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Image: Apostleship of the Sea

25/05/2018
Apostleship of the Sea

Apostleship of the Sea -  a century on, but can we celebrate?
A reflection by Marian Pallister, Justice & Peace vice chair.


To my shame, I didn’t know that the Apostleship of the Sea was a Glasgow initiative that spread from the Clydeside city to 75 countries around the world – not until an Italian priest came to the city to set in motion centenary celebrations for that project, to be held in 2020.
 
Fr Bruno Ciceri is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Human Integral Development and the director of the International Apostleship of the Sea. He was in Glasgow this month to start the planning for 2020, but while reminding us that this was indeed something to celebrate and for Scotland to be proud of, Fr Bruno did not sidestep the changes in maritime practice that now demand a very different response from that of the volunteers who offered hospitality and company to seafarers and fishermen a century ago.
 
The Apostleship of the Sea was created on the quaysides of what was then still the second city of the empire. Thousands of men were employed in the fleet of the British merchant navy alone (the biggest in the world in 1920) and came into ports seeking not just somewhere to stay for a couple of weeks while their vessels prepared to go back to sea, but pastoral care.
 
Today, that pastoral care, like the size of crews and the length of stay in port, has been streamlined. The biggest vessel in the world to date measures 1,600 feet long (longer than four football pitches) but crews have shrunk to as few as 14 men. So instead of our ports teaming with men on leave for a couple of weeks, a handful of men may not even have time to come ashore. Chaplains like Deacon Joe O’Donnell  in Glasgow and Deacon Tom Wynne in my own diocese of Argyll and the Isles may only have the opportunity to go on board a vessel, greet the men, and offer the Eucharist to those who ask. Luckier crews may come ashore for a few hours to catch up with family through AoS-provided free wifi or phone cards.
 
AoS may also help when men are injured or sick, contacting families, making sure the patient can communicate his needs to hospital staff, and seeking legal advice.
There are crews who are not paid regularly and families back home go in need. Fr Bruno told me that many of the crews are recruited from developing countries and are paid as little as $2 a day by owners of vessels who cannot economise on anything except their staff – and $2 a day is classified as ‘extreme poverty’ by the UN. They may experience appalling abuse.
 
Forced labour and slave labour in the fishing industry are major problems.
Men are compelled to stay at sea for as long as 12 or13 years. Brutalised at sea, if they make it home, they are rejected because they come empty handed. Others just don’t make it back.
 
For decades, we have concerned ourselves about dolphins and turtles harmed by industrial-scale fishing. Fr Bruno said that today we are faced with the collateral damage done to our brothers and sisters across the world. Fr Bruno suggests we ask ourselves “why does this fish cost so little?’ and that we have a moral responsibility to question the chain that brings food to our tables. Signing on-line campaigns to stop human trafficking (one of Justice and Peace Scotland’s 2018 campaigns) can change lives.
 
The Apostleship of the Sea has never been so needed as now. I am haunted by the words of Cardinal Bo from Myanmar, who told a recent human trafficking conference discussing the fishing industry: ‘The fish are swimming in the blood of my people.’
 
 

Image: There but for the grace of God.

18/05/2018
There but for the grace of God.

Lisa Cameron, a mental health and suicide prevention campaigner was recently appointed Ministries Development Worker with Gairbraid Church of Scotland in Maryhill Glasgow. In our latest blog she reflects on her lived experiences of mental ill health and how suicide has profoundly affected her life.
 


I have experienced episodes of mental ill health for over 30 years now.  Un-diagnosed through many bleak, painful episodes of my young life, 16 years ago, my life changed beyond expression when I gave birth to my first child and my eyes and heart were opened to a perfect, unconditional love.

The Gift

Soon after my daughter’s birth, I experienced a phase of extreme anxiety and depression when I needed professional intervention. My recovery journey began and continues from diagnosis to today, when I continue to connect and share my experiences in positive and life-giving ways. My work is to raise awareness of mental health issues and deliver suicide prevention training throughout Lanarkshire and now Glasgow. I aim to convey the message that those suffering from mental ill health are not alone.

Mental illness can be a crippling and overwhelming illness and for some, sadly, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.  I am lucky. I have survived many dark episodes and can write this story full of hope.  We must acknowledge and speak out about mental illness and suicide because all it takes is one word, one brief conversation with someone who is in incredible pain and that conversation can help them to go on and save their own life. 

That`s right, I said people save their own lives: we are all the masters of our own destinies.

I believe mental illness is one of my many gifts, given to me to share and connect with others to help people save their lives.

• 1 in 4 people will at some time in their life experience mental ill health which can result in suicidal thoughts and feelings.

• In 2016 there were 728 suicides registered in Scotland.

• In 2016, the suicide rate for males was more than two and a half times the rate for females.

Suicide is a difficult and uncomfortable topic to talk about because there is so much shame and stigma attached to it but ignoring or avoiding it costs lives. 

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Life dealt our family a devastating blow two years ago when on the 28th of December, we learned that a dear family member had taken his own life.  A much loved family member whom I had met just the week before - but knew nothing of the pain and turmoil he was experiencing because he was too proud and ashamed to reach out for help. He chose to conceal his mental illness until he could no longer live with the overwhelming despair he was experiencing.

If only he had reached out,
If only I had known.
If only talking about suicide was as acceptable as talking about any other illness
If only.

Suicide devastates families and communities so please investigate and find out more about mental illness and suicide. Educate yourself and go to an NHS course where you will learn life-giving skills and learn how to direct suicidal individuals to appropriate, professional help.  Here are some links you may find helpful:
 
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, there will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Image: 100 International Voices Call for Scotland to “Give it 100%” in new Climate Bill

11/05/2018
100 International Voices Call for Scotland to “Give it 100%” in new Climate Bill

This week our blog highlilghts the work of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland who are campaigning for an ambitious climate change bill for Scotland.  Last year, in a show of strong public feeling to tackle climate change, 19,000 people in Scotland emailed the Scottish Government calling for a strong climate change bill, however, there is still much to do.  


"Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years."
 
Pope Francis’ words in Laudato si’ are given alongside encouragement to us all to be more conscious of how we care for our shared environment, acknowledging the scientific consensus of humankind's responsibility for climate change.
 
When we see our responsibility for a problem, we should in turn look to hear those feeling the consequences most severely when deciding how to tackle it. I’ve been lucky to do this recently for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) through our “100 Voices” campaign, bringing together images and testimonies of people from across every inhabited continent in the world.
 
These voices highlight the impacts of climate change being felt by vulnerable people and communities from farmers in Africa, communities in Asia, indigenous Arctic groups and Pacific Islanders. They share a common message calling for Scotland to set a net zero emissions target by 2050 at the latest, to do our fair share in protecting the planet.
 
One of the testimonies comes from Stella-Miria Robinson, a Papua New Guinean Australian who shares her fears from her experience of climate change as a Roving Ambassador for the Pacific Islands Council of Queensland:
 
“We stand to lose our homes, lose our countries, lose our identities as distinct Peoples of the Planet. We do not want to be passport holders of countries that have disappeared.”
 
For many facing the consequences, the injustice is compounded as those most vulnerable areas have contributed the least to climate change. Gertrude Hamooya is a farmer from Zambia cultivating mainly maize and groundnuts, she outlined the reality faced everyday:
 
“Our lives have become harder as farmers due to climate change. Most of us won't even harvest anything this year because of the rains coming at the wrong time of the year.”
 
The 100 Voices sharing their story have a shared concern that countries are not taking their responsibility to people and the environment seriously enough. When the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, countries agreed to limit global temperature rises to well below 2 degrees and to pursue efforts to limit this to 1.5 degrees. Right now, the Scottish Government is preparing a new Climate Bill to outline the targets and policies Scotland will take forward to meet the those Paris Agreement commitments.
 
In the consultation phase of the Bill in 2017, over 19,000 people in Scotland supported our campaign for the Bill to set targets of net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest and policy measures for right now which could help us get there. Through the Act for our Future campaign, we are bringing people together to show the Scottish Government the public support for more ambitious action on emissions. 
With a series of Climate Action Workshops happening soon, we will be reaching out across Scotland to meet other people passionate about climate change, share knowledge and plan action on the Bill.
 
When the Scottish Government releases its new climate legislation later this year, we will see what our collective effort will be in tackling climate change. For the most vulnerable on our common home, including the 100 Voices we are sharing this month, committing to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest will help deliver the justice they deserve.
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