Faith and Filipino seafarers
A study conducted among Filipino seafarers demonstrates the importance of spiritual support
Filipino seafarers constitute some 20% of merchant seafarers making the Philippines the largest single supply nation to the world’s merchant fleet. Christians constitute about 94% of Filipinos: 84% of these are Catholic.
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In an article commissioned by REHMU, a Brazilian journal on the study of migration, Sr Myrna Tordillo examines religiosity among Filipino seafarers onboard ship. She considers the influence of religious belief on migration experience and the role of support groups and networks in receiving ports.
Drawing on information gathered by the Apostleship of the Sea, among other sources, the article finds that a sense of uprootedness leads migrants to seek channels of social connection. This need is especially acute among seafarers who may not see land for weeks at a time and who may be denied shore leave when the ship is in port, a condition poignantly described by one seafarer as “prisoner of the sea.”
Sr Myrna finds that religion offers strength, hope and peace to Filipino seafarers. She quotes a ship’s cook who says of attending Mass after two months at sea,
"Mass is very good. It gives a charge".
For Catholic seafarers, life onboard poses challenges, for example the difficulty of attending Mass regularly. However seafarers report other devotional activities onboard, such as praying the Rosary, which are living expressions of faith.
Certain traditional Filipino cultural values can be understood as Christian values. Through these, Filipino seafarers embody a rich heritage which they transmit as they practise their faith onboard and in port. These expressions of faith and values are embodiments of who they are as migrants, seafarers and Catholics.
The Apostleship of the Sea, through its network of port chaplains and pastoral teams, can offer vital support to seafarers in the expression of their faith and values
click here to read the full text of Sr Myrna’s article
PDF file size: 80 KB
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About the author
Sr Myrna Tordillo MSCS comes originally from the Philippines. She is the National Director of the Apostleship of the Sea in the USA and Co-ordinator of the “People on the Move” programme on behalf of Migration and Refugee Services, an office of the US Bishops’ Conference.
A member of the Missionary Sisters of St Charles Borromeo, also known as the Scalabrinians, Sr Myrna has worked with migrants in the Philippines, Mexico and the USA.