Bishops urge support for Sea Sunday

Container ship at Tilbury

The Bishop of Menevia and the Bishop of Aberdeen have issued their joint message for Sea Sunday on 10 July urging all to support the vital work of the Apostleship of the Sea (AoS).

In their message, Bishop of Menevia Tom Burns and Bishop Peter Moran of Aberdeen note that “hundreds of thousands of seafarers are working on ships crossing vast expanses of ocean to bring us the goods we use and consume every day. Many of these seafarers are feeling lonely, tired and spiritually deprived. Typically recruited from poorer countries where wages are lower, seafarers spend up to 12 months at a time away from wives, sons, daughters and friends on the high seas. They are enduring dangerous working conditions and even exploitation.”

The Bishops praise the work of the Apostleship of the Sea’s port chaplains and ship visitors who welcome vulnerable seafarers to our shores as brothers and sisters regardless of their race, nationality or creed, and provide for their pastoral and practical needs.

They write: “However far our parish communities may be from the sea, each of us benefits from the work of seafarers and each of us has a part to play in supporting the Church’s outreach to seafarers. This is why, as Bishops and promoters of the work of AoS, we strongly encourage you to pray for seafarers. We also encourage you to support AoS financially, as far as you are able, and especially on Sea Sunday.

90% of world trade is transported by ship, and more than 100,000 ships visit British ports each year. However the life of a modern seafarer can be dangerous and lonely. They may spend up to a year at a time away from home, separated from their family and loved ones, often working in harsh conditions.

AoS chaplains and ship visitors welcome seafarers to our shores - regardless of their colour, race or creed and provide them with pastoral and practical assistance. They recognise them as brothers with an intrinsic human dignity which can be overlooked in the modern globalised maritime industry.

For more information visit www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk