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Recession hits seafarers hard BY CLAIRE MATHIESON
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Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher met Mother dolores Hart during the Catholic Press Association’s convention in denver, Colorodo. Mother dolores, who has just published her memoirs, The Ear of the Heart, was the first actress whom Elvis Presley kissed on film and was on her way to movie stardom when she decided to become an encloistered Benedictine nun. She was the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary God Is The Bigger Elvis. Mother dolores told the convention that she wears the beret not because of artistic pretension, but simply to keep her head warm.
Syrian priest killed during rebel attack on Franciscan convent BY CINdY WOOdEN
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SYRIAN priest and hermit was killed, apparently when a group of rebels attacked the Franciscan Convent of St Anthony in Ghassanieh, a village in the north near the Turkish border. Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, told Vatican Radio that Fr François Murad was not a Franciscan, but had taken refuge in the convent when it became clear he was not safe at the Syriac Catholic hermitage he was building nearby. Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo of Hassake-Nisibi told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, that Fr Murad “sent me several messages which showed he was aware of living in a dangerous situation and was willing to offer his life for peace in Syria and the world”.
Fr Pizzaballa said that Ghassanieh,“ like other Christian villages, has been almost completely destroyed and is almost totally abandoned.” He said he believes the only people left in Ghassanieh “are the rebels with their families, rebels who are not from Syria and who are extremists”. “The only thing we can do, other than pray for Fr François and all the victims, is pray that this folly ends soon and that no more weapons are sent to Syria because that would only prolong this absurd civil war,” Fr Pizzaballa said. The Franciscan leader said Syria is a “battleground, and not just between Syrian forces, but also for other Arab countries and the international community. “The ones paying the price are the poor, the small and the least, including the Christians”. “The international community must put the brakes on this,” he said.—CNS
WING to worldwide recession, one of the most “physically and emotionally challenging” occupations has become harder. This is the sentiment of those that work with seafarers, the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS), who say conditions for fisherman and seafarers have deteriorated since 2008, resulting in ships and their crew being abandoned in foreign ports with no money, and no clear cut way to get home. “Things are really bad since the recession in 2008. Often ships and all their employees are abandoned in a foreign port; sometimes people aren’t paid. We help out at times like this,” said Deacon Gerald Sobotker of the AOS, also known as Stella Maris. “We attend to the needs of seafarers—from hospital visits and ship visits, to helping them contact home and we provide counselling,” he said. It is estimated that the Catholic seafaring world comprises more than 70% of the seafaring population. “We attend to their spiritual needs, but our services are not limited to only Catholics,” Deacon Sobotker said. “The ministry of the AOS is the missionary wing of the Catholic Church amongst seafarers, in South Africa. We are active in the ports of Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London,” said Cape Town’s chaplain Fr Jorge Guerra CS. “Seafarers are away from their families for anything between six and ten months on the commercial ships, and the fisher folk are away for as many as 36 months.” “This puts a strain on family life and the ministry of the AOS is to make the seafarer at home away from home,” said Fr Guerra. “Through our ministry we provide the means for the seafarer to contact their families by providing telephones, emailing facilities and internet access, we also provide counselling where required, especially when [seafarers] are faced with some crisis, such as the ill health of their family members or even death at home whilst they are at sea.” Apart from the emotional and mental strain of being away from home for long periods of time, the fishing industry and those in it are often faced with “unscrupulous shipowners, shipping and employment agencies, especially those operating under ‘flags of con-
venience,’” said Fr Guerra. “Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese and many others, operate from Cape Town harbour to the ‘deep south’. They employ people with a poor education and these seafarers are often manipulated to sign contracts up to three years,” said Deacon Sobotker. “Often, basic safety measures are non-existent. These fishermen often suffer from frost bite from working with frozen fish,” he said. “They come under false pretences and after being at sea for three months, they realise this is not the job they want.” “These people receive no payment are threatened with jail, are in a foreign country and often helpless.” Deacon Sobotker said when the AOS finds such cases, they work closely with other organisations that minister to seafarers as well as with international bodies to help rectify these situations. “We’ve had to help people who are without work, without food and without money, far from home. This is where our welfare ministry comes in.” Another issue is that of payment. Many of the seafarers earn $180-$200 (R1 800-R2 000) per month, but will receive payment only at the end of their long contracts. “A small portion is paid to their families every month, but the seafarers themselves don’t see much money until their three-year stint is over. They don’t have much money when they’re in port, so we often have to help them communicate home and occasionally with food,” said Deacon Sebokter. The AOS also works with commercial ships and liners. “The conditions on commercial ships are better than those on fishing trawlers, but our service extends to all sea workers,” the deacon told The Southern Cross. “These people usually have a better education, so they tend not to fall into the same traps the fishermen do. However, these people still need spiritual assistance.” From dealing with being away from home for long periods of time, to coping with deaths at sea, or even deaths at home, “we deal with depression and concerned seafarers who are not able to go home.” “Things have definitely deteriorated for sea-farers. It’s one of the hardest jobs around and now it’s even harder.” n This year’s Sea Sunday collection is on July 14.
Pray with the pope in Brazil
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A woman with the international aid agency Oxfam lays flowers at gravestones in front of City Hall in Belfast. The display, set up during the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland, marked the loss of life in Syria’s civil war. (Photo: Cathal McNaughton, Reuters/CNS)
HE Catholic faithful from around the world are invited to send their prayer intentions to the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida for the Mass that Pope Francis will celebrate there during his visit to Brazil this month. The press office of the shrine of Aparecida announced that it will collect all of the intentions that it receives in a special book that will be given to the Holy Father. The deadline for receiving prayer intentions for the Mass is July 14. Pope Francis will be visiting Brazil for World Youth Day 2013, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro from July 23-28. He will celebrate Mass in Aparecida on July 24 at 10:30 local time. “It is a great blessing to have the Vicar of Christ on earth among us, and it is an even greater grace to pray together for the interces-
The national Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil. (Photo: Roosevelt Cassio, Reuters/CNS) sion of the Mother of God, Our Lady of Aparecida,” said Auxiliary Bishop of Aparecida Darci Jose Nicoli. “Let us join with the Pope in his intentions. Let us pray with him and for him.” —CNA n Those who wish to send in their prayer intentions should visit www.a12.com/campanhadosdevotos/papa.