The National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea will be celebrated Wednesday, 22 May. The day is observed in conjunction with National Maritime Day in the United States, which has been celebrated since 1933 to recognize merchant mariners and others in the maritime industry.
Bishop J. Kevin Boland, retired bishop of Savannah, Georgia, and Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) promoter, is encouraging dioceses to mark the national day by remembering the men and women of the sea in homilies and by including special petitions during Mass. For Masses celebrated on 22 May, the text for the Votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, is encouraged.
"Mariners serve the needs of human kind in quiet and unobtrusive ways. These hardworking men and women contribute to global economic vitality. The nature of the industry requires their absence from home and family for many months without a break. Their labor and sacrifice make possible our access to the goods of the world," Bishop Boland said in a prepared statement.
Approximately ninety percent of the world’s goods are transported by sea and the waterways. There are approximately 1.2 million seafarers worldwide in 10,000 commercial ships and maritime vessels.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops established the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea in 2005 to encourage Catholics to support and pray for merchant mariners, seafarers, fishermen, port personnel, and others in the maritime industry.
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