Author: Sarah Eustace

Here's an article about Michael O'Connor, our ship visitor in Greenock and Port Glasgow which appeared in Scottish Catholic Observer. Words by Euan McArthur. 

Michael O'Connor MBE always dreamt of going to sea. Now, as a retired seafarer, he finds himself still living his own personal dream by bringing spiritual and pastoral care to seafarers arriving on Scottish shores. 
              Born in Greenock just 400 metres from James Watt Dock, Michael's first memory as a child was heading straight from St Mungo's Primary School school to the dock to admire the fleet of ships arriving from all over the world carrying items including sugar, oil and nuts for the many sugar refineries which the town had back then. 
              Driving him was an instinctive desire to pursue a life at sea. Michael, now in his 70's but as enthusiastic as ever, began ship visiting as a member of the Legion of Mary on behalf of Apostleship of the Sea many years ago, and has since served as a loyal and inspiring ship visitor in his home town as well as that of nearby Port Glasgow. 
              A parishioner of St Laurence's, Greenock who served his time in Lithgow shipyard in Port Glasgow, he says: "In those days with the Legion of Mary, we reported every six months to Apostleship of the Sea Headquarters in Carlton Place, Glasgow. 
              "As a member of the Legion of Mary, we are encouraged to look after the welfare of seafarers. Being an ex-Seafarer, I know the feeling only too well. 
              "A kind word can go a long way when you're a stranger on a foreign shore. Apostleship of the Sea helped me immensely during difficult times abroad. 
              "The Seafarers are thanking you but, in truth, it's me who comes off feeling humble." 

              Michael is a well-known face in his hometown and is forever found visiting ships as he works closely with Joe O'Donnell, AoS port Chaplain for Clydeport, and their dedicated volunteers. 
              Although it can be difficult for the average seafarer who often spends around nine months at a time away from home or is even signed-up on a year-long contract, there are times when this special mission makes this tireless volunteer smile. 
              Michael recalls; "One Filipino Saefarer, on berthing in Greenock, once asked me where can I get a tyre. 
              "I said what for? He replied that it was for his bike so I took him up to nearby Halfords and got him what he needed. 
              "The young man was obviously quite clever. Quite often the ports where the ships arrive into are a bit of a distance from shops and amenities, so he'd come prepared." 
              Things can get worse, though, as events on his doorstep proved just over four years ago. 
              In August 2012, there was the distressing sight of a ship's crew being stranded on the Clyde for over four months in a long-running case which shook the local community. 
              Around 21 filipinos, four Italians and one Romanian Chief Officer were on board the Italian Cargo ship, Mariolina de Carlini, at Inchgreen Dry Dock in Port Glasgow due to outstanding debts as crew members faced the prospect of having to celebrate Christmas far from home, coupled with the obvious difficulty of being unable to provide for their families back home amid wrangling over unpaid wages. 
              Michael, in true fashion, stepped in to visit the stricken ship and brought newspapers and other provisions on a daily basis while ensuring they got to Mass by taking them to nearby churches. 
              On hearing of their plight, Douglas Rae , Morton FC Chairman, bought a Christmas tree for the ship and gave the seafarers free admission to Cappielow on match-day where the club's 'new mascots' were warmly received by supporters alike. 

              Michael said; "Having been at sea most of my life, I could well appreciate what the crew were going through. 
              "I got on great with all of them. I know the value of being able to share the bond of faith with people in foreign ports. 
              "It was a hard time for them. They had just finished delivering a consignment of coal at Hunterston when the vessel was impounded.
              "Fortunately, the ship just got back sailing before Christmas to get back to Bolivia. In that case, it was like a happy ending and it was a huge relief for all concerned." 
              Born in 1940, Michael has seen most things at sea having travelled across the world and, in so doing, experiencing some unforgettable memories, so knows better than most the every-day needs of a seafarer.
              He states: "I think a cheery disposition is essential. At the end of the day  – which can be a long one for a Seafarer – they need something or someone to lift their spirits. 
              "I love every minute of it. I'm feeling good. Here's hoping and praying to Our Lady star of the Sea for another few years helping seafarers with any problems or anxieties they may have while cut-off and isolated from loved ones back home."

* The article first appeared here http://www.sconews.co.uk/feature/52721/michaels-always-ready-with-a-warm-welcome-when-the-boat-comes-in/

* Would you like to become an AoS ship visitor? Go here for details.

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Mass was celebrated on board the Pride of Rotterdam a P& O ferry in Hull on Thursday 1st November for All Saints Day, organised by Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) Hull & Goole Port Chaplain Anne McLaren.
              Fr John Wood celebrated Mass for some of the crew of the Pride of Rotterdam and it was attended by a number of ship visiting volunteers from Anne's team.
              A special and joyful occassion for the crew, many of whom don't often get the chance to celebrate Mass on board their ships.

 
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We were honoured to be part of the Remembrance Day service on November 11.
             At the Merchant Navy Memorial in Tower Hill London to remember the seafarers & fishermen lost at sea.
             Apostleship of the Sea Vice Chair of Trustees Captain Esteban Pacha and Tilbury Port Chaplain Wojciech Holub laid a wreath to commemorate those who have died. 
             Several of our other AoS port chaplains were also involved in Remembrance services across the UK.


             While in Grimsby Docks, our Immingham & Grimsby Port Chaplain Fr Colum Kelly led a Remembrance service held in Grimsby Docks.

 

John Pinhay AoS Falmouth Port Chaplain and Simon Bromage AoS Falmouth Ship Visitor gave their first classroom talk to Class 5 at St Mary’s Bodmin.
              John and Simon have been privileged to give talks to the school assembly over the past year, but thanks to the Deputy Head Lucy Draycott they were given access to Class 5. 
             The children were given the task of finding 10 items at the home and identifying where these came from. 

             All 23 children came to class with a very comprehensive list. They were then asked to find the countries of origin using a large wall map. 
             The talk that John and Simon gave was split into three parts. 
             1. Where do the items we rely on come from. 
             2. Transporting these items. 
             3. People who made it happen. 

             The children have taken on the task of writing out Christmas cards, which will be placed in the Christmas gift bags that will be handed out to the seafarers leading up to the big day. 
             The enthusiasm of the children left John and Simon almost lost for words. A great experience.

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A Prayer for World Fisheries Day November 21 (from the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)

O God, Father and Lord of the universe,

We praise and bless you for having created man and woman, calling them to collaborate in the work of Creation through their labour. Today, World Fisheries Day, we humbly ask you to bless and protect all those involved in the production, processing, distribution and trade of fish, which contributes to food security, economic growth and poverty reduction. As your children, with all confidence we ask you to stop the physical and verbal abuse and the indiscriminate exploitation of fishermen, which includes countless cases of forced labour, human trafficking and disappearances at sea. Free us from these evils that pollute the beauty of life, sea and work, your precious gifts which must be watched over with great care.

O Jesus Christ, our Lord,

urge your Church to listen to fishermen’s cries of anguish, who see their human rights and fundamental freedoms trampled underfoot, and to proclaim with prophetic audacity the need for these to be respected and observed. With our hearts in our hands, we ask you to enlighten the minds of the world's leaders, so that they may ratify the international instruments adopted and approved by the member nations of the specialised agencies of the United Nations in order to be able to radically change the lives of workers in the fishing sector and their families and the environmental state of fish stocks. With your passion, death and resurrection, it is you who freed us from the slavery of sin and death, please ensure that no one is kept in a state of slavery or servitude any longer. Give every person the right to work, to the free choice of employment, to just and satisfactory working conditions and to protection against unemployment. Ensure that every person, without discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work, to fair and satisfactory remuneration which ensures s/he and their family a life guaranteeing their human dignity, supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. Grant that every person has the right to create and join trade unions for the defence of his or her own interests and that these fundamental human rights of fishermen are always safeguarded. For all this we pray to you, Lord!

Holy Spirit, gliding over the seas,

convert the hearts and minds of that small element of the fishing industry that continues to be pitiless and to put profit before people. Remind them that people come before profit and that work gives dignity to the person.

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea,

help us work together to stop human trafficking and forced labour at sea, to improve working conditions and safety and to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, thus creating a fisheries sector that is socially, environmentally and commercially sustainable.

Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, at the helm of Peter's vessel, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, lead us through difficulties and hardships to the Heavenly Port.

All praise, glory and honour be to you now and forever and ever. 

Amen. Hallelujah!

The Church cannot remain silent to labour and human rights abuses in the fishing industry, the Vatican’s Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Peter K. A. Turkson has said.
              In a message during a World Fisheries Day panel discussion today at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Cardinal Turkson (pictured) said that fishers are “crying out for help and, as Church, we cannot shut our ears and we cannot remain silent.” 
              Cardinal Turkson said the fishing industry is committed to solving problems of product certification, as consumers called on retailers to be more responsible in their businesses.
              However, he said these efforts are not enough because the number of governments that have ratified international instruments which could dramatically change the lives of fish workers is still very low and in some small areas, the fishing industry still suffers from the ruthlessness of profit-seeking policy makers. 
              This was apparent from media reports and from the harrowing incidents that chaplains and volunteers of Catholic seafarers’ charity Apostleship of the Sea (Stella Maris) around the world come across. 
              He said challenges remain in the treatment of those employed in fisheries, including physical and verbal abuses, exploitation of fishermen, cases of forced labour, human trafficking and disappearance at sea.

              Often there are direct links between the abuses and the use of flags of convenience, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and transnational crime. 
              According the FAO’s 2016 data, around 59.6 million people were engaged in fisheries and aquaculture work, supplying about 171 million tonnes of fish to the global market, and generating a first-sale value of production estimated at US$320 billion. 
              Cardinal Turkson also called for the creation of a roadmap to ensure widespread ratification and implementation of the international treaties to tackle trafficking and forced labour in the sector. 
              He urged all parties to put aside differences and to work together to stop human trafficking and forced labour at sea. 
              "This cooperation should be pursued at global, regional, national and local levels and should ensure the involvement of civil society, industry and retailers, NGOs, trade unions and the Church. 
              “We can improve working conditions and safety and fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IIU) fishing and create a socially, environmentally and commercially sustainable fisheries sector,” he said. 
               In Great Britain and around the world, Apostleship of the Sea Stella Maris works with the Santa Marta Group to educate and inform AoS chaplains, volunteers, port officials and police about the scourge of slavery at sea and what can be done to protect and support fishermen and seafarers. 

* Read Cardinal Turkson's message in full here.
* There is also a World Fisheries Day prayer inspired by the Cardinal's message. It's a beautiful prayer and we enourage you to pray it and share it. You can find it here.  

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Our Immingham Port Chaplain Bryony Watson has written a lovely article for the winter edition of Just Now, which is the magazine of Diocese of Nottingham Justice and Peace Commission. Here's the article which we encourage you to read. If you're on Instagram, you can follow Bryony at @immportchaplain

Think for a second of your morning routine.              
              Light on, cup of coffee, shower, breakfast, into the car. Would any of this have been possible without shipping?
              Oil tankers, bulk carriers bringing coal and biomass for our power stations, food, electronics, clothes brought by container ship, cars by a Ro-Ro ferry.
              95% of everything we use and take for granted comes to us by ship. We are dependent on the sea, on seafarers, but they are so often invisible to us.
              As ships get bigger they are berthed further from our view, as shipping becomes increasingly efficient, the crews get smaller and the hours in port get fewer.
              With some vessels able to be in and out of port in just six hours, the crew are more isolated and more exhausted than ever.

              The Philippines remains the biggest supplier of seafarers, followed by China, Russia, India and Indonesia, and it is common for ships to be made up of many nationalities.
              The standard length of contract for a Filipino seafarer is nine months. Conditions on ships vary greatly from comfortable to primitive, depending on the company.
              I work in the UK’s largest port by gross tonnage, the Port of Immingham, as a port chaplain for the Apostleship of the Sea, or as the seafarers know us best, Stella Maris.
              The Apostleship of the Sea works to support seafarers practically, spiritually and emotionally through the day to day challenges of working in one of the world’s most dangerous professions, and through especially difficult times, such as bullying, accidents onboard and non-payment of wages.

              Every day, we see how much seafarers sacrifice to provide for their families and to bring us the goods we rely on. We hear about the weddings they can’t attend, the graduations they have funded but will only see in photos, the baby that may be walking before they return, the goodbyes they didn't get to say.
              After the recent, devastating, typhoon in the Philippines a cook onboard an oil tanker told me that it had taken him four days to contact his wife, frantic with worry for her and his two young daughters.
              When he finally got through his wife told him that the kitchen roof had been blown off, and water was pouring in through the ceiling. His daughters hadn’t slept for days as they were too scared.
              He is onboard until April, earning the money they need now more than ever.
              So, the next time you make a cup of coffee or turn on the TV, spare a thought for the seafarers who make this possible.

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ABP employees helped to pack around 250 woolly hats with thoughtful gifts to hand-out to seafarers visiting the ports of Hull and Goole during the festive season. 
             The Apostleship of the Sea’s ‘Woolly Hat’ campaign aims to remember how important seafarers are in helping to run the global economy and how many of them will be separated from their families during Christmas.
             Being a seafarer can be a lonely and extremely tough job, with most being out at sea for several months at a time.
             Items such as lip balm, a prayer card, chocolates and gloves were packed in the woolly hats by an army of volunteers at the Hull Seafarers Centre, which is run and managed by Apostleship of the Sea.
             Thousands of items were kindly donated and knitted by many people from local parishes, community groups, primary schools, ABP employees and Apostleship of the Sea volunteers. 
             95% of the UK’s trade is seaborne and the Humber is the UK’s busiest estuary with around 40,000 shipping movements each year. 

             Chris Green, Port Manager for Hull and Goole, said: “Crew out at sea can sometimes be forgotten and it’s vital to ensure that we continue to remember their efforts which are vital in keeping Britain trading and our shelves stocked. 
             “We’re proud to be able to support such a meaningful campaign as it reminds seafarers that we’re thinking of them during the festive season, when so many of us are fortunate enough to be spending time with our loved ones.” 
             A team of volunteer chaplains led by Anne McLaren, Apostleship of the Sea Senior Port Chaplain for the North East, will gift the hats as they welcome visiting ships, offering spiritual and practical support to ensure a warm welcome is received. 
             Apostleship of the Sea National Director Martin Foley said, “I would like to express my thanks to ABP for their support for our Woolly Hat campaign. ABP directors and staff have been immensely supportive of AoS since we assumed responsibility for the Hull Seafarers’ Centre. It’s a great partnership.”
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The celebration of Mass on board a ship in Immingham lifted the despair felt by its crew after their captain died of a heart attack. 
             The Star Nina bulk carrier had been at anchorage near Immingham Port since October 23 when the master suffered a heart attack on board on November 15. He was immediately evacuated from the ship but pronounced dead by shore paramedics. 
             When the vessel berthed in port on November 26, Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) Stella Maris port chaplains in Immingham responded to the crew’s request for support. 
             “We were waiting for them to come in to Immingham so we could help. It was a very sad and difficult time for them. They had been at anchorage for over a month, plus their voyage from Brazil meant they had been at sea for a month and a half,” said Fr Colum Kelly, AoS Immingham Port Chaplain.
             “Not only did we pray for the deceased captain but also his family and indeed the crew who was deeply traumatised by this sad event. They were so thankful that we could organise Mass for them,” he added. 

             Fr Colum said a particularly poignant part of his conversation with the crew was when he asked the acting captain why they had continued to be kept at anchorage for 11 days after the captain’s death. 
             “The acting captain said that the crew were told this was due to ‘berth congestion and priority cargo’.
             “Doesn’t that say something awful about the treatment of seafarers even in the midst of tragedy? Their need was determined by what they were carrying in the ship’s hold,” said Fr Colum. 
             This year alone, AoS provided bereavement support for crew in eight cases involving deaths at sea in ports including Tilbury, Dublin, Durban and Tema.
             AoS also provides follow up visits and care to bereaved crew through its global network of over 1,000 chaplains and ship visitors in more than 300 ports.

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For the second year running, marine mutual liability insurer North P&I Club and seafarers’ charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) have teamed-up to spread some Christmas cheer to seafarers.
              On Thursday, December 13, North handed over 67 Christmas shoeboxes to Paul Atkinson, AoS port chaplain for Blyth & Tyne.
              These will be distributed to seafarers over the festive period. 
              John Webb, Senior Executive (Claims) and Holly Hughes, Claims Executive at North P&I handed the parcels to Paul. 
              Around 90% of world trade is transported by ship and seafarers may spend up to a year at a time away from home, separated from their family and loved ones. Their isolation and loneliness can be felt more acutely at Christmas.

              John Webb commented that North have again been overwhelmed by the generosity of staff, which has enabled us not only to exceed the number of shoeboxes that we were able to donate last year, but also, the quality and quantity of the gifts received has far exceeded our expectations. 
             “Many of our colleagues are ex-seafarers and have always appreciated the Christmas gifts in a shoebox, something they say brought a smile to their face while celebrating Christmas on-board,” he said. 
             Paul said distributing Christmas presents to seafarers was one way of letting them know that they are not forgotten during this special time.
             “People sometimes tend to forget the human element to shipping – seafarers – so this a wonderful thank you gesture to let them know they are appreciated,” he said. 
             Paul added, “We would like to express our thanks to North P&I who have been great supporters of what we do for seafarers. It’s a great partnership.”

Crew members of the Arklow Meadow were delighted to receive some of the shoeboxes.

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