Stella Maris is an international agency of the Catholic Church that provides pastoral care to seafarers, other maritime workers, and their families.
Stella Maris offers practical and pastoral care to all seafarers, regardless of nationality, belief or race. The Apostleship of the Sea in Great Britain is part of an international network known to the maritime world as Stella Maris, working in more than 311 ports served by 216 port chaplains in more than 30 countries around the world.
Founded as 'Apostleship of the Sea' (AoS), the organization and its centers were commonly known as 'Stella Maris' because of their association with the Virgin Mary as Our Lady, Star of the Sea. In 2020, its name was officially changed to Stella Maris. [1] 'Stella Maris' was also the name of Pope John Paul II's 1997 motu proprio outlining the purpose and organizational structure of the ministry. [2]
The modern movement for a Catholic seafarers' ministry began with several isolated and independent beginnings. [3] In 1891 the Apostleship of Prayer first posted devotional magazines and books from Wimbledon College to twelve ships and began enrolling seafarers in a Catholic association. Two years later, The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul commenced visiting seafarers in the ports of Bristol, Sunderland, and Tyneside. In the same year a Catholic Seafarers’ Centre opened in Montreal. [4]
The Apostleship of the Sea port ministry was formally founded in Glasgow in 1920. At this time Britain had one of the largest merchant fleets in the world, employing many thousands of British seafarers. The Apostleship of the Sea ran large seafarers’ hostels in all the major port towns where seafarers could stay while their ships were in port, often for weeks at a time. Hundreds of volunteers from the local parishes were involved in providing hospitality and entertainment for seafarers in these hostels, which were often full. Subsequently, through changes in technology crews became smaller and spent less time in port resulting in a reduced need for hostels so most contact is now through ships visits and drop-in centres. [5]
It was a founding member of the International Christian Maritime Association in 1969.[ citation needed ] Many of its members in North America and the Caribbean are also members of the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA), and many board members and presidents of NAMMA are also ministers of Stella Maris.
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In every major country, a bishop serves as the Stella Maris episcopal promoter, overseeing the work of the national director. It is the director's responsibility to coordinate the chaplains’ efforts and to assist them in developing their ministries. Each country hosts an annual conference. Tying all these national conferences together is the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. Because Stella Maris' “parishioners” move around the world, it is necessary that their pastors be in touch with one another. A world congress held by the international office ensures this connection between countries and disseminates the pontifical council's policies every 5 years. [6]
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When a ship enters a port inspectors from the national maritime authority may come on board. If the inspectors feel that the ship does not meet international health and safety regulations, they can put it under arrest. The ship may not leave the port until the situation is rectified. In these circumstances, owners may refuse to take responsibility and abandon their ships leaving the crew unpaid and without the means of returning to their home country. Stella Maris is one of the organisations which has provided assistance including food and support sometimes for months to such seafarers.
Stella Maris USA operates the Cruise Ship Priest Program for the pastoral care of cruise ship passengers and crew, and to ensure that only valid priests in good standing, who have their Bishop's/Provincial's permission to serve are on board as chaplains.
Most of its missions are under the care of Missionaries of St. Charles - Scalabrinian, a congregation that has a specific charism for seafarers and migrants. [7]
Stella Maris also works with the Santa Marta Group to assist seafarers and fishermen who have been trafficked or exploited, in situations of modern slavery.
Each year on the second Sunday of July the Catholic Church remembers seafarers and prays for them, their families and those who support them. Sea Sunday is Stella Maris' principal fundraising and awareness raising event of the year. [5]
In 2018, Apostleship of the Sea in Great Britain had 20 port chaplains and 115 ship visiting volunteers. They visited 10,048 ships and assisted 221,056 seafarers and fishermen. A total of 83 Masses were celebrated on ships and 6,200 ships were visited where seafarers were offered welfare assistance.[ citation needed ]
In the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida, Stella Maris operates seafarer centers at the Talleyrand and Blount Island terminals in Jacksonville. [8]
Peter Claver SJ was a Spanish Jesuit priest and missionary born in Verdú (Spain) who, due to his life and work, became the patron saint of enslaved people, the Republic of Colombia, and ministry to Africans.
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric, or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution, or a private chapel. The term chaplaincy refers to the chapel, facility or department in which one or more chaplains carry out their role.
The Mission to Seafarers is a Christian welfare charity serving merchant crews around the world. It operates through a global Mission 'family' network of chaplains, staff and volunteers and provides practical, emotional and spiritual support through ship visits, drop-in seafarers centres and a range of welfare and emergency support services.
Stella Maris may refer to:
The International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) is an ecumenical association of 26 Christian organisations, Protestant and Catholic, representing different churches and Christian communities actively engaged in welfare work for people who work at sea, including seafarers, fishers and the families of both. The Association is registered as a charity in the UK and, through its members, operates internationally.
Fishermen's Mission, officially The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen (RNMDSF), is a British charitable organisation founded in 1881 to help those working in the UK's fishing industry. The charity, which is run on Christian principles, supports and welcomes persons of all faiths and none. It was founded at the end of the 19th century (1881) to provide assistance and support to the impoverished fishing communities around the coasts of Britain.
Below is a list of Catholic Chaplaincies in England and Wales:
Our Lady, Star of the Sea is an ancient title for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The words Star of the Sea are a translation of the Latin title Stella Maris. It is synonymous with Sayra Mary and the Marian Consciousness.
Centres for Seafarers was an ecumenical collaboration between The Apostleship of the Sea, The Sailors Society and The Mission to Seafarers. It was a registered UK charity formed in 2006 and dissolved on 2 April 2019.
The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia. The council, established by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988, was dedicated to the spiritual welfare of migrant and itinerant people.
Sailors’ Society is an international Christian charity working in ports across the world. The organisation has chaplains and ship visitors in 91 global ports, who help seafarers and their families, from all faiths and none, with welfare and practical support.
The Seamen's Church Institute is an American organization that serves mariners through education, pastoral care, and legal advocacy. Founded in lower Manhattan in 1834, it is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. With a budget of over $7 million, SCI is the largest, most comprehensive mariners’ agency in North America. The institute is headquartered in New York City and operates a seafarers’ center in Port Newark, and maritime education facilities in Paducah, Kentucky, and Houston, Texas.
The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) is an International Labour Organization (ILO) convention, number 186, established in 2006 as the fourth pillar of international maritime law and embodies "all up-to-date standards of existing international maritime labour Conventions and Recommendations, as well as the fundamental principles to be found in other international labour Conventions". The other pillars are the SOLAS, STCW and MARPOL. The treaties applies to all ships entering the harbours of parties to the treaty (port states), as well as to all ships flying the flag of state party (flag states, as of 2021: over 91 per cent).
The Bethel Union, full name British and Foreign Seamen's Friend Society and Bethel Union, was a religious organisation for seafarers founded in 1819 by George Charles Smith.
Joseph Kalathiparambil is the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Verapoly. He was formerly the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants. He also served as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calicut for almost nine years.
Sea Sunday is the day which many Christian Churches set aside to remember and pray for seafarers and their families and give thanks for their lives and work. It is officially held on the second Sunday in July. During Sea Sunday, charities such as the Stella Maris, The Mission to Seafarers and the Sailors' Society as well as non-denominational groups such as Sea Cadets conduct fundraisers, hold parades, and run awareness campaigns about life at sea.
The ITF Seafarers' Trust is a charitable maritime trust located in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1981 by the Executive Board of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), a global federation of transport workers' unions with over 4.6 million worker members. The stated mission of the Trust is to assist with "the moral, spiritual and physical welfare of seafarers regardless of nationality, race or creed."
Mark O'Toole is a Welsh Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Cardiff and Bishop of Menevia since 2022.
The Merchant Navy Welfare Board is a registered charity located in Southampton, England, that acts as the welfare umbrella for the United Kingdom Merchant Navy and fishing fleet charity sector. Its mission statement is "Supporting the provision of quality welfare services for seafarers and their dependants."
The North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) is an ecumenical Christian seafarers’ welfare organization and professional association for seafarers’ welfare workers.
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