The Catholic Church and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have strengthened cooperation to give Catholic chaplains greater access to ships and provide pastoral care to Filipino seafarers working far from home.
BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno and Bishop Ruperto Santos of Antipolo, the CBCP promoter for Stella Maris, signed the memorandum of understanding Sept. 28 before the final blessing of Mass for the feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz at the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo, Manila.
Under the agreement, the BOC will facilitate ship visits and assist Stella Maris-Philippines port chaplains in providing pastoral care to seafarers and migrants.
Bishop Ruperto Santos of Antipolo, the CBCP promoter for Stella Maris, said the partnership affirms the Church’s commitment to accompany Filipinos wherever their work takes them.
“Through this MOU, we affirm something that our seafarers and migrants need to hear and, more importantly, to experience: they are not forgotten, and they are not alone,” Santos said.
Santos said supporting seafarers and migrants requires more than government policies and institutional programs, emphasizing the importance of presence, listening and accompaniment.
Fr. Jose Conrado Estafia, national director of Stella Maris-Philippines, said the agreement will make ship visits more accessible and strengthen the ministry’s pastoral work in ports.
“This is truly beneficial to Stella Maris Philippines since the Bureau will facilitate Ship Visits and assist the Port Chaplain in its Pastoral Care Program,” Estafia said.
Santos linked the agreement to San Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint, who was a migrant and carried his faith beyond the Philippines.
“His life tells us that wherever a Filipino goes, God goes with him; wherever our people journey, the Church must journey with them,” Santos said.
More than half a million Filipino seafarers work aboard international vessels worldwide, according to the Department of Migrant Workers.
