WASHINGTON—The National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea will be celebrated on May 22. The day is observed in conjunction with National Maritime Day in the United States of America, which has been celebrated since 1933 to honor those who serve as merchant mariners and to recognize the benefits of the maritime industry.
Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, of the Diocese of Victoria, Texas, and Apostleship of the Sea promoter, encourages dioceses to mark the national day by remembering the men and women of the sea in homilies and by including special petitions during Mass. When Mass is celebrated on May 22, the text for the Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, is also encouraged.
Bishop Cahill will celebrate a Mass in observance of Maritime Day on May 19 at 12:10 p.m. in the Crypt Church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The Mass is sponsored by the AOS national office and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church.
Deacon Paul Rosenblum, Apostleship of the Sea Port Minister for the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., pointed out how much we rely on the men and women who work on cargo ships —sometimes for eight months at a stretch — delivering goods such as electronic devices, toys, clothes and so much more to our shores.
Apostleship of the Sea is a worldwide Catholic maritime ministry that engages with seafarers, fishers, their families, port personnel and all who work or travel on the high seas. The maritime ministry shows the Church’s care and concern to seafarers who are often away from home for many months because of the nature of their work and lifestyle. There is a network of port offices and Catholic chaplains who provide spiritual and practical assistance for a seafarer’s unique lifestyle and needs.
“In our daily lives, we are surrounded by and use many objects and products that at some stage of their journey towards us have been transported on vessels. It is difficult for us to imagine, behind these objects, the faces of the many seafarers who have secured a smooth sailing …,” said Cardinal Peter Appia Kodwo Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Integral Human Development Service, in a message to supporters of the Apostleship of the Sea in 2017. “We are invited to recognize and express our gratitude to this force of more than 1.5 million seafarers, who with their hard work and sacrifices make our lives more comfortable by transporting, between nations and across the seven seas, almost 90 per cent of the goods.”
In the United States, AOS is present in 53 maritime ports in 26 states and in 48 dioceses. Priest chaplains, deacons, religious and lay people extend hospitality by providing a “home away from home” for seafarers. AOS has 10 Stella Maris centers, and over 100 chaplains and pastoral teams, including priests, religious, deacons and lay ecclesial ministers providing many services including: Mass, communion, confession and other sacraments, assistance to seafarers in distress, ship visits, transportation to visit business centers, a place to relax while on the port, computers with internet connection at the center, cell phones and phone cards as well as facilitating seafarers’ access to services that others provide.
As we work and serve to protect the rights of those working at sea, let us join our prayers with that of Pope Francis, entrusting sailors, fishermen, and all those in difficulty on the seas far away from home, to the motherly protection of Mary, Star of the Sea.
For more information visit: http://www.usccb.org/aos.
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
File photo/The Catholic Miscellany: A cargo ship sits in the Port of Charleston.
