Following the recent opening of the new Stella Maris Seafarers Centre in Rockingham, the St Bernadette’s church and school community in Port Kennedy has established a partnership with the centre to support its mission of providing pastoral care, friendship and practical assistance to seafarers who visit our local ports.
At a recent Parish Mass, the partnership was formalised between the Coordinator of the Stella Maris Centre, Claude Coutinho; Deputy Principal of St Bernadette’s Catholic School, Tracy Cosgrove; Parish Priest, Fr Giovanni Raffaele; and Deacon Greg Lowe, representing the Archdiocese.
Fr Giovanni said the agreement “expresses our shared commitment to work together in supporting this important ministry of the Church.”
“As a parish and school community, we will continue to pray for seafarers and actively foster this growing partnership with Stella Maris Rockingham,” he added.
“Through prayer, awareness and practical support, we hope to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who spend long periods away from their families while serving the global community at sea.”
As part of their commitment, the St Bernadette’s Catholic School community is collecting food donations that will be provided to the centre.
Together with Principal Geordie Thuijs, the school’s Mission Captains Porsha Gallinagh-Franklin and Elliott Ison are helping to lead and promote the initiative within the broader school community.
An information workshop providing an insight into the mission of Stella Maris and the many ways the community can become involved was held recently.
“We warmly invite all interested parties to discover how, together, we can put our faith into action by reaching out with compassion and hope to those who serve at sea,” Fr Giovanni said.
New centre blessed and opened
On Friday 12 June, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB blessed and officially opened the new centre, marking the successful completion of its relocation from its former Fremantle site.
“Bless this place and all who enter it. May it be a haven of welcome and rest, a place of friendship and renewal, where seafarers of every nation and tongue are received with dignity and compassion,” he prayed.
Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton said the Centre embodied Christ’s compassion and the Church’s mission of hospitality and long tradition of caring for those who live and work at sea.
“Under the protection of Mary, Star of the Sea, this Centre will be a home of prayer, rest, support and companionship,” he said.
“May every person who enters these doors find comfort, friendship, and the presence of Christ.”
Bishop of Broome and Bishop Promoter for Stella Maris Australia, Tim Norton explained Stella Maris or the Apostleship of the Sea as it is also known has been a universal agency of the Church for more than 100 years, having been founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1920.
Bishop Tim said the Stella Maris legacy was built on the “face, personality and generosity of volunteers.”
“Stella Maris is more than a charity; it is more than a service; it is a living and dynamic community of care,” he added.