Christmas 2007: Gdynia, Poland
 Fr
Edward Pracz, AOS port chaplain in Gdynia, Poland, describes
the Christmas celebrations for seafarers and shipyard
workers of all faiths
In the early hours of the morning on Christmas Day, the
seafarers were driven to the Stella Maris Club in Gdynia
which was beautifully decorated for the Christmas Party. The
seafarers were given the texts of Christmas carols and
songs. The celebration began with the song “This is the day
that the Lord has made”. Next we sang the Christmas carol
“Silent Night”. Then the Kashubian folk band played “Jingle
Bells”.
Then I spoke to the seafarers. I explained the meaning of
Christmas and why we meet. We meet in the Name of Jesus
Christ who comes to us as a baby but it is by Him that
everything, including our humanity, was created. He came to
teach us how to live and love other people and show us the
way of our salvation. Among the seafarers, there were
Catholics and also members of other religions and
denominations. I told the Russian and Ukrainian seafarers
that their grandparents who taught them their faith passed
it straight to their hearts as, during the seventy years of
Communism, they had no access to churches.
 One
of the Filipino seafarers read from the Gospel of Luke about
the birth of Jesus. Then we shared a Polish custom. I took a
white wafer and explained that it is a symbol of mutual
love, kindness and also the work of human hands. When we
share the wafer, we think about our loved ones and, in this
way, we share the bread with them. Sharing the wafer with
the seafarers is a sign that we are one big family. I told
them that Stella Maris is their home around the world.
Then the party started. The seafarers received gifts of
wall calendars, sweets, fruit and CDs. Then they telephoned
their families or contacted them by Internet. Most
importantly, some of the seafarers attended Holy Mass.
There are around hundred workers from India employed in
the shipyards of Gdynia and Gdańsk. Naturally Stella Maris
takes care of them as well. Some of them stayed at the AOS
centre in Kashuby over Christmas. Midnight Mass was
celebrated for them and members of other religions also
participated. Christmas was extremely busy time for me but
very satisfying. Fr Edward leads prayers before the party
bove: musicians in traditional Polish costume play for
seafarers
ght: a Filipino seafarer reads from the Gospel
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