APRIL 2021 StellaSUPPORTING SEAFARERS AND FISHERSMaris AROUND THE WORLD Port Focus The Good Life Inside Cebu, Philippines Hepatitis A Sunday at Sea Growing in Faith with Fr Pio Idowu Discovering the Paschal Mystery 2 Stella Maris is a Catholic charity supporting seafarers worldwide. We provide practical and pastoral care to all seafarers, regardless of nationality, belief or race. Our port chaplains and volunteer ship visitors welcome seafarers, offer welfare services and advice, practical help, care and friendship. Stella Maris is the largest ship visiting network in the world, working in 332 ports with 227 port chaplains around the world. We also run 53 seafarers’ centres around the world. We are only able to continue our work through the generous donations of our supporters and volunteers. To support Stella Maris with a donation visit www.stellamaris.org.uk/donate Stella Maris 39 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1BX, United Kingdom Tel: +44 020 7901 1931 Email: [email protected] facebook.com/StellaMarisOrg www.stellamaris.org.uk Registered charity in England and Wales number 1069833 Registered charity in Scotland number SC043085 Registered company number 3320318 Images Cover, Pg 2 and back cover courtesy of Stella Maris. Pg 8-11 courtesy of istockphoto. Pg 4, 5, 6 and 7 courtesy of Fr Lawrence Lew O.P. DOWNLOAD Stella Maris OUR FREE APP provides seafarers StellaMaris with practical support, information and a listening ear STELLA MARIS MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 PORT FOCUS 3 CEBU, PHILIPPINES The Port of Cebu is located in the 500 thousand seafarers on that was inaugurated on April 29, Cebu City, Philippines. It serves ocean sea-going vessels. 2004. It’s a four-storey building the Metro Cebu Area and is the OFWs, who are in more than 193 with around 20 private and largest domestic port in the countries, take and practice their dormitory rooms with amenities Philippines, mostly serving routes faith fervently wherever they are such as basketball on the front in the Visayas and Mindanao. It is or go. In fact, OFWs are in more yard, fitness gym, hall for social composed of the Cebu International than 193 countries. That is why the gatherings, study room, chapel at Port and the Domestic Zone with Catholic Bishops of the Philippines the roof deck with a nice view of a monthly average of 49 ship deem OFWs as modern apostles of the port so that the seafarers can calls for Cebu International port evangelization in the foreign countries enjoy their stay while away from and 4,841 ship calls for domestic where they go to work or emigrate. home. Since then, thousands of zone based on the 2019 statistics. Here in Cebu, centuries later seafarers and families have been Cebu was historically an important another foreign missionary, Fr. Roland accommodated and served by the strategic center for both traders Doriol, SJ (a Jesuit priest and seafarer), centre. The current centre serves from Southern China and later established the Apostleship of the as the place of other programmes the Spaniards who colonized the Sea in order to make the Church and services of the Apostleship of country. But the Port of Cebu has more visible in the life of seafarers the Sea that provide pastoral care also been a physical witness of and other people of the sea. Whilst to the seafarers on board ships the unfolding of important events working on board ships he had or seafarers on vacation, their especially the Christianization of encountered many Filipino seafarers families, the students of nautical the Philippines with the arrival of who were the ones invited him to institutes, the port workers, the Spaniards. come to the Philippines and reach out personnel and also fishers. 2021 is a significant year of the to the Filipino seafarers and families. Stella Maris, Cebu, undertakes Catholic Church in the Philippines In 1991 his work began with the regular ship visits, hospital and as it celebrates the 500 Years of students at the maritime school of home visits, human and spiritual the Arrival of Christianity. Cebu is the University of Cebu but, in order development programmes, legal seen as the cradle of Christianity to get closer to active seafarers counselling. There are also links as it was the place where the both on inter-island and ocean- with various government and great sailor and explorer Ferdinand going vessels, the idea of creating non-governmental agencies that Magellan first arrived on April 4, a seaman’s centre emerged. The provide welfare to seafarers. 1521, who planted the Cross which second “Stella Maris Seaman’s In 2021, Stella Maris-Cebu is now known as Magellan’s Cross. Centre” of the Philippines was then celebrates 30 years. Day to day, According to Magellan’s Chronicler officially inaugurated in 1993. the ministry strives to make the Antonio Pegafitta it was Ferdinand In 2002, the ITF Seafarers’ Trust loving presence of the church be Magellan himself who began granted funds to build a new Stella felt by the people of the sea it teaching the basics of the Christian Maris Seafarers’ Centre building is serving. faith to the leaders and inhabitants of the place. Rev. Fr. John C. Mission Nowadays, Overseas Filipino Chaplain/Executive Director, Stella Maris Seafarers’ Center-Cebu Foundation, Workers (OFWs), both land or sea- Inc. Arellano Blvd., Pier 4 (Gate 5) North Reclamation Area, Brgy. Carreta, based Filipino workers, are spread Cebu City, 6000 Philippines all over the world either indefinitely as citizens or as permanent or Tel. Numbers : +63 (32) 3836052 / +63 (32) 2384869 temporary residents of a different Mobile numbers: (632)9288419631 / (632)9065622388 country. OFWs also include those Opening hours daily: 0600 – 2200 hours Filipino citizens abroad for a limited facebook.com/aosstellamaris but definite period which includes facebook.com/StellaMarisOrg www.stellamaris.org.uk 4 SUNDAY AT SEA Sunday at Sea with Fr Pio Idowu THE GOSPEL AND YOU The Resurrection of Our Lord is the most solemn of all the Church’s liturgical celebrations. It is the EASTER SUNDAY greatest feast of all mysteries and is the central 4TH APRIL 2021 message of the Christian religion. As St. Paul says in 1 Cor 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” If Christ is not risen from the dead, there is no GOSPEL JOHN 20:1-9 reason for us to celebrate His Resurrection. But On the first day of the week, here we are, celebrating the Risen Lord. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was What does Our Lord accomplish by his still dark, Resurrection? By rising from the dead, He calls us and saw that the stone had been taken away from to new life. In early times, those to be received into the tomb. the Church were baptised during the Easter Vigil, So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the after having received a careful preparation. And other disciple, it is in Baptism that we reproduce the death and the one whom Jesus loved, resurrection of Our Lord. and said to them, In Baptism, we die to sin and rise up to new life. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, This sacrament is wonderful because it destroys and we do not know where they have laid him.” sin in the soul and cancels the debt due to sin. The Peter then came out with the other disciple, newly baptised Christian receives a new life of and they went toward the tomb. grace. But unfortunately, our bodies still contain They both ran, the roots of sin. What this then means is that we but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb must continuously die to sin to live in the new life first; and of grace. St. Paul in his Letter to the Colossians stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, exhorts us: “Put to death therefore what is earthly but he did not go in. in you: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, Then Simon Peter came, following him, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5). and went into the tomb; This dying to oneself in order to live the new he saw the linen cloths lying, life in Christ is a lifelong task. If we persevere, and the napkin, which had been on his head, this new life will reach its perfection in heaven. not lying with the linen cloths The new life of grace we receive in Christ must but rolled up in a place by itself. be cared for and nourished, just as our physical Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, bodies need care and nourishment. And grace is also went in, nourished by a frequent and fervent reception of and he saw and believed; the sacraments in which we make acts of faith, for as yet they did not know the Scripture, hope and charity. that he must rise from the dead. STELLA MARIS MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 SUNDAY AT SEA 5 DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY 11TH APRIL 2021 GOSPEL JOHN 20:19-31 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.