Apostleship of the Sea promotes Bible reading amongst seafarers
During the Year of Faith the Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) is helping seafarers visiting British ports to discover how the Bible can help them develop their spiritual life.
When port chaplains and ship visitors go on board vessels they will offer seafarers free copies of the magazine Bible Alive, which contains daily scriptural reflections.
Paul Glock, the port chaplain to Tilbury in Essex and also a permanent deacon in Southwark Archdiocese, said: “During my ministry I meet large numbers of seafarers from countries like the Philippines where the overwhelming majority of the population is Catholic. You could say that seafarers have a real experience of God in the sense that the sea is commonly referred to as the power of God.
“Many seafarers have a deep spiritual hunger which we seek to satisfy, not just through our ministry amongst them physically, but also through the provision of spiritual aids and resources like Bibles, prayer books and rosaries. I have no doubt this Year of Faith initiative will prove immensely popular with seafarers.”