Father Manny Hewe, pastor of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu, celebrated Mass this month at Pier 36 in Honolulu as part of the Apostleship of the Sea Ministry. (Courtesy Zeny Resquero)
By Deacon Marlowe Sabater, coordinator of the Apostleship of the Sea Ministry
Special to the Herald
The first image that comes to mind every time we celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist with seafarers is Jesus walking on water.
Matthew 14:22-33 tells the story of the disciples hopping on a boat to cross the land of Gennesaret when the weather worsened, and they saw Jesus walking on water. Jesus allowed Peter to come to him upon Peter’s request.
As we all know, Peter started to sink after being frightened when he noticed the strong winds. Jesus caught him and told Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
As I assisted Father Manny Hewe, pastor of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu, in celebrating Mass this month, I could not help but think, “How is the faith of these fishermen?” Will they sink like Peter amid the storm or remain walking on water toward Jesus?
It was the second Sunday of Lent, and the Gospel was about the Transfiguration of Jesus. I preached on the significance of mountains in the Bible on encountering God. However, mountains are insignificant for fishermen because they spend most of their time in the ocean.
Encountering God does not necessarily have to be on a physical mountain. We encounter Jesus every time we celebrate Mass.
We listen to the Chosen Son during the Liturgy of the Word, and we are in his real presence at the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We are not only in his presence, but we receive Jesus himself when we partake in the Eucharist, and he remains with us wherever we go, even out in the open ocean.
The fishermen know this by heart. It was evident when they fell in line to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. They were hungry for the body of Christ. They all received the body of Christ, returned to their seats and fell deep in prayer.
They spend a lot of their time in stormy seas. We talked to them after Mass, and they attested that the waters were rough the past two weeks they had been out; the only thing they could hold onto was their faith.
One fisherman said: “Sya talaga ang kapitan ng barko. Sya lang talaga ang kakapitan ko. (He really is the captain of the boat. He is the only one I hang onto).”
Before the dismissal, Father Hewe gave the fishermen a special blessing. He said God is present on the open ocean, protecting the fishermen, and through the intercession of Mary, Star of the Sea, they are guided back safely to shore to be with their communities. The fishermen were joyful to receive the blessing, some with hands wide open.
The Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa’s Social Ministry hosted dinner and distributed basic necessities. Sharing a meal increases the sense of community with fellow compatriots.
We sat down and shared stories with the seafarers about their fishing adventures and lives back home. Some found connections through the provinces they grew up in.
A volunteer medical doctor also provided a routine blood pressure reading and consultations for the fishermen to check their health.
The ministry is slowly growing, with more fishermen coming to Mass every time. Hawaii is now a member of Stella Maris, a ministry under the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers. Hawaii is now also a member of the Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America, a professional association of Catholic seafarers and maritime ministers that provides pastoral care for mariners and seafarers.
To join or support this ministry, contact Deacon Marlowe Sabater at mgsabater@rcchawaii.org or (808) 773-3510).
