Seafarers receive Communion after colleague is lost at sea

Fr John Barnes, parish priest of St Felix Church, Felixstowe provided Holy Communion to a group of seafarers on board their ship after their crew mate was lost at sea. The seafarers had requested for a priest to visit their vessel, mv Industrial Destiny, when it arrived at Felixstowe port.

Patricia Ezra, Felixstowe port chaplain from Catholic seafarers' charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS), arranged for Fr John to board the ship with her.

Patricia received an email from the ship crewing agent to say the ship had lost a crew member whilst at sea and was requesting a visit by a priest on its arrival at Felixstowe.

"Fr John Barnes was pleased to help and on Monday, 6 December we boarded the vessel at the Captain's invitation. They were on a very short turnaround time and would only be in port for a maximum of six hours," Patricia said.

She added, "As it was an unusual cargo the crew also had to unload it. This meant that stopping for a full Mass was not possible. However, Fr John was able to provide Communion for the seafarers on an individual basis as they became available."

After all who wanted had received Communion the Captain asked if the bridge and engine room could be blessed. Fr John was very happy to help.

Patricia said, "The ship's crew was consoled by the visit of the priest and the blessing. After six hours in port they then departed for a three-hour stop in Newcastle before heading to Denmark.

"Despite their brief stopover we were glad to be able to respond to their immediate pastoral needs and provide some comfort during what must be a distressing time for them," she said.

Apostleship of the Sea Carol Services

Tuesday 12 December 6.30pm
London: Apostleship of the Sea Carol Service
At Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, 10 Warwick Street, London W1B 5LZ
Followed by mulled wine and minced pies in the Crypt.
Please RSVP by 1 December. Email: roland@apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

Wednesday 13 December 7.30pm
Immingham Seafarers Centre: Carols by Candle Light
All welcome.

Wednesday 13 December 7pm
South Shields: Apostleship of the Sea Christmas Carol Service
At St Bede's Church, South Shields, 10 Westoe Rd, South Shields, NE33 4LZ
Please RSVP by 1 December. Email: jonathanheard@apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

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 see: www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

See the AoS Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/AoS.GB