Featured ministry: Malta
Ministry in the Mediterranean
Fr Paul (back row, 2nd left) with crew after Mass onboard
The tiny but densely-populated Mediterranean state of Malta has a noble history as a place of refuge for those who travel by sea. According to the Acts of the Apostles, St Paul was shipwrecked there. These days, visiting seafarers receive pastoral care from Fr Paul Attard and his team based in the port of Valletta. Fr Attard, of ICMA member AOS, regularly visits ships and says Mass for the crew.
The chaplaincy team is also onhand to help seafarers in difficulty. Recently they have been supporting a Filipino seafarer who is in hospital. The seafarer was taken ill at sea and rushed to Malta by helicopter for open heart surgery. Fr Attard and his colleagues provided support when the seafarer’s son arrived from the Philippines to visit him.
A seafarer from Egypt found himself alone in Malta when his captain abandoned the ship and the rest of the crew left the island. While the seafarer endures the long legal struggle to claim his rights, the AOS team is helping him to prepare to visit his mother.
National celebrations in Malta
Port chaplains and their teams often take part in national maritime celebrations, ensuring that the human aspect of the sector is not forgotten.
Every year, Malta marks its maritime heritage with the “Commemoration of the Santa Maria Convoy”. This was the arrival of a ship bearing food and oil during World War Two which saved the island from starvation. In the photo, Fr Paul stands on the left with a wreath. Next to him is Mr Allan Shaw from England, sole survivor of the convoy. Mr Shaw is invited to attend the celebration every year.
Fr Paul says of his work, “it’s very challenging but rewarding too”.
Featured ministry
The staff at the ICMA Secretariat office love to hear about the work of our members in ports around the world. If you would like your port chaplaincy, seafarers’ centre or ship visiting team to be the featured ministry, send us your details and some photographs. For further information, contact the ICMA administrator.