People of the Sea
Dedication of a cruise ship
In a truly international ceremony, the cruise ship Costa Serena was dedicated to Our Lady Stella Maris in May 2007.
The 114,147 tonne Costa Serena has the capacity for 3,780 passengers. It is the twelfth ship in the fleet of Italian cruise line Costa Crociere. There is a long-standing association between Costa Crociere and AOS Italy which supplies sea-going chaplains to the cruise line. Several AOS Italy chaplains were present at the ceremony of dedication which took place in the French port of Marseilles.
Fr Luca Centurioni (2nd right) is the new chaplain |
The dedication ceremony began in the morning in the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde. Various AOS chaplains together with the director of Costa Crociere, Pier Luigi Foschi attended. A large model of the Costa Serena was placed before a statue of Our Lady known locally as “the Guardian Lady”. Prayers were said, dedicating the ship and all who sail in her to Our Lady Stella Maris.
In the evening, 2,000 invited guests attended the “christening” ceremony on the quayside during which a bottle of Champagne was broken against the bow of the ship.
Bishop Tom Burns, bishop promoter of AOS Great Britain then gave a homily. He noted that, for centuries, seafarers embarking from Marseilles had asked for the protection of Notre Dame de la Garde while they were at sea. On returning to port, they offered thanks to Our Lady for bringing them home safely.
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Bishop Tom told the crowd that blessing a ship means commending it entirely to God. This includes the dream and vision of the architects and ship builders, the crew who work hard to provide excellent service, and the passengers who enjoy the wonderful experience of the cruise ship.
During the homily, Bishop Tom asked the crew to remember one thing:
when seafarers leave home or port, Christ leaves with them.
click here to read about the chaplain's role on Costa Crociere ships