Sacred Spaces Onboard
 The
AOS pastoral team from Portsmouth, England, report on
creative ways of attending to seafarers' spiritual needs.
Spiritual deprivation is rarely mentioned as an important
issue affecting the lives of seafarers. However the AOS
pastoral team in Portsmouth, England, know that the
spiritual welfare of seafarers must accompany their physical
welfare. Elfi Ip and Geoff Breeze, both ship visitors in
Portsmouth, realised that when seafarers are asked if they
need any help, they are often shy and do not make their
requests openly.
In order to solve this problem, the Portsmouth team
decided to include a questionnaire when distributing news
and information pamphlets among crews. To their great
surprise, the most requested items were Bibles and the
celebration of Mass at each port of call. Clearly the crew’s
spiritual needs were very important to them.
On many of the ships which they visited, there was no
private place where members of the crew could meditate or
pray. Seafarers clearly needed a sacred space where they
could be alone with God. Elfi spoke to the Chief Officer of
one such ship, the Coldstream, and suggested providing a
chapel. He discussed it with the Captain and fellow crew
members who were all very enthusiastic. The AOS team
provided a crucifix, several icons and a Bible. These were
placed in an unused cabin on the ship. This “sacred space”
is now used every day when the ship is at sea.
However, not many ships have an empty cabin available.
After discussions with the AOS Portsmouth team, the Captain
of another ship had a large cabinet built in the crew’s
mess. Into this they placed a crucifix, an icon of Our Lady
Stella Maris, prayer cards, rosary beads and holy water. The
crew now uses this “cupboard altar” every day while at sea
as a focus for prayer and hymn singing.
The AOS Portsmouth team have subsequently discussed the
question of a sacred space onboard with numerous ships’
masters. They report that they are very encouraged by the
positive reactions. Several of the ships which they visit
regularly now have “cupboard altars” of different sizes and
styles according to the needs of the crew and talents of the
ship’s carpenter!
 One
such ship is the Elvira. When the AOS team raised the
subject with Captain Olimato Galang, he was very
enthusiastic and immediately asked his bosun to start
building an altar. When the ship returned to Portsmouth
several weeks later, the Captain and crew invited the AOS
pastoral team to visit the officers’ rest room where the
completed altar was in position.
The team supplied a crucifix, Stella Maris icon, rosary
beads and candles. A Holy Communion service was held to
celebrate the dedication of the altar which the AOS team was
delighted to attend. Two weeks later, they received the
following message in an email from Captain Galang expressing
the thanks of the seafarers.
M/v Elvira's Mini Chapel
What makes Filipinos different is their unwavering faith
in God. Their faith is what protect them from every battle
of nostalgic and give them the triumph to happiness. They
never forget giving thanks to our Lord for the blessings and
trials that come along the journey of their lives. Most
especially the friends that they meet along the way. Here in
M/v Elvira, you cannot feel homesickness because of the
crews’ camaraderie that treats each other not only as
colleague but also as true friends.
As faithful as we are to our Good God, the crew requested
Mr. Geoffrey Breeze and Mrs Elfi Ip of the Apostles of the
Sea (Seaman’s Mission), Portsmouth, U.K. to provide an altar
for the ship. It was then agreed that the ship is to make an
altar and the seaman’s mission will provide the cross,
candles, and other materials for the altar. Joyfully, on the
15th of October, the altar was finally made real. After the
altar was mounted, a Holy Communion in the ship was then
celebrated with the ship’s crew.
Thanks to Mr. Breeze & Mrs Ip, the crew can now spend
some time in a solemn prayer room where they can reflect and
say their prayers for the safety of the vessel and the
families we left home, hoping that we will be reunited again
in safety, love and loyalty.
Now, our officer’s smoke room is converted into a prayer
room where the altar is sited. Consequently, every time our
ship calls Portsmouth, Seaman’s Mission come on board and
celebrates Holy Communion or Holy Mass with the ship’s crew
and the crew of other ships nearby.
M/v Elvira Crew
Photograph: (1) The sacred space onboard the
Coldstream (2) Captain and crew of the MV Elvira with AOS
ship visitor Elfi Ip in front of their altar.
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