April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Maritime Ministry helping sailors keep faith afloat
The ministry operates a seafarers' center out of a former Coast Guard building within the port. They help sailors make phone calls, and provide for postal and internet access.
Rev. William Hempell III of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Albany serves as chaplain to the port and directs the outreach to mariners, an effort that includes a Catholic presence in volunteer George Barber.
Helping tars
"We visit the ships, bring sailors some food and try to provide them with transportation wherever they need to go, sometimes to a pharmacy and sometimes to a clothing store," Mr. Barber explained. "We never charge a sailor for anything. Many of them are non-union workers from the Philippines and South America. They only make about $8,000 a year."Much of the work of the Maritime Ministry is to provide respite, recreation, counseling services, books, Bibles and worship services aboard the ships.
Mr. Barber said that the port gets at least one ship a day and sometimes as many as three. "They usually stay no more than one full day in port," he said, "and then they're back at sea."
Hand on deck
He became involved with the organization after his daughter told him about it. "She was the director of outreach services for three different churches, and told me about this ministry and how they were looking for volunteers," he recalled.At the time, he was about to retire from a long career as an attorney and was looking for volunteer work to do.
"I knew the port from my work as a lawyer," he said, "and back in the 1950s when I was going to law school, I worked there as a longshoreman, so it seemed like a good thing to do."
Rewards
Working with the ministry and being the vice-president of the organization has kept him busy, but he admits that he's received as much from the organization as he has given."You hear about sailors on leave and how they get into port and look for women," said Mr. Barber. "But in all my years, I've never seen that. I see sailors who come into port and immediately call their girlfriend or family. And they're so appreciative of any type of kindness you show them."
He knows that his work is valuable because there is a high incidence of depression with sailors. Many of them don't receive the pay they are due, and many go long stretches without seeing their wives or families.
"Sometimes, all you need to do is talk with them," he said, "or bring them to K-Mart to buy a pair of shoes."
Recruiting
Mr. Barber is looking for more volunteers to join the ministry because "most of our volunteers are getting older. We need more people. We're especially looking for Eucharistic ministers or people that have had a background in ports or the Navy. Language is not a barrier since most of the sailors speak English."Most importantly," he said, "this type of work should make you appreciate your own life better, and it should give you some insight to the difficult lives faced by many hardworking sailors."
(Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer in the Albany Maritime Ministry should call 426-9153.)
(07-26-01) [[In-content Ad]]
MORE NEWS STORIES
- Pope Leo XIV begins his first month listening before acting
- Washington Archdiocese announces layoffs, spending cuts, restructuring
- Church unity, mission must be at heart of all Catholic groups, pope says
- Maryland Catholic bishops call for ‘prophetic voice’ in pastoral letter on AI
- Florida bishop appeals for end to death penalty, calls it ‘a failure of mercy’
- National pilgrimage walks with Christ amid protests and finds inspiration along the way
- Gifts of conversion, mission, mercy shine in Christ’s church, pope says
- Inspired by millennial soon-to-be-saint, Irish teens create animated Lego-Carlo Acutis film
- Anxiety, uncertainty follow Trump travel ban
- Supreme Court rules in favor of Wisconsin Catholic agency over religious exemption
Comments:
You must login to comment.