Christmas Gift Program for Seafarers Expanding in Seattle Port
by Susan Huppert, NAMMA More than 35 churches are volunteering in the Christmas Ditty Bag Program for seafarers at the port of Seattle, Washington. “People have been so generous,” said Rev. Christi Chapman, Executive Director of the Seattle Seafarers’ Center. “I was blown away by
“The Impact is Enormous”: Gifts for Seafarers at Christmas
by Susan Huppert, NAMMA Chaplain Marshal Bundren hustles as the Christmas season closes in. He scurries through Menards, Walmart, Dollar Tree and online sites to complete his mission of placing 600 gifts on ships as a message to international seafarers and
NAMMA Partners with Dutch Seafarers’ Missions to Celebrate Christmas with Seafarers
by Dr. Jason Zuidema, Executive Director, NAMMA It can be difficult to be away from family and friends during the Christmas season. For this reason, seafarers' missions around the world prepare small gifts for seafarers, to bring a bit of cheer
Panama to begin vaccinating foreign seafarers
by Jason Zuidema, NAMMA/ICMA In a Press Conference, Nov. 23, Luis Francisco Sucre, Health Minister of Panama, announced that vaccines will now be available for seafarers visiting the country on Panama-flagged vessels. Mr. Sucre specified that doses of the AstraZeneca
1 Ball 4 All – 700 Basketballs Travel on the Oceans
by Silvie Boyd, DSM Port Chaplain, Le Havre, France A new project of the Deutsche Seemannsmission e.V. (German Seamen's Mission) is taking German and European ports and thus all the world's oceans by storm. The crew of the Maersk Estelle ordered a basketball
Book Review: Stella Maris in the Philippines
Review by Jason Zuidema Maruja MB Asis, ed. Stella Maris in the Philippines: Caring for Seafarers, Fishers and their Families. Scalabrini Migration Center. 2021. 124pp. This edited collection brings together narrative and documents to understand Stella Maris ministry in the Philippines. Stella
Bishop Cahill Celebrates Mass with Seafarers in Port
by Susan Huppert, NAMMA Thanksgiving filled the bridge of M/V Bow Star as the Reverend Brendan J. Cahill, bishop promoter for Stella Maris celebrated Mass with 13 Filipino seafarers at Point Comfort, Texas, the first week of November. “It was a
COVID Vaccines for Seafarers in Canadian Ports
by Susan Huppert, NAMMA Recognizing seafarers as essential workers and understanding their role in the global market is yielding support for their vaccination needs in various Canadian ports. The Chamber of Shipping, the voice of the marine industry on Canada’s West
Port of Charleston Dedicates New Seafarers’ Center Honoring Fr. Len Williams
by Deacon Paul Rosenblum, Stella Maris/NAMMA “The Father Arthur Lenwood Williams, Jr. Center is hereby named on the 23rd day of September 2021.” With those words, the Charleston Port and Seafarers’ Society (ChaPSS) officially opened its newest dockside seafarers’ center at
Book Review: Arriving Today by Christopher Mims
Review by Dr. Jason Zuidema, NAMMA/ICMA Christopher Mims, Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door - Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy. Harper, 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic drew a spotlight on how much we all rely on shipping