Resolve to Get Involved

21 February 2008

Have you kept all those New Year’s resolutions made with such conviction just a few weeks ago?  Have you made great progress with all your goals?  Either way, this is the year the Apostleship of the Sea asks you to resolve to get involved in supporting Apostleship of the Sea / Stella Maris.

The Apostleship of the Sea’s Sheila Bailey writes this for cliftondiocese.com.

Most people are unaware that 90% of goods imported into the UK arrive by sea.  Over 150,000 merchant ships regularly dock in this country, and their crews are made up of people hired from developing countries where labour is cheap such as the Philippines, Goa and lately Poland.  These crews are away from their homes and families for up to a year at a time.  Their salary is often just above the minimum wage and they work long hours without a day off.  However, their hard earned money goes to provide education and medical care for their extended families back home and will, hopefully, enable them in time to have a better standard of life.  They very often suffer isolation and loneliness and occasionally physical abuse.  The life of a seafarer is a tough one.

Recent studies have indicated that 60% of seafarers are Catholic and Apostleship of the Sea works to provide pastoral and practical help for all seafarers visiting our ports.  Our chaplains deal with many challenging situations on a daily basis.  Recently, Father Colum Kelly, our chaplain to the Port of Immingham, visited a ship that was alongside to load scrap destined for Turkey.  The crew, 18 Filipinos, appeared to be frightened and were unwilling to engage in any conversation. Later that evening two of them came into the Seafarers Centre and opened up to reveal the cause of their fear. The ship had come through the Bay of Biscay in a horrendous storm, taken on a lot of water and they feared that the return journey, laden with scrap metal would be too much for a ship in its poor condition.  Archive weather reports told of 50 knot winds and ten metre seas during their journey.  The boys had only the flimsiest of clothing, nothing warm or protective to counter the Immingham winter or the rages of a Biscay storm.

Thankfully we were able to kit them out with some of the wonderful clothing we receive from supporting parishes. At the height of the Biscay storm the captain had summoned the crew to the bridge, not to invite them to prayer, not to allow them to make a satellite call to their families, but to get them to sign a document. The document stated that they were happy with conditions on board; that the food and accommodation was to their satisfaction and they had no issues with the captain or the manning agents. Furthermore that they were happy with their wages of a pound an hour in the case of deck crew, and would never contact any maritime welfare officers to make a complaint.  Father Colum notified the port inspectors who went on board and immediately detained the ship on the basis of the accommodation alone – no hot water, no working showers and very basic sanitation. Further inspection revealed faults that would keep the ship in port for another week. Many other ships may sail in equally bad conditions with crews too frightened to speak for fear of retribution and blacklisting. However, they still trust the priest or chaplain from Stella Maris and will often up to them. To stand alongside crews in their cruel world in time of despair is our calling and a special gift from God.
To provide a meaningful and effective service in the 56 ports where we are active costs £1.5 million a year.  We are constantly trying to find new opportunities for people to support us and this year we have decided to launch our first international challenge.

Called “Sea to Sea” this challenge offers participants the opportunity to trek across the fabulous landscape of the Holy Land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee. It is a rare opportunity to visit one of the world’s most impressive historical sites and to walk in the footsteps of the Apostles across a land steeped in history and religion. Starting out from Tel Aviv the trek travels though Sassa and Mt Meiron, Capernaum and along to Nazareth and Cana.  The end of the trek will include a visit to Jerusalem, where we will all attend Mass together before returning home.  Each participant is asked to raise £2000 in sponsorship or donations.  This may sound a lot, but with all the help and information we provide it is definitely achievable.

If you prefer something a little less demanding, then why not join our small team for the London 10 kilometre run?  This takes place on Sunday 6 July, hopefully in glorious sunshine!  We have guaranteed places and we would love you to join our team.  This is not a strenuous event – you have two hours to cover the course so you can just jog around if you wish.  We only ask that you raise £250 sponsorship but we would be delighted if you raised more.

Of course, if you are a more hands-on person we always welcome volunteers prepared to act as a parish contact for us.  This would entail putting out free copies of Alongside, our supporter newsletter, in church four times a year and helping with Sea Sunday each July.  

Please consider joining us in living our faith, and share our gifts and talents with seafarers in need.  Your contribution, in whatever form, will make an immediate difference to their lives.  Let 2008 be the year that you resolve to get involved.  Call Sheila Bailey, Director of Fundraising on 020 7012 8607.

Don't miss any of our podcasts. Subscribe to Clifton Diocese podcasts with iTunes.