Fr Lorenzo Mex |
AOS always seeks to work in partnership with local, national and international organisations. AOS Mexico is a strategic partner in the Fundación para el Bienestar de la Gente del Mar, or "Fubigemar", the Foundation for the Welfare of the People of the Sea, an initiative supported by the International Committee on Seafarers' Welfare. There are two aspects to this work: welfare services to visiting seafarers and social projects among the local community.
Fr Lorenzo Mex is the national director of AOS Mexico and chaplain to the port of Progreso. Situated on the northern shore of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico, Progreso is a centre for container ships. In recent years, large cruise ships have started to arrive. In addition, there is significant fishing industry around Progreso.
Services to seafarers include an active ship visiting programme. Pastoral workers Antonio Buenfil, Dolores Molina and Sister Raquele Marando visit seafarers onboard their ships in the area of Puerto de Altura. Free transport is provided to the Stella Maris Centre nearby.
The Stella Maris Centre in Progreso is housed in a former mansion. The building was donated to the archdiocese by the family which owned it. The government of the state of Yucatan has invested in the centre. AOS Mexico has also formed partnerships with public and private organisations which have made donations to the centre.
At the Stella Maris Centre, Fr Lorenzo and his team offer a safe and welcoming environment. Visiting seafarers can use telephone and Internet facilities to contact their families. There are rooms for relaxation and games and a basketball pitch where visitors can take exercise.
The Stella Maris Centre in Progreso | The AOS heart and anchor logo in a window at the centre |
In order to provide services to the local community, AOS has formed a partnership with the Marist University of Merida, capital of the state of Yucatan. The university has a programme called "learning through service". Students on the programme work as volunteers in social projects co-ordinated by AOS. These include courses in safety and survival at sea; legal assistance for seafarers; literacy and numeracy classes for children of fishing communities; and environmental education.
One of these projects is "Vivienda Digna". The aim is to provide a decent standard of accommodation for people living in reduced circumstances through construction of new homes and repair of existing ones. This work takes place in Progreso and in the villages around the port of Chuburna where people live mainly from fishing.
Recently the port authority of Progreso paid tribute to the work of AOS on its website saying
The Stella Maris Centre of Progreso is contributing to building a more humane, fair and just society, a goal which it believes everyone can reach.
click here to read how AOS provided a happy Christmas for children from a poor area
click here for contact details of AOS in Progreso
click here to read about the Stella Maris Centre on the Progreso Port Authority website, in Spanish
please note that AOS is not responsible for the content of websites external to our own
