Davao, Christmas 2007

Welcoming seafarers' families and ecumenical partners from overseas to the port of Davao

The Christmas and new year period has been a time of celebration in Davao. Some 70 members of the Stella Maris Seafarers' Family Group held one of their annual parties at the seafarers' centre. This was a "Moms and Kids" party which the group organised for themselves. Fr Jack Walsh, director of the centre, noted with amusement that the seafarers' wives participated enthusiastically in children's games.

One such game was called "Moms, find your kids!". Mothers and their children formed two lines facing each other. Each mother was then blind-folded and told to find her own child. What the mothers did not know was that the children switched places. So, as the mothers advanced, there were shouts of laughter and surprise as they reached out to grab the wrong children.

Left: the durian, known in South East Asia as the "King of Fruits", is an essential ingredient in fruit salad. Above: fun and games at the party

After the games, there was time for what Fr Jack calls "the essentials of every Filipino party: meals to eat and soft drink to consume". The party ended at 9pm as the children, tired out by their games, began to fall asleep. For their parents who are working at sea, digital photographs and video clips provide some means of sharing in their children's Christmas joy.

Then, as the new year began, Fr Jack and his team welcomed a group from Liverpool, England, to Davao. The guests were pastoral workers from the Flying Angel Mariners' Club run by our ecumenical partners Mission to Seafarers. Their former chaplain, Deacon Roy Paul, now works for the ITF Seafarers' Trust. Roy and his team were in Davao for the weddings of two former volunteers in the Liverpool centre.

The two volunteers, Michael from Antique and Elmer from Davao City, were especially popular with the Filipino seafarers who visited the port of Liverpool. In addition to attending the two weddings, the group from Liverpool took time to visit the port of Cebu and the Bohol beaches where they experienced Filipino hospitality. Fr Jack said

In the tradition of Davao, the visitors feel certain that someday they will return.

Above: the Davao team welcomes their friends from Liverpool. Right: Fr Jack and Roy Paul at a wedding reception.

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