A fishing vessel out at sea. Crew members must sacrifice time away from their families and church in order to earn decent wages. (Unsplash.com)
By Deacon Marlowe Sabater
Special to the Herald
“For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another” (Rom 12:4-5).
Some body parts are easily visible, yet others are hidden. If they are out of sight, they are out of mind.
Seafarers are invisible parts of the body of Christ because we only encounter them through the products and services they provide. We enjoy the fruits of their labor — the island-favorite poke bowl, a fresh sashimi platter, the things we shop for at the mall and online, the relaxation and pampering we experience on a cruise ship — but we don’t see the men and women who sacrifice so much for us to have our high-quality tuna, material needs and luxurious vacations.
Seafarers risk their lives at sea to fish for tuna and swordfish to meet Hawaii’s insatiable hunger for fresh fish. They are away from their families for months, even years, to earn wages that are more decent compared to their home country. They long for a sense of community, especially their countrymen, since they spend most of their time at sea with small crews.
Seafarers have minimal time on shore; they spend much of their time toiling on the water. They have limited access to goods and services, especially the foreign-contract fishermen in our longline fisheries, because they hold no immigration status, a gap in an outdated immigration policy.
Seafarers also spend months and years without in-person access to the liturgy and the Eucharist. They cannot come to church; therefore, we, the church, must go to them.
Bishop Larry Silva saw the urgency of addressing the pastoral needs of the invisible parts of the body of Christ. He appointed me to establish and lead the Hawaii Apostleship of the Sea Ministry at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu.
Father Manny Hewe, pastor of the co-cathedral, welcomed the initiative as it aligns with the vision of the parish’s Social Ministry, led by Julie Ratum, in ministering to the fishermen at the docks.
Our fishermen in Hawaii are currently under the care of the Hawaii Longline Association organization. Ministering to the pastoral needs of the seafarers will be done in ecumenical partnership with the Hawaii Seafarers Ministry, led by Pastor Jerry Saludez of the Waipio Community Baptist Church.
The foreign-contract fishermen working in the isles’ longline fisheries are from the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, and most are Catholic. HSM has been conducting fellowship and Bible study with the fishermen for over a decade; the ministry also provides for some of their material needs in addition to the essential goods provided by the boat owners.
The Hawaii Apostleship of the Sea Ministry will enrich what HSM provides and conduct liturgical services like celebrating Mass or the Eucharist outside Mass, administering sacraments like reconciliation and anointing of the sick, leading funeral services for seafarers who pass away, and blessing fishermen before departure. The Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa’s Social Ministry will also conduct fellowship nights and deliver food items from the Hawaii Foodbank, as well as provide devotional materials like Bibles, rosaries and prayer books and cards.
Here’s how you can help:
- Pray for the ministry as we launch and initiate its members’ charitable work and humble service.
- Join or establish your parish’s social/outreach ministries, which can actively conduct fellowship and talk-story time with our hard-working fishers and, in the future, crew members of cruise and cargo ships.
- Be generous and share your time, talent and treasures when your parish ministry initiates a donation drive for necessities like personal toiletries, work clothes (long-sleeve shirts, beanie hats and jackets), fisher starter kits (pillows, blankets, sleeping bags) and devotional materials.
- Register your parish in our liturgical services schedule. The Hawaii Apostleship of the Sea Ministry will reach out to pastors inviting their parishes to sign up for a parish-sponsored Mass and fellowship. This is another opportunity to celebrate God’s goodness by thanking him for the gift of fishermen and the resources they harvest from his glorious creation.
Consider our vital organs: We know they are there performing their functions to keep us alive, even if they are hidden from our sight. So, too, are the invisible parts of the body of Christ. We know they are there providing us with the goods and services we need to live conveniently.
Just as we keep our vital organs healthy through vitamins and regular visits to the physician, our seafarers need regular pastoral visits and material items to keep them healthy, physically and spiritually. Through this ministry of humble service, we serve the fishermen just as Jesus invited his disciples to become “fishers of men.”
We are one body in Christ. As St. Paul says in the First Letter to the Corinthians, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it” (1 Cor 12:26). We join them in their struggles by filling their pastoral needs.
For more information or if you are interested in joining the ministry, contact me at mgsabater@rcchawaii.org or (808) 773-3510.
Deacon Marlowe Sabater is coordinator of the Hawaii Apostleship of the Sea Ministry at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu.
