On his journey meeting representatives from the diocese on being announced as the next Bishop of Winchester, Philip Mounstephen visited Southampton docks. There he joined in the ministry of port chaplain, Father James Mosher through The Mission to Seafarers, and was able to go on board two ships to hear the experiences and stories of the seafarers who dock – sometimes for as little as 12 hours – before they set sail again.
The first ship was a “Ro-Ro” (meaning “roll on-roll off”) carrying thousands of new cars. The crew on board were all from the Philippines and had been on board for 9 months, travelling from port to port with new shipments. The crew showed Bishop Philip generous hospitality, offering food and drink and sharing their stories of ship-life and how they miss their homes and families.
Bishop Philip was also delighted to share a time of prayer before giving a blessing. Almost all the crew are from Catholic backgrounds, but, being on board ship for so long, they have limited opportunity worship – one of the crew, Julius, commented that it was “very special to have a Bishop to pray with”.
Visiting Southampton Docks was an eye-opening experience! To pass through the dock gates is to enter a different world and I was blown away by the sheer scale of the relentless activity there. Yet also hidden out of sight are the crew of the many ships there who spend months on board ship enabling world trade – and providing us with so much of what we need. So it was a privilege to visit some crew members with Fr. James of Mission to Seafarers and to see God’s church extend such loving care and concern to people who really are on the margins: out of sight of much of the world, but certainly not overlooked by our God.
Bishop Philip
The second ship was a cargo ship carrying huge containers of goods. Bishop Philip assisted Father James with practical tasks such as distributing SIM cards to several of the crew, a crucial aspect of the port chaplaincy ministry which helps the seafarers stay in touch with loved ones back at home. They also gave out care packages of biscuits and newspapers.
“As well as providing spiritual care, part of my role is to help with these practical needs,” explained Fr James. “I’ll do shopping, I can provide transport, I can book doctors’ appointments and generally advocate them in lots of areas. It’s a very transitory ministry – I know that I won’t see most of the people I meet again, but I can serve them as much as I can in that brief window.
“Mission in this context is about presence and shared humanity for the time we’ve got together. I often think about the stories in the gospels, like the woman at the well or the Centurion, where people encounter Christ and have their lives transformed and then never see him again – not that I am Christ in this of course! But I mean that there is an opportunity to be Christ’s hands and feet, to show his love, for this one short interaction.”
