Slide 1

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 2

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 3

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 4

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 5

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 6

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 7

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 8

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 9

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 10

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 11

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 12

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 13

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 14

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 15

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 16

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 17

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 18

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us


Slide 19

AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program
Cruise Ship Chaplaincy in the Light of the Themes of
World Congress XXII

Fr. Jack Treacy &

Part I
Why AOS-USA Began
the Cruise Ship Priest Program

Why Did We Wade Into
this Ministry?
▪ Ministry to Passengers and Crewmembers is
the Exclusive Domain of the Apostleship of the
Sea.
▪ Many Passengers had Complained to the
USCCB About the Presence of Rent-a-Priests,
Apostates, Heretics and Schismatics Serving on
Board as Priests.
▪ Priests, Who Had Been Relieved of Pastoral
Assignments Because of Credible Accusation of
Sexual Abuse of Minors Could Begin to Flood
Cruise Ship Ministry.

Why Did We Wade Into this
Ministry?
▪ Manning Agencies Were Placing “Priests” on Ships.
However, they had no ability to ensure these men were
valid Catholic priests in good standing.
▪ Serving on Cruise Ships was Dominated by a “Good
Ole Boys” Network.
▪ Hundreds of Catholic Seafarers Who Sailed on Each
Cruise Ship Would Now Have Access to the Church’s
Pastoral Care.
Fr. Julian Barrosa w/
Celebrity Passengers

Part II
How Does One Join & What Does One Do?

How Does the AOS-USA Cruise Ship
Priest Program Work?

▪ Submit Membership Application & Photo
▪ Submit $60.00 Annual Membership Fee
▪ Obtain Letter from Competent Authority
Stating that He has Permission to Participate in
This Ministry.

Fr. Felix Petrovsky & Guest Priest on M/V Ryndam

What Does the AOS-USA
Secretary General Then Do?
▪ Prepares a Photo Identification Badge
▪ Adds New Member to List of Approved Priests
▪ Sends list of Approved Priests to Contracted Cruise Lines
▪ Informs Priest and His Competent Authority That He is on
the Approved List
▪ Emails Priest a copy of the Cruise Ship Priest Manual

Sec-Gen Doreen Badeaux at

But When Do I Get
My Cruise?
How Priests Are Assigned to Cruises
▪ At Certain Times During the Year, the Four Cruise Lines Prepare their Sailing
Schedules
▪ All Priests on the Approved List Are Notified by Email of the Day and of the Time
When the Lists Will be Released
▪ Once a Priest Receives the List, He Checks His Calender, He Chooses the
Cruises that Interest Him, and Submits These Selections to the Assignment Agent
(AOS-USA does not do this task)
▪ After a Few Weeks, the Assignment Agent Informs the Priest Which Cruise(s) He
Was Assigned.

Fr. Thomas Behan On Board
the M/V Summit

I Got the Cruise, Now What Do I
Do?
The Cruise Ship Priest’s Primary Ministerial Duties

▪ Celebrate Daily Mass for the Catholic
Passengers
▪ Lead Ecumenical Services as Directed by the
Cruise Director
▪ Visit the Infirmary Every Day
▪ Offer At Least One Mass for the Crew per
Week
▪ Be Available to Crewmembers for Confession
and Spiritual Direction

If I Join the AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Program,
Can I Really Get a Cruise, or
Do You Just Get My $60!

The Numbers for 2006

▪ 669 Registered Cruise Ship Priests from15
countries
▪ 3 Contracted Companies (Celebrity, Holland
America and Norwegian Cruise Lines)
▪ 33 Cruise Ships Covered by Contracts
▪ 790 Cruises Were Served by AOS-USA
Priests

Fr. Sinclair Oubre Celebrates
Sunday Mass on M/V Galaxy

Part III
Canonical Reflections for the Developments of
Cruise Ship Priests

2007 is the 10th Anniversary
of the Promulgation of the
motu proprio Stella Maris

Exsul Familia Nazarethana
Through this encyclical, Pope Pius XII
Establishes a New Maritime Ministry

▪ Promulgated on August 2, 1952
▪ Was focused on coordinating the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
▪ Established the Office of Ship Chaplain - Distinct From the Apostleship of
the Sea
▪ Norms and Faculties Were Issued by the Consistorial Congregation in
1954 & 1957

Fr. Howard Clark Celebrating
Mass on the M/V Rotterdam

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
The Office of Ship Chaplain Is Suppressed:
▪Primary Responsibility for Maritime Ministry Shifted to
Diocesan Bishop
▪“Special concern should be shown for those among the faithful
who, on account of their way of life, cannot sufficiently make use
of the common and ordinary pastoral care of parish priests or
are quite cut off from it. Among this group are . . . seafarers . . .
”(Christus dominus, §18)

After Vatican II & 1977 Norms
▪ The Waves of Migrants & Refugees
Accompanied by Their Clergy Declined
▪ The Great Ocean Liners Were Laid Up by
Trans- Oceanic Jet Liners
▪ Many of the faculties and privileges for
ship chaplains that were in Exsul Familia,
and subsequent Norms and laws, were now
incorporated in the norms and laws for AOS
chaplains.

More Than 650 Cruise Ship Priests
Only 10 Are AOS Chaplains, and Have Special
Faculties Ennumerated in Stella Maris

Crew Mass on M/V Gallaxy

With more priests serving on cruise ships, it may be time to
revisit Stella Maris & the old office of ship chaplain under the
new name of cruise ship priests.

Three Liturgical Issues that Point to Revision

▪ Who Should the Priest Pray For in the
Eucharistic Prayer While At Sea
▪ Difficulty of Performing Marriages as a Cruise
Ship Priest
▪ Need to Re-establish Faculties to Absolve
Censures and Penalties

Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of the Cruise Ship Priest Program
has removed a scandal from the seas. It has opened the possibility
of ministry to hundreds of new priests. Simultaneously, it has
brought awareness to them of AOS Ministry and has spawned new
AOS Port Chaplains. It has brought the sacramental life of the
Church to tens of thousands of seafarers working in the cruise line
industry. It has also challenged us to look to the past in order to
more effectively respond in the future. By revising Stella Maris to
take in the cruise ship priests, or by developing stand-alone norms
and faculties under the auspices of AOS, I believe that we can
more effectively evangelize the millions of people who cruise every
year, and more fully minister to the tens of thousands of seafarers
who supply the special experience the passengers desire on our
modern cruise ships.

Our Lady Star of the Sea...Pray for Us