Being at sea over the Christmas period is a tough reality many seafarers and fishers face, often under challenging conditions. They miss spending this special time of the year with their family. Loneliness and homesickness can take a toll on their emotional and mental wellbeing, making what should be a joyful time of year a difficult one.
But seafarers arriving on ships at the ports in the South Coast of England are never forgotten, thanks to Stella Maris regional port chaplains Gregory Hogan and Luke Phillips and their team of volunteer ship visitors.
Every year they run a Christmas Tree Appeal, inviting local Catholic parishes and primary schools to donate tubs of chocolate. These are then placed into gift packs and delivered to seafarers in Southampton and Fawley ports over Christmas.
This year will be no different. But more than the gifts that they bring, Gregory, Luke and the ship visitors bring friendship and the love of Christ to the crews that they meet, making sure they are remembered at this special time of the year.
Hope and joy
Two Christmases ago, Gregory visited a ship a few days before Christmas. He noticed they didn’t have any Christmas decorations in the crew mess onboard.
“I asked if they were planning to decorate” he recalls. “They said they would if they had anything to use, so I offered to get them some.” He returned with a Christmas tree, some lights, decorations, and a nativity scene.
On another occasion a visit took place on a ship with a short turnaround time. With just a few hours in port to unload and reload the cargo, there was little time for the crew to think about Christmas. Gregory and his team acted quickly, heading out to buy a Christmas tree and star to give to them before they left port.
The crews of both ships were delighted and grateful for the effort and the kindness shown during a time when they were far from those they love.
Gregory says, “There will be about 400,000 seafarers working over Christmas, separated from their families and friends. Theirs is a tough, relentless life, long hours, noisy, with extreme temperatures, doing often dangerous and exhausting work. We want to show them that they are not forgotten at Christmas.”
Please say a prayer for seafarers and fishers this Christmas. And if you can help please visit https://stellamaris.org.uk/christmas/
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