Sea Sunday ResourceBook

Watch the Sea Sunday video at www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk/aos-film

Key contents

All resources in this book can also be downloaded from our website at www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk/resources-parishes

Apostleship of the Sea is the maritime agency of the Catholic Church. Its teams of chaplains and ship visitors

in ports around the country provide practical help and pastoral care to seafarers, who are often thousands of

miles away from their families back home.

3 Sea Sunday gospel meditation4 Prayers of intercession5 Children’s liturgy6 Newsletter texts7 Sea Sunday appeal talk8 Where does your money go?8 Leaving a legacy to AoS9 Parish check list10 Information for collection counters11 Feedback form

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Apostleship of the Sea 39 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1BXt 0207 901 1931 e info@apostleshipofthesea.org.uk w apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

facebook.com/AoS.GB @Apostleshipsea

Company Registration no. 3320318 Registered Charity in England and Wales no. 1069833 Registered Charity in Scotland no. SC043085

At that time Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’

‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

Gospel readingMatthew 11:25 – 30

Meditation

There are times when many of us feel overburdened in our daily life. There can seem so many demands, so much to do. ‘I need to relax,’ we say.

Seafarers have one of the hardest and most dangerous jobs in the world. They can spend months at sea, working long hours, living in cramped conditions, and battling storms and gales. They see little of their families and when they arrive in a port they know no one.

This is where Apostleship of the Sea port chaplains and ship visitors come in. When they go on board a ship they have one question for the crew. How can I help? They offer the hand of friendship, listen to the concerns of the seafarers they meet, and try through small gestures to attend to some of their needs.

This can be anything from arranging internet or phone access, so a seafarer can contact their family back home, providing transport to local shops, or helping to resolve problems over pay or conditions. Port chaplains and ship visitors will also take seafarers to Mass in a local parish or sometimes try and arrange for a priest to come on board.

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Prayers of intercession

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Let us pray for seafarers, who work hard at sea to bring us so many of the goods that we rely on for daily life.

Lord, heAr uS.

Let us pray that those who feel burdened in life might turn to Christ.

Lord, heAr uS.

Lord Jesus, you said that your yoke is easy. Give us the faith and courage to follow you.

Lord, heAr uS.

Let us pray for all those who feel abandoned or neglected, especially in our own community.

Lord, heAr uS.

Let us pray for Apostleship of the Sea and its mission to be the light of Christ to those who visit our shores.

Lord, heAr uS.

We pray for the Pope and all who lead the Church that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit they may continue to lead us along the path of faith.

Lord, heAr uS.

➜ Jesus invites us all to place our worries with him. One of the tasks of Apostleship of the Sea is to support seafarers who might feel concerned or anxious about their family back home.

➜ Ask the children what they think it might be like working on a ship and being in the middle of an ocean, thousands of miles from land.

➜ Ask the children how they would feel if they did not see their family for months.

Children’s liturgy Points for leaders

➜ Explain that much of what we buy in the shops arrives not by plane but by ship. Ask the children to list some of these things.

➜ Explain that many seafarers who come to Britain don’t speak English as a first language. Ask the children what they think port chaplains and ship visitors can do to make them feel welcome.

➜ Ask the children to imagine that they were visiting a ship in a port. What would they ask the seafarers they met?

➜ Remind the children that Jesus wants us to trust him and not to worry.

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Newsletter texts

For insertion in newsletter distributed the week before Sea Sunday: Sunday 2nd July

Next week is Sea Sunday, when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea. There will be a second collection for Apostleship of the Sea, the official maritime welfare agency of the Catholic Church. It provides practical and spiritual support to seafarers visiting our ports. As it is dependent on voluntary donations, please give generously. For more information about its work, visit www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

For insertion in newsletter distributed the week of Sea Sunday: Sunday 9th JulyToday is Sea Sunday, when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea. Without them we would not have most of the items we buy in the shops. Today’s second collection is for Apostleship of the Sea (AoS), the Church’s official maritime welfare agency. It supports seafarers both practically and spiritually. This collection is vital to enable it to continue its work, so please give generously and remember seafarers in your prayers. Thank you. To donate online please visit www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk

Parish Twitter announcement

Today @PARISHTWITTER celebrates #seasunday to remember & pray for seafarers, fishermen & @apostleshipsea supporting them all over the world.

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Sea Sunday appeal talk

Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is _______________ and I am here to speak to you about the work of the Apostleship of the Sea.

I imagine that most of you here today are able to get to Mass every Sunday. But perhaps you don’t realise how blessed you are to have this opportunity. Let me tell you about a seafarer – we’ll call him Carlo.

When Carlo is home in the Philippines with his wife and two-year-old daughter, they go to Mass together as a family every Sunday. But Carlo works on a cargo ship sailing all over the world and he’s usually away from home for up to nine months a year.

He recently found himself in Dundee, where an AoS volunteer ship visitor, Jacqueline, arranged to take him and a group of his Filipino shipmates to Mass. It was the first time they had managed to get to Mass in several months, and they were delighted.

Carlo told Jacqueline how glad he was to be going to Mass, but he was also sad because it reminded him of Sundays back home with his family, and how much he missed them – especially his two-year-old daughter, who doesn’t really know him.

This story is a typical experience for port chaplains working with the Apostleship of the Sea. Most seafarers are on long contracts and may not see their families for nine or maybe even 12 months. Loneliness is a big problem.

You may also be surprised to know that many seafarers are Catholics, coming from the Philippines, India and Poland, so a key part of Apostleship of the Sea’s work is to provide spiritual support; helping them to get to Mass or praying with them in times of difficulty.

But another important part of the Apostleship’s work is giving simple, practical help to all seafarers. For example, a ship visitor recently had to step in and help a Russian crew when their container ship was detained at Chatham in Kent. The crew had not been paid their wages over the last few months. The ship was in a poor state of repair and was detained by the UK Maritime and Coastguard agency after developing engine trouble. The Apostleship of the Sea provided the seafarers with practical and pastoral support, including buying essential provisions.

Sometimes a port chaplain’s work is fairly straightforward, like making sure seafarers have the correct SIM cards for their mobile phones, so they can make contact with their families back home. And sometimes the work is more dramatic, for example when the Tilbury port chaplain recently had to comfort the crew of a ship who were deeply upset after a death on board.

Our daily life depends on the maritime industry and the sea. 90% of world trade is transported by sea.

Around the world, nearly 1.2 million seafarers, many from developing nations, work on board 50,000 merchant ships carrying food, clothing, furniture, petrol and many other products. Working conditions are very difficult, as seafarers often work long shifts in extreme weather conditions. Sometimes they even experience pirate attacks.’

Apostleship of the Sea is the Catholic Church’s official outreach to seafarers and fishermen, through port chaplains, ship visitors and cruise chaplains. They rely almost entirely on the support of Catholic parishes and the generosity of people like yourselves, to continue this vital work.

Today’s collection is your opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of seafarers like Carlo, who I mentioned at the beginning. Please also keep Apostleship of the Sea in your prayers, and consider leaving them a gift in your Will.

Your gift in this collection will make a real difference

• £5canbuyaphonecardforaseafarertocontact his family back home.

• £10canprovidefaithresourcessuchasbibles, crosses or faith development courses for a ship’s crew.

• £50willpayforenoughfuelforachaplainto visit 12 ships, and support nearly 250 seafarers.

If you are a tax payer please complete one of the Gift Aid envelopes to make this collection go a little further. Last year the extra tax from the Gift Aid enabled AoS to visit 500 ships helping 10,000 seafarers.

Thank you for listening and may God bless your generosity.

For every £1 you give to AoS, we spend:

■ 77p directly on seafarers’ welfare.

■ 4p on governance and administration.

■ 19p on generating more funds to continue our work.

77p

4p

19p

Leaving a legacy to AoS

Where does your money go?

By remembering AoS with a gift in your Will, you can join the long list of remarkable people who have supported the faith and welfare of seafarers over the last 100 years.

Many Catholics are very generous with their lifetime giving, but surprisingly few think of continuing their generosity with a legacy gift. There can be many reasons for this, but the main one is that nobody asked them.

We encourage you to have more conversations with people on the subject and, to help you do so, we

All the financial information can be verified at the Charity Commission website: www.charitycommission.gov.ukYou can also download our latest annual report and financial statements by visiting our website: http://www.apostleshipofthesea.org.uk/annual-review-accounts

have created the “Legacy giving handy guide”. It’s small yet packed full of useful conversation starters and answers to common questions.

You don’t need to be an expert on the subject, as you can pass any questions and enquiries on to AoS legacy officer Alastair Emblem. He will be happy to send you the handy guide, legacy giving leaflets, will-writing guides, and lists of local specialist solicitors, or come and give a talk on legacies in your parish.

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Parish check list

• Askoneofthereadersoranothervolunteerto read the appeal talk on Sea Sunday

• AsktheusherstohandouttheGiftAidenvelopes as people arrive for Mass

• Givethechildren’sliturgysheettothechildren’s liturgy catechist

• PinuptheSeaSundayposters

• Putanannouncementinyournewsletter,onefor the week before and one for Sea Sunday.

• Ifpossibleincludetheintercessionsforseafarers and the work of the Apostleship of the Sea

Before Sea Sunday

• EnsuretheGiftAidenvelopesaregiven out before Mass and there are some pens available

• Checkthereaderorvolunteerhastheappealtext to read at the end of Mass, before the second collection

On Sea Sunday

• Sendthecollectionbycheque,payableto‘Apostleship of the Sea’, to Apostleship of the Sea, 39 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1BX, together with the gift aid envelopes, so the tax can be reclaimed.

After Sea Sunday

Step by step instructions 1. Once Mass has finished, please collect any completed Gift Aid envelopes and count the total

money donated.

Please Note: Could you check the donation within each Gift Aid envelope completed. If the amount enclosed is the same as stated on the envelope, please do not change it. However if the amount enclosed differs from the amount stated on the envelope, please write clearly on the envelope the amount that was enclosed.

2. Please bank the cash and send us a cheque for the total amount made payable to Apostleship of the Sea. A Freepost envelope for the cheque and Gift Aid envelopes and your completed return form has been included in this pack.

Please take up the second collection in support of the Apostleship of the Sea on Sea Sunday, 9th July 2017 (or whichever date is best for your parish).

We have gift aid envelopes available (a few are included for your use). Please contact us if you would like more gift aid envelopes.

Information for collection counters

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Thank you for your help. Because of the crucial part you play, the Apostleship of the Sea, on behalf of the Church, will be able to support more seafarers from around the world.

Please send the collection cheque as soon as possible to the AoS office:Apostleship of the Sea, 39 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1BX

Name of parish priest/parish contact:

Name of parish:

Diocese:

Address:

Telephone:

Email:

Parish website:

Weencloseachequefor£ from our 2017 Sea Sunday collection

We enclose any completed Gift Aid envelopes

Send your Sea Sunday collection and completed Gift Aid envelopes to: Apostleship of the Sea 39 Eccleston Square London SW1V 1BX Tel: 0207 9011931

Feedback form

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bank details for a bank transfer Apostleship of the Sea The Co-Operative Bank City Office 80 Cornhill London EC3V 3NJ

Sort Code: 08 02 28 Account No: 68 49 98 73

Gospel reading taken from The New Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. and used by permission.