Origins of AOS

The Church has always been involved in the pastoral care of seafarers. In the nineteenth century, Catholic missionaries attended to the spiritual and practical needs of seafarers in major ports such as London, Montreal, New York, and Sydney. Meanwhile, in France, La Société des Oeuvres de Mer assisted seafarers and those involved in deep sea fishing.

The Apostleship of the Sea began its work in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1899. Originally it was a membership organisation co-ordinated by Jesuits and closely linked to the Apostleship of Prayer. In the first 8 years, 200,000 seafarers joined the network.

The First Congress of the Apostleship of the Sea was held in Glasgow in 1902. Congresses were then held every five years until the First World War (1914-18) seriously disrupted the work of the organisation.

After the war, a group of lay people came together to re-invigorate the apostolic work with a special commitment to ship visiting. In 1922, the bishop of the diocese obtained a blessing for the work from the Holy See. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Gasparri, said in a letter that:

“It is certain that such a noble enterprise, supported by devoted and zealous secular and regular priests, will keep expanding steadily everywhere in both northern and southern hemispheres.”

Before long the Apostleship of the Sea was known all over the world as an organisation for the pastoral and social care of seafarers. By the end of the Second World War, there were 80 Stella Maris Centres around the world.

In 1957 the Apostleship of the Sea was consecrated with Laws and Constitutions approved by the Holy See. Its International Council moved from Glasgow to Rome. In 1970 AOS was incorporated into the newly formed Pontifical Commission for the Spiritual Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. This latter was later raised to the status of a Pontifical Council.

Pope John Paul II took a special interest in the Apostleship of the Sea. In 1997 he issued a Motu Proprio, i.e. an apostolic letter, in which he stated:

The chaplains and the authorities of the Work of the Apostleship of the Sea will strive to see that the People of the Sea are provided abundantly with whatever is required to lead holy lives; they will also recognise and promote the mission which all the faithful – and in particular the laity – are called to exercise in the Church and in the maritime world.

As the words of Pope John Paul II show, the Apostleship of the Sea has always stressed the apostolic commitment of lay people in the maritime world. The goal is to allow seafarers themselves to take their place in the Apostleship of the Sea, with the aim of evangelising their maritime world and making the Church present and active at sea.