Christmas 2007: Davao, Philippines
Welcoming seafarers' families
and ecumenical partners from overseas to the port of Davao
 The
Christmas and new year period has been a time of celebration
in Davao. Some 70 members of the Stella Maris Seafarers'
Family Group held one of their annual parties at the
seafarers' centre. This was a "Moms and Kids" party which
the group organised for themselves. Fr Jack Walsh, director
of the centre, noted with amusement that the seafarers'
wives participated enthusiastically in children's games.
One such game was called "Moms, find your kids!". Mothers
and their children formed two lines facing each other. Each
mother was then blind-folded and told to find her own child.
What the mothers did not know was that the children switched
places. So, as the mothers advanced, there were shouts of
laughter and surprise as they reached out to grab the wrong
children.
After the games, there was time for what Fr Jack calls
"the essentials of every Filipino party: meals to eat and
soft drink to consume". The party ended at 9pm as the
children, tired out by their games, began to fall asleep.
For their parents who are working at sea, digital
photographs and video clips provide some means of sharing in
their children's Christmas joy.
 Then,
as the new year began, Fr Jack and his team welcomed a group
from Liverpool, England, to Davao. The guests were pastoral
workers from the Flying Angel Mariners' Club run by our
ecumenical partners Mission to Seafarers. Their former
chaplain, Deacon Roy Paul, now works for the ITF Seafarers'
Trust. Roy and his team were in Davao for the weddings of
two former volunteers in the Liverpool centre.
The two volunteers, Michael from Antique and Elmer from
Davao City, were especially popular with the Filipino
seafarers who visited the port of Liverpool. In addition to
attending the two weddings, the group from Liverpool took
time to visit the port of Cebu and the Bohol beaches where
they experienced Filipino hospitality. Fr Jack said
In the tradition of Davao, the visitors feel certain that
someday they will return.
Photographs: (1) The Davao team welcome their friends
from Liverpool. (2) The Durian, known in South East Asia as
the "King of Fruits", is an essential ingredient in fruit
salad.
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