Stella Maris: a lighthouse for the forgotten of the sea

Early in the morning, thanks to a safe-conduct that allows him to move around the docks of Algeciras, the young priest Jovannie Postrano climbs up the ladder of one of the largest container ships of the Maersk shipping company. No one on board has been alerted to his visit, but the Stella Maris emblem on his hull and his yellow vest open the doors and cause the warmest of welcomes. The sailor on watch alerts his companions and the crew goes out to meet Postrano; they do not know him but greet him in Tagalog or Cebuano, the main languages of the Philippines.

Everyone knows what Stella Maris is, and everyone wants a selfish with the priest. Postrano is interested in each of their hometowns, their families and their children, how long they have been on board and the trade route they are heading for. Sometimes it happens that the ship's officers also come from the same far-off Asian country; then he is likely to be invited to the bridge, to spend the day with them, to have lunch together with the whole crew and even to celebrate Mass in the most dignified and spacious saloon of the cabin. No problem: Postrano always carries with him everything he needs for this.

This pioneer priest in the recently opened delegation of Stella Maris in Algeciras is a native of the island of Cebu and, in addition to Cebuano, his mother tongue, he speaks Tagalog, English and is already making progress with Spanish. Until a few months ago he lived in London, where he worked with migrants. Although he is now incardinated in a local parish, his main mission is not on land, but on board the huge oil tankers or container ships that call at the first port of Spain and the Mediterranean. Its ecclesiastical organization, directed from Rome, is present in more than sixty countries on all continents and in three hundred different ports. The port of Algeciras, paradoxically, has been the last to join the list.

Life on the high seas

Twenty-five % of the seafarers on all crews worldwide are Filipino nationals. "Many times they have been months and months without touching land, without setting foot on a dock, and they are very grateful for the visit of a compatriot who speaks to them in their language, who offers them information and help in everything that is in our hands, who listens to their problems, accompanies them for a while, solves some material or logistical issue and, of course, provides spiritual care if they require it," Jovannie explains to Omnes. 

"The atmosphere inside a cargo ship is not at all easy," says the Cebuano priest: "the sailors have to live together twenty-four hours a day with companions who are not always friendly, of different nationalities, cultures and confessions, with whom sometimes they cannot even have a conversation because of the difference in languages," he continues. The crewmembers' families, moreover, are far away and that sometimes makes daily life very complicated, he says. He also says that many seafarers give up the weeks of rest at home to which they are entitled after each voyage and continue on board so as not to miss out on what they need to live and provide for their families; the vast majority of them are on a thousand-mile salary and, in almost all cases, their wages go directly to their homes in Manila, Cebu or Davao.

The big shipping companies almost always resort to local crew recruitment agencies. Wages are ridiculous considering the hard work on the high seas, the 24 hours on board, the months and months away from the family and without setting foot on land, the problems in communicating with their homes, the impossibility of intervening in the solution of small domestic problems... There are many who complain about labor exploitation, although they never complain to their superiors for fear of dismissal or being fired. deleted of the waiting lists for the next contracts. When Stella Maris priests, deacons or volunteers become aware of a serious labor irregularity on a ship, they bring the case to the attention of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), with whom they maintain close communication.

It is clinically documented that seafarers on cargo ships suffer, with a much higher incidence than any other work group, from stress, anxiety and, above all, depression and mood disorders. The causes, in addition to frequent work overload, are social isolation and exposure to adverse environmental conditions, in addition to remoteness from their families and lack of adequate rest. These factors sometimes lead to more serious problems such as suicidal tendencies and addictions. Last year's worldwide figures show a terrifying 403 deaths of seafarers on board, of which 26 were suicides and 91 were people who mysteriously disappeared overboard.

The support of Stella Maris

Stella Maris is an ecclesiastical service that has been in operation since 1920 and depends on the bishops' conferences of each country. Its objective is to provide seafarers, through its centers, with the human and spiritual assistance they may need for their well-being during their stay in port, as well as support for their families. It is aimed at all seafarers of any race, nationality and sex, always respecting their culture, religion or ideology. "There are occasions when we provide Muslim crew members with the contact they ask for with mosques and imams; our aim is to help everyone as much as we can," says the Stella Maris delegate in Algeciras. 

In many Spanish ports Stella Maris has premises or lounges where sailors can relax and meet with people outside their daily lives, break their routine, have a coffee or play table soccer. They also have vans to take crew members to places outside the dock, to a dentist, a dermatologist or a lawyer. In some centers outside Spain, the priests, deacons and volunteers of this organization even have small boats to be able to visit ships at anchor that do not dock at piers. "Ships spend less and less time in port; I often meet sailors who have not set foot on land for more than six months," laments Postrano. And he adds, in conclusion: "We have just arrived in Algeciras: it seems incredible but in the first port of the Mediterranean there was still no one from Stella Maris".