Mission to Seafarers in historic partnership with Old Catholic Church

A new centre providing a home-from-home for seafarers passing through the Dutch port of Vlissingen marks the start of a new historic partnership between The Mission to Seafarers and the Old Catholic Church of the Netherlands.

Seafarers in need of spiritual or physical respite can come down to the centre where welfare services will be provided for the first time by The Mission to Seafarers in partnership with the Church of Utrecht and the Church of England Diocese of Europe.

To mark the new unity in port ministry, a covenant was signed by the Bishop of Gibraltar, the Rt Rev Dr Geoffrey Rowell, and the Archbishop of Utrecht, the Most Rev Joris Vercammen, in a special service in the chapel of the Vlissingen Seafarers' Centre to formalise the partnership between the two denominations.

The Secretary General of The Mission to Seafarers added his stamp to the new partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Archbishop Vercammen, laying down the shared vision of the society and the Diocese of Utrecht to minister and pastorally care for seafarers passing through the port.

As part of their obligations under the MoU, The Mission to Seafarers will support maritime ministry at the port with the provision of an annual grant, while the Diocese of Utrecht will provide a chaplain, approved by the society, to develop the Vlissingen port ministry.

During the service, Fr Jan Van Handenhoven was officially licensed by Bishop Rowell to minister at the port.

The new partnership is the fruit of increasing collaboration over the years between the Mission to Seafarers port committee in Vlissingen and other churches and congregations in Zeeland in providing pastoral care for seafarers, and the new centre represents a desire to "work more formally" with the Archdiocese of Utrecht. The centre will remain under the episcopal oversight of the Diocese of Europe.

During his installation, Bishop Rowell charged Fr Van Handenhoven with the duty as chaplain "to proclaim the gospel of new life in Christ ... and to encourage and guide all God's people in the worship and witness of the Church".

"We thank God," continued Bishop Rowell in his sermon, "for this new thing that he has done. It is a sign of Christian unity, a sign of hope and a sign of ministry to those near who live in this place, and to those far away. We hope the seafarers who visit here will find their needs met and their hearts touched."

The Secretary General added his welcome to Fr Jan and commented that, "For nearly 50 years, The Mission to Seafarers has been at the forefront of ecumenical endeavour, developing partnerships in maritime ministry.

"I am thrilled and encouraged by this historic and significant development in the life of The Mission to Seafarers in Vlissingen and pray God's blessing on the ministry of Fr Jan."