A day in the life of a port chaplain
Peter Devlin is the AOS chaplain in the port of Liverpool. Here he tells us about a typical day.
Peter Devlin in Liverpool |
I arrive at the Seafarers Centre at the start of a new week. After a quick chat with Mary the bookkeeper and Jackie the cleaner, it’s down to work. First I check the web cam to see what ships are in port and what will be coming in later at high water. Then I print off the daily news in various languages and make enough photocopies for all. Today I print news in Russian, Polish, Ukraine, Filipino, Indian and Dutch.
The chaplaincy team meets for coffee and to discuss the week ahead. With me are Fr Adrian, my AOS colleague; Sean and Russell, chaplain’s assistants from our ecumenical partners Mersey Mission to Seafarers (MMtS); and Glenys the bar manager. Normally on a Monday we have Team Prayers led by Gregor Cuff, honorary MMtS chaplain. As Gregor is away, I agree to lead prayers at 5.00pm instead. Then Fr Adrian and I start our round of ship visiting.
Ship visiting
Our first ship is the Ken Ocean, a bulker loading scrap. For a scrap berth the access is not too bad but, today being dry, the dust blows everywhere. We sign in on the gangway and then go to the mess room for coffee and chat and to leave copies of Balita, a newspaper for Filipino seafarers. The captain joins us and we arrange a pick up for 1.00pm. The crew, all Filipino, are in Liverpool for the first time and they want to visit the Beatle Museum.
Our next ship is the Yeoman Bank, another bulker that calls about every two months on a part discharge. The crew are all Ukranian and we rarely get past the gangway. Today is no exception. All are very pleasant but all too busy. We leave the news and a leaflet with information about the seafarers’ centre.
Then onto a new ship at the grain terminal, the Bluebill. Again there is an all-Ukrainian crew. They are friendly enough and chat on the gangway but there is no invite to go any further. The Chief Officer says that they are all very busy but they happily accept the news and the details of the centre.
Then we move onto the Marybelle. This ship has been in for a few days now. It has discharged grain and is now loading scrap. The crew is Filipino and some were at Mass last night. We receive a warm welcome and are invited to share a lunch of fish and rice. Seven crew then accompany us to the seafarers’ centre and from there I take six to the local shops.
Driving
Then I get a call from Mary at the centre asking me to do a pick up from the container ship Coastal Wave. The ship is a regular on the Liverpool/Dublin route and is here three times a week. I collect one seafarer who wants to do some shopping in the city centre because he is going home next week.
Then it is time to return to the Ken Ocean. First I take the crew to the seafarers’ centre to change money and then we drive into the city. We drop one off in the city centre and take the rest, including the captain, to the Beatle Museum in the Albert Dock. We agree a 5.00pm pick up.
On the way back to the centre, I stop at the local shopping mall to pick up those seafarers I had dropped there earlier. Time to catch my breath and have a cup of coffee.
Mid-afternoon, Fr Adrian, who has been talking with seafarers at the centre, joins me in visiting the Flotbeck, a container ship which calls at Liverpool every 21 days. We leave them the Balita and two crew come ashore with us to phone home. We promise that the bus will pass by tonight to allow more of the crew to make their all important calls.
At the centre, I talk to Russell and Sean. I agree to pick up the seafarers who have been visiting the Beatle Museum at 5.00pm and Russell will lead Evening Prayer. I collect the crew of the Ken Ocean and, as I drive them back to the seafarers’ centre, the captain says,
“That visit to Liverpool is for me once in a life time, something I’ll never forget, something to tell the family about when I get home.”
End of a busy day
Back at the centre, Evening Prayer is over. There is time to catch up briefly with Dave Wilde, my fellow AOS chaplain, who is just starting his evening shift. Then I walk to the train and head for home knowing that I’ve played my part in the work of AOS today and that the work will carry on through the evening. Tomorrow will be another day.