“I entrust sailors, fishermen, and all those in difficulty on the seas faraway from home, to the motherly protection of Mary, Star of the Sea, says Pope François in a “Tweet” posted on his account @Pontifex_en, this Sunday July 9, 2017, Sea Sunday.
On this occasion, the Vatican published a Message of the Dicastery for the Integral Human Development Service, signed by its Prefect, Cardinal Peter Appia Kodwo Turkson.
The Message is addressed to chaplains, volunteers, friends and supporters of the Apostleship of the Sea, on the occasion of this annual Sea Sunday.
It stresses the importance of protecting the rights of those working at sea, as expressed in the Maritime Labor Convention of 2006.
The Message also announces the 24th World Congress of the Apostleship of the Sea, which will be devoted to fishing and fisheries, and will be held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in October 2017.
“Let us ask Mary, Star of the Sea, to sustain our service and dedication to seafarers, fishermen and their families and to protect all the people of the sea until they reach the ‘safe port’ of Heaven,” writes Cardinal Turkson.
Here is the full text of this Message.
Dear chaplains, volunteers, friends and supporters of the Apostleship of the Sea,
In our daily lives, we are surrounded by and use many objects and products that at some stage of their journey towards us have been transported on vessels.
It is difficult for us to imagine behind these objects the faces of the many seafarers who have secured a smooth sailing for the vessel to deliver these commodities to the port safely.
On Sea Sunday we are invited to recognize and express our gratitude to this force of more than 1.5 million seafarers, (the majority of them coming from developing countries), who with their hard work and sacrifices are making our life more comfortable by transporting, between nations and across the seven seas, almost 90 per cent of the goods. Continue reading
Sources
- Zenit
- Image: Apostleship of the Sea NZ