Amazing Moments of Encounter and Dialogue! Terima Kasih!

A great number of ships that crossed Malacca Strait has amazed me. I saw them from the airplane upon landing at Singapore Airport. That scenery made me remember of the importance of the Stella Maris mission. It also made me think of the seafarers who worked on those ships. It gave me an inspiration to put my heart and mind in the meeting held in Batam (Indonesia), an island that can be reached by ferry in an hour from Singapore. It was a regional meeting of the Stella Maris Catholic Network that was participated in by the chaplains of Batam (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), Tokyo (Japan), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Taipei (Taiwan), Algeciras (Spain) and South Africa. Fr. Marcio Toniazzo of the SIMN was also present and the general superior, Fr. Leonir Chiarello has also spent moments with us via Zoom.

The meeting was held on the 11th of August until the 15th. The first amazing moments were the dialogues between the Scalabrinian Network and the Indonesian government working in the sectors of migration and fisheries. They renewed their commitment in safeguarding the welfare of the Indonesian seafarers and fishers, in which many of them go to Spain and Italy, an interesting dataset for the maritime mission in Europe. Moreover, it was also encouraged to continue the collaboration between the government and some Stella Maris centres that work with the Indonesians.

Another wonderful moment of dialogue was between the Scalabrinian Network and the authorities of the local church that work with the episcopal commission on itinerant people, and the commission for justice and peace. From their presentations, we have learned about the effort of the local church in responding to the challenges of the Indonesian migration. They were also grateful for the work of the Scalabrinian Stella Maris Network that inspires them to include seafarers and fishers in their pastoral project.

After these dialogues with the authorities of the church and the government, we spent some moments of listening to each other. Each one of us did not only present the reality of their respective mission areas but also shared the challenges and opportunities that we faced. Moreover, we discussed about the strategic plan to improve our services to the seafarers and fishers. With the help of the psychologists from Brazil who were connected online, we have talked about reinforcing strategies in responding to the challenges relating to mental health. One great service that scalabrinians can offer will be the prevention of the mental health related issues that seafarers, fishers, chaplains and volunteers may be vulnerable to. A strategy that can be done is to offer opportunities for the seafarers and fishers to connect to their loved ones.

We hope that we can offer better services to the seafarers and fishers in scalabrinian spirit, promoting the culture of encounter and dialogue, and encouraging people to be involved in the maritime mission. We also hope to call the interest of the confreres to this mission, recalling the history of the congregation when missionaries were sent to accompany people from the sending port to the receiving port. Maritime mission has already been present since the beginning of the history of the congregation, and therefore Stella Maris mission must be given attention.

A final moment of encounter and dialogue was the Indonesian culture of welcoming. We visited local churches where we celebrated masses and were welcomed with their traditional dance, warm greetings, lively music, and delicious food. People greeted us offering their hands and touching their hearts, which can be interpreted as a greeting from the heart. They taught us the value of welcoming that can also be valued within the family of missionaries among the migrants. Lastly, as I left Batam, I remembered those amazing moments of encounter and dialogue. I continued my journey to Spain with a renewed spirit, saying from the depth of my heart, “Terimah Kasih”, which means Thank you.

Fr. Jovannie Postrano, CS