen to the status of the Oakland Seafarers Center and engage in discussion about the important role of Seafarers Centers and the ongoing services and programs of AOS-USA.
After lunch, Sr. Joanna went to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She met with Rick DelVecchio, editor of Catholic San Francisco. Mr. DelVecchio and Sr. Joanna talked about the work and programs of AOS-USA. The focus was on the cruise ship priest program and the Seafarers Centers. |
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John Claassen, Sr. Joanna, Rick DelVecchio, editor
Catholic San Francisco at the Archdiocese of San Francisco
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Sr. Joanna visited the Star of the Sea elementary school in San Francisco. She was attracted to the school not only by the name which is a Latin translation for Stella Maris but also by Mary, the patroness of seafarers. They school was established in 1909.
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Sr. Joanna, Stephanie Belfiore and children at Star of the Sea school San Francisco
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The day finished at our small fishing harbor in Half Moon Bay. I walked with her along the pier and showed her the various fishing boats and fishing gear.
Throughout the day, Sr. Joanna was able to experience activity on ports from large to small; visit with mariners who work on large ships to fishermen who work on small boats; feel the goodness of children who are guided by Stella Maris; and meet a large network of volunteers and workers who offer comfort to mariners. No matter the size or type of commerce, the oceans are the backbone of a mariner's life. No matter the age of the people she encountered, the children are responsible for carrying on the belief that the oceans are a source of worship, faith and respect.
I would like to thank Oakland Seafarers Center for their warm and enthusiastic welcome. They made her visit very comfortable. Sr. Joanna, thank you for your visit. It will be a long lasting memory. Capt. Pietro Parravano
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Vatican's Sea Sunday Message
5 July 2016
"Encouraged by Pope Francis who called the chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea to "be the voice of those workers who live far from their loved ones and face dangerous and difficult situations" , as Apostleship of the Sea we stand at the side of seafarers to reiterate that their human and labor rights must be respected and protected. "
Here is the message published by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People for "Sea Sunday", which will be celebrated on July 10, 2016.
Seated comfortably on the sofa in our living room, we find it difficult to understand how much our daily life is depending on the maritime industry and the sea. If we look around in the places where we live and work, we realize that most of the furniture and IT equipment we are using have been transported by ships, our clothes were shipped in containers from the other side of the world and the fruits we eat were delivered by refrigerated ships from another country while tankers are transporting oil and petrol for our cars. Without seaborne trade the import and export of goods and finished products would not be possible.
Even when we decide to enjoy and relax by going in a cruise we do not think that thousands of seafarers are working hard to make sure that everything will run smoothly and we will have a comfortable vacation.
Furthermore in the recent humanitarian emergency in the Mediterranean Sea the crews of merchant vessels have been in the front line to intervene and rescuing thousands of people trying to sail to Europe on board of overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels, inflatable rafts. Almost 1.200.000 seafarers of every nationality (many of them from developing countries) on board of 50,000 merchant ships are transporting almost 90% of every kind of cargo. The unforgiving forces of the open sea and of the oceans expose ships to significant risk, and the seafarers are "risking their life" more than one way. The physical life of the seafarers is at risk because aside from the hazards of the forces of the nature, piracy and armed robbery, shifting from one area to another and constantly evolving and adapting to new situations, continue to be a major threat to the security of the crew. Their psychological well-being is at risk when after having been at sea for days or weeks they are denied shore leave and prevented to leave the vessel.
The family life of the seafarers is in danger because their contracts force them to stay away from their families and loved ones for many months and often for several years on a row. Children are growing up without a fatherly figure while all the family's responsibilities are on the shoulders of the mother.
The human and working dignity of the seafarers is at risk when they are exploited with long working hours and their wages are delayed for months or in cases of abandonments not paid at all. Criminalization of seafarers is a serious concern especially considering that in recent yearsa number of previously considered lawful seafaring activities have been criminalized particularly in relation to incidents such as shipwrecks, pollution, etc. Encouraged by Pope Francis who called the chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea to "be the voice of those workers who live far from their loved ones and face dangerous and difficult situations" [1] , as Apostleship of the Sea we stand at the side of seafarers to reiterate that their human and labor rights must be respected and protected.
We would like also to call on Governments and competent maritime authorities to strengthening the implementation of the ILO Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) 2006, especially the Regulation 4.4 whose purpose is: To ensure that seafarers working on board a ship have access to shore-based facilities and services to secure their health and well-being.
Finally, on this occasion of the annual celebration of Sea Sunday we would like to remind to all Christian communities and to each individual how important and essential are the seafarer profession and the shipping industry for our daily life. We would like to call on the bishops , especially the ones of maritime Dioceses to establish and support the Maritime Apostolate as "a visible sign of your affectionate attention to those who cannot receive ordinary pastoral care." [2]
While expressing our gratitude to the seafarers for their work, we entrust them and their families to the maternal protection of
Mary, Stella Maris.
Cardinal Antonio Maria Vegliņ President
Joseph Kalathiparambil
Secretary
[1] Francis , General Audience, 22 January 2014
[2] Benedict XVI, Address to the participants in the XXIII AOS World Congress, 23 November 2012
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Priests of the Sea: Faith Is Always on Board Where There Are Cruise-Ship Chaplains
Courtesy: National Catholic Register
By: Elisabeth Deffner
7 July 2016 |
| | Above, Father Sinclair Oubre with Massgoers on a cruise. |
The man phoning Doreen Badeaux had recently lost his wife.
The two of them had been on a cruise to celebrate their anniversary, he told Badeaux, and it was during dinner one evening that they spotted the priest. They'd asked him to join them, and in introducing themselves, they shared that the wife was dying. The cruise was an item they were crossing off her "bucket list."
Later in the cruise, they met the priest again - when they called him to their cabin because the wife was near death. And that was what the widower wanted Badeaux to know.
"He called and told me it was beautiful that her faith was there for her," Badeaux recalled.
"Her faith was there for her in the middle of the ocean."
As secretary general of Apostleship of the Sea USA, it is Badeaux's job to ensure that cruise passengers' and crewmembers' faith is there for them while at sea. The "Cruise Ship Priest Program" screens and vets potential cruise-ship chaplains and works with partner cruise lines to place a Catholic chaplain on their ships. (AOS-USA is not to be confused with the Vatican's Apostleship of the Sea, which falls under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers.)
Cruise chaplains are quick to point out that they are continuing the missionary work of the early Church.
"It's a great thing the passengers can get a Mass - but they're generally going to be home in 11 days," points out Father Sinclair Oubre. The diocesan director for Apostleship of the Sea for the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas, he has gone to sea as a merchant sailor for 20 of his last 30 summer vacations.
"For me personally, [this ministry is] for the crewmembers who may be [at sea] six to nine months. Our interest in this grew out of a desire to bring the Eucharist and the sacraments of the Church to seafarers - and we could do that by offering service to the cruise lines, having Mass on board for the passengers."
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| | Father Bryan Small presides at a daily Mass aboard Royal Caribbean International's Allure of the Seas last November. |
Life Doesn't Stop at Sea
Father Bill Reynolds, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Newton, Iowa, was a cruise passenger when he first learned about the Cruise Ship Priest Program - from a priest who was serving aboard that cruise. Now, he typically uses his vacation time to serve as a cruise chaplain.
A canon lawyer, he offers a unique opportunity to passengers, telling them to come talk "if you have questions about annulments and those kinds of issues and want to talk with somebody you're never going to see again."
"I think people find an ease" in approaching a priest in those circumstances, he added.
People may feel liberated to share a problem with a shipboard priest. But that is only part of what a priest may hope to achieve through this ministry; illness, death and emergency situations can crop up, and the presence of a priest can be incredibly important in those unexpected situations.
Said Father Oubre, "It can get real serious when a passenger passes away during the cruise, when a crew member who is depressed jumps overboard and commits suicide, when there's a sexual assault."
Additionally, a priestly presence can make an evangelistic impact. Salesian Father Dennis Donovan, of the Salesians of Don Bosco, is the province treasurer of the Salesian Society. He volunteered to fill in for a cruise chaplain on a Caribbean cruise in 1990, and ever since, he has spent all of his vacation time serving in that capacity.
On every cruise, he encounters passengers who are not familiar with the work of the Salesians - and it's not unusual for those passengers to contact him at his office, long after the cruise is over, to request more information or send a donation to support the society's work.
"You always see the advertisements [for cruises] show these exotic places with fine food, rich people enjoying themselves - but the ports they go to are often very poor," said Father Donovan, so any aid is appreciated.
A Catechetical Journey
If vacationers are on a Catholic cruise, a chaplain is always part of the package.
Since 2002, San Diego-based Catholic Answers has been organizing cruises.
"We want to provide a delightful, recreational opportunity that still, at its heart and center, is informed by the faith," said Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers.
Catholic Answers books space on a larger cruise and then fills that space with people interested in attending daily Mass, having access to confession and attending lectures on Catholic history, Catholic literature, Catholic apologetics or another topic connected to the Church.
As Check put it, "I think God wants us to go on vacations. And if you're going to take one, why not one that has the quality of a pilgrimage to it?"
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Holland America Wins "Seafarer of the Year" Award for Veendam Rescue
Courtesy: TravelAgentCentral.Com
6 July 2016 
At the 2016 Lloyd's List North American Maritime Awards, the captain and crew of Holland America Line's Veendam were named "Seafarer of the Year" for the rescue of a pilot who ejected from his aircraft in the Pacific Ocean.
The "Seafarer of the Year" award recognizes the skills, bravery and professionalism that seafarers demonstrate daily, Holland America said. On January 25, 2015, Veendam rescued a pilot 225 miles off the coast of Maui, who had to ditch his single-engine aircraft after running out of fuel. The plane had a parachute system and the pilot was able to safely escape into a life raft, where he was retrieved by
Veendam.
Also in 2015, Zuiderdam rescued eight crewmembers from a sinking vessel in the Caribbean , while Zaandam came to the aid of seven stranded crewmembers at the Arctowski Polish research station at King George Island in Antarctica.
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Royal Caribbean Offers Cruise to Good Samaritan
Courtesy: Cruise Radio News
7 July 2016 Good things oftentimes will come back around to those who do good, and this story is a perfect example of that.
According to the Boston Globe , cab driver Raymond "Buzzy" MacCausland picked up a passenger who was moving from a homeless shelter to a nearby hotel. When he left the cab, he accidentally left a backpack behind. But this was no ordinary bag with things you'd expect to find in a backpack. Instead, when MacCausland opened it to look for identification, he found bundles and bundles of cash. $187,000 worth.
Upon realizing what it was, he headed right to the police station, and helped law enforcement return the money to its rightful owner. It turns out, the money was an inheritance, and the passenger was using it to get back on his feet. As a result, MacCausland received a $100 tip, but Royal Caribbean heard about the good deed and decided he deserved more.
We've recently published a story on the cruise line's "Ticket to Adventure" sweepstakes currently going on, which you can read here . Royal Caribbean decided to surprise MacCausland with his very own ticket to adventure - a free seven-night Caribbean vacation aboard either Oasis or Allure of the Seas, if he decides to accept.
Additionally, the cruise line will provide airfare for two, and VIP onboard amenities including free internet.
As mentioned before, what goes around comes around. This cab driver is sure reaping the rewards of his kind act, and we couldn't be more happy for him.
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Mass Held Onboard After Seafarer Dies on Ship
Courtesy: AOS Great Britain
29 June 2016
Catholic seafarers' charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) has organised Mass for the crew of a cargo ship following the death of their colleague.
The crew of the MV Moonray were left distressed and saddened when a 26 year-old Filipino crew member died after an accident on board late May.
The ship docked at Mombasa Port, Kenya late June, and AoS Mombasa port chaplain George Sunguh has been on board to support the crew.
"I was able arrange for a priest, Fr. Harisson Yaa, to celebrate Mass on board. He also blessed several cabins and other areas on the ship as requested by the crew," he said.
"The presence of an AoS port chaplain and priest on board was a source of great comfort and support to the crew," he added.
The dead seafarer and the ship's crew are known to AoS Tilbury port chaplain Wojciech Holub, who visited them previously.
Wojciech had met them when the MV Moonray was docked at Gravesend, Kent, in early May.
"We had spent time talking with the deceased seafarer and his colleagues and praying with them," he said, adding that he was shocked when he learnt about the man's death.
"It makes you appreciate the dangers and risks that seafarers face in the course of their work," he added.
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Seafarers Charity Supports Crew of Ship Aground in Mauritius
Courtesy: AOS Great Britain
23 June 2016 
A seafarers' charity in Mauritius has been providing pastoral support to the crew of a bulk carrier which ran aground off the country's southern coast.
Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) Port Louis chaplain Fr Jacques-Henri David has been visiting the crew of MV Benita who are anxious and distressed following the incident.
"The ship drifted towards the southern coast of Mauritius during the night of June 16th and hit Le Bouchon reef in the early morning of June 17th," said Fr Jacques-Henri.
The ship was on its way from India to Durban, South Africa, and got into trouble after an incident on board.
"Several crew members say they are very traumatised and they all seem genuinely concerned for each other's welfare," said Fr Jacques-Henri.
"The fourth engineer has been hospitalised and authorities are waiting for him to regain consciousness so he can help with inquiries. He is said to be able to provide vital clues in the case," he added.
Fr Jacques-Henri said one seafarer was in custody and two others are on board the ship, working with a salvage company.
The captain and the rest of the seafarers are being cared for by the Philippines Consulate, he said.
Fr Jacques-Henri was able to recover some of the crews' personal belongings such as jackets, sandals and T-shirts from the ship.
He is also making arrangements to visit the hospitalised crew member and the seafarer in prison.
"The local shipping agent is negotiating for the seafarers to be paid their salaries promptly," Fr Jacques-Henri said.
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Changes to Seafarers' Identification & Sea Service Record Book
Courtesy: InternationalLawOffice.Com
By: Costas Stamatiou
6 July 2016
The Department of Merchant Shipping has announced a number of changes to the format of the Seafarers' Identification and Sea Service Record Book (SISSRB), which is issued to seafarers serving on board Cyprus-flagged ships. The most important of these is the removal of any reference to the seafarer's certificate of maritime competency to avoid misinterpretation during port state control inspections. Previously there had been confusion when an individual was promoted, but the SISSRB was not updated. This resulted in inconsistency between an individual's SISSRB and his or her certificate of competency.
In its communication regarding the changes, the department emphasised that the SISSRB's main aim is to act as a record of the seafarer's service. It is not a passport, a travel document or a certificate of competency. Further, the requirement for a Cyprus SISSRB is a domestic matter, not an international requirement, and port state control authorities and any other foreign authorities are not entitled to interfere, delay or detain Cyprus-registered ships on account of any discrepancies related to Cyprus SISSRBs or the absence thereof.
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#At Sea For All: The Mental Health of Seafarers Kidnapped by Pirates
Courtesy: Hellenic Shipping News
21 June 2016 More than 3,000 seafarers have been held hostage by Somali pirates since 2001, with a significant, but unknown, number of seafarers kidnapped in other parts of the world.
These seafarers, and their families, have faced fear and uncertainty, and in some cases, direct abuse.
Research by Oceans Beyond Piracy explores the long-term impact of piracy on seafarer and family recovery.
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Join AOS-USA in saying the AOS Prayer each day!
Please take the time to say this pray with us each day:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us, or we perish!
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS-USA Members
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