People of the Sea
Cruise ship priests
Two members of the AOS USA Cruise Ship Priest Program share their experiences.
"There were cases that came forward the like of which I never experienced in 48 years of parish ministry."
Father Thomas W Behan OSA describes how fourteen days spent ministering to passengers had a surprising effect on his own life and priesthood.
"With these few lines, I would like to share my experience in ministry to people on a sea voyage. In October 2006, I was the chaplain on a 14 day cruise to Hawaii aboard the Celebrity lines ship, the GTS Summit.
Before leaving I was looking forward to the trip as a wonderful vacation with a minimum duty of a daily Mass and 2 Masses on Sunday. What a great deal! What I actually experienced was so much more than what I had anticipated, especially in the spiritual world.
The ship's dining, entertainment and recreational facilities were top notch and quite a treat. It would be an understatement to say that the ship's directors and crew were very friendly, available and attentive to any need we might have.
However, the thing that really surprised me was the reaction of those passengers to whom I ministered on a daily basis. I could not get over how many of these passengers really put themselves out to let me know what a difference my ministry and daily Mass made in their cruise.
I thought that for me the daily Mass and the few cases of counseling I did were my job and just what I should be doing as chaplain. However they made it very clear that the chaplain service was far more than just ordinary. Hearing this was a delightful surprise and gave me a new lease on my 74 years of life and 48 years as a priest.
Since September of 2003, I have been semi-retired at Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Hollywood, California. My main duties are to help out with Masses on weekdays and especially on weekends. I had been assigned to this parish twice before for a total of nine years. Then it was full time and very busy. Now, my duties are minimal and I have plenty of time for reading and rest and prayer. Sometimes I wonder why I am still living as I fill up my calendar with doctor's appointments.
The cruise to Hawaii gave me a new lease on life and my priesthood. This very positive experience greatly reinforced the fact that I still have much to give and that I can make a real difference in people's lives by just being myself.
I left the ship with a much better idea of just where and how I fit into the senior world. In these days of clergy scandal, a kind and truly spiritual priest can give an example that is greatly needed.
On this cruise, I also discovered that the setting of a cruise provides a unique opportunity for counseling and spiritual direction. There were cases that came forward the like of which I never experienced in 48 years of parish ministry. One elderly gentleman who had not been to Mass in years came forward to ask questions during the cruise. This led to confession and finally receiving the sacraments again after years of being away from the Church. The entire assembly was moved by this man's reception of Our Lord. There was not a dry eye at that Mass.
These 2 weeks at sea gave me an entirely new concept of the possibility of real spiritual ministry while at sea."
"People come to Mass who say they don’t regularly attend when they are working but make time while on vacation."
Fr Brian O’Loughlin VG is from Australia. Here he shares his experience of the importance of cruise ship priests.
I have been a cruise ship priest for the last 24 years and find it an excellent means of working vacation. I like the sea, I like meeting new people and I like being able to help guests to enjoy their cruise and the crew to receive some spiritual comfort, which people ashore can so easily take for granted.
Mgr. John O’Shea, former National Director of AOS Australia is now Chaplain of a holiday island off the coast of Australia. I always bear in mind what he says about maritime ministry: people come to Mass who say they don’t regularly attend when they are working but make time while on vacation. I have found that cruise ship ministry is like that too. That guests take the opportunity while at sea because they are relaxed and away from usual commitments and have time to think and do what they wish to do rather than what the rush of modern life dictates.
In this regard I would like to share with you my cause celebre of cruise ship ministry. It concerns Terry who attended Mass on the ship on which I was Chaplain. After Mass, I stood at the door and made myself available to the guests as they were leaving. Terry asked to speak with me. I asked Terry to sit down, which he did and then dissolved in tears. After he recovered I asked what was wrong? Terry said he had remarried outside the church, but that his first wife had died. He wondered if anything could be done?
I asked if his wife had approached the Church’s Tribunal? He said he didn’t know there was a Tribunal. I encouraged him to do so when they returned home. I later met his wife and she said she was prepared to do so. We exchanged email addresses and before the following Easter, Terry was delighted to email me saying the Tribunal had addressed the irregularity and his wife was being received into the Church through the RCIA.
Many cruise ship priests would have similar accounts of how the ministry has been so effective. I remember another guest who approached me after the first Mass of the cruise and said she really values her daily Mass. Before deciding which cruise line to sail with, she phoned the head offices of Celebrity and Princess asking if a priest would be on board for daily Mass. Celebrity said they endeavoured to have a priest onboard every cruise of every ship. So you know who she choose for her cruise.
AOS USA maintains a register of accredited priests available for cruise ship work. For more information, see the AOS USA website.