When you think about Christmas, you may not think first of Seafarers. They are often away from their families and friends for long periods, so their celebrations will be much less than the average person’s if they happen. However, thanks to the generosity of parishioners at Sacred Heart, Waterlooville, led by Parishioner Patrick Binks, a Stella Maris volunteer, Christmas gifts were distributed to crews of merchant ships that called into Portsmouth over the festive period.
The ships bring bananas into the UK from the Caribbean. The sailors on all the ships were mainly Filipino, and the officers were of mixed nationalities – a single Master was from the Netherlands, and the Master in the group was Russian.
One Master said, “Our special thanks go to Stella Maris for the Christmas gifts we received on board. Our crew very much appreciated this gesture.”
Stella Maris is the largest ship-visiting network in the world and seeks to improve the lives of seafarers and fishers through a network of local chaplains and seafarer centres, expert information, advocacy, and spiritual support. For more on the charity visit https://www.stellamaris.org.uk
Recent Posts
Our Second Collection on Sunday 17th September 2023 is for Home Mission. Evangelisation is an essential work of the Church. At all levels, and through every avenue we can utilize, [...]
Today, we celebrate the International Day of Charity. The United Nations established the day to promote and encourage charity across the globe. It also commemorates the death anniversary of Mother [...]
The Second Collection on Sunday 10th September is for Education Sunday and is for the Catholic Education Service. Catholic schools make up 10% of the national total of maintained schools in [...]
Parishioners may like to listen to an interview by Fr James McAuley, Dean of the St John’s Catholic Cathedral, as he talks to the Portsmouth News about the restoration project for the [...]
