As the Church prepares to mark Sea Sunday on 12 July, Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton has called on Catholics to pray for, give thanks for, and support the men and women whose work at sea sustains daily life.
In a Pastoral Letter released this week, Bishop Sproxton has urged Catholics across Western Australia to pause and truly see the men and women whose sacrifice often goes unnoticed.
Bishop Sproxton continued by saying that global attention had recently focused on the movement of fuel, oil and essential goods, while the seafarers who make that movement possible were too often mentioned only in passing.
“Behind every shipment that reaches our shores stands a seafarer who has sacrificed comfort, safety, and time with loved ones,” Bishop Sproxton wrote.
Their work, he said, is demanding, frequently hidden from public view and made heavier by conflict and rising geopolitical tension.
Yet seafarers continue to serve with quiet dedication, ensuring the necessities of life reach every nation.
Observed each July, Sea Sunday is the day the Church gives thanks for seafarers and their families, and prays for their safety.
Bishop Sproxton used the occasion to highlight the ministry of the Stella Maris Seafarers Centre, the official maritime charity of the Catholic Church and the largest ship-visiting network in the world.
In Perth, Stella Maris operates as an agency of the Archdiocese and is funded through LifeLink, caring for crews who call into the ports of Fremantle and Kwinana.
The ministry traces its Fremantle roots to 1947 and recommenced its work in 2024, offering a warm welcome, transport from port, hospital visits, help with shopping and currency, and a listening ear for crews who can spend months confined to a single vessel.
The centre is now based in Rockingham, following its opening and blessing on Friday 12 June.
The Archdiocese of Perth’s Stella Maris Seafarers Centre Coordinator Claude Coutinho said Sea Sunday reminded the wider community how much it owed to people it rarely saw.
“Almost everything that fills our homes and shops has crossed an ocean, carried by crews who are far from their families for months at a time,” Mr Coutinho said. “Sea Sunday is our chance to thank them and make sure they know they have not been forgotten.”
Mr Coutinho said the small gestures described in Bishop Don’s letter often meant the most.
“A lift into town, a familiar face when a seafarer steps ashore, a phone call home, these become lifelines,” he said.
“When a young crew member is homesick or carrying a worry he cannot share with anyone on board, simply being there with him can change his day.”
He said the ministry relied on the support of local Catholics.
“We are a small team backed by generous volunteers, and we depend on the prayers and the practical support of the faithful to keep our doors open,” he said.
Bishop Don echoed that appeal, noting that the ministry could continue only through the generosity of the faithful.
He asked Catholics to support Stella Maris through both prayer and giving, which enables it to meet practical needs, from transport and hospital visits, to emergency assistance.
Parishes are invited to mark the day with prayers for seafarers and support for the Sea Sunday appeal.
Bishop Sproxton closed his letter by entrusting all who travel the oceans to Christ, the Good Shepherd and the calming presence upon every stormy sea, and by encouraging the faithful to walk with seafarers in spirit as they “put out into the deep” in service of the world.
More details about the appeal will be announced shortly.