Area parishes help provide Christmas bags to seafarers

For The Catholic Week
Thanks to the generosity of parishes throughout Mobile and Baldwin counties the Catholic Maritime ministry distributed about 300 Christmas bags to seafarers visiting Mobile this Christmas Season.
The bags were filled with hats, gloves, scarfs, various toiletries, playing cards, candies and writing papers. Christmas cards written by school students from St Vincent de Paul Catholic School, who also filled the bags, were included to add a personal touch. Deacon Gary Vrazel led the program, with the support of St. Vincent de Paul Parish Pastor Fr. Stephen Vrazel and school principal Corinne Cuffle.
Parishes and communities that participated in the program were Shrine of the Holy Cross, St. John Mission (Bromley), St. John the Baptist (Grand Bay), Corpus Christi, St. Dominic, St. Catherine, Cathedral Parish, St Lawrence, Our Savior and the Filipino Community.
Bags were delivered to 13 vessels from early December until the end of the month. All the crews are thankful for the gifts but mostly for someone remembering them during Christmas when they are away from home for the holidays.
The first ship that was visited sailed early December and was to be at sea for 45 days on the way to Bangladesh. The last ship arrived after Christmas but had sailed from Italy at the end of November and had spent two weeks off the Alabama coast waiting for a berth to open at the port.
— For more information, visit Catholic Maritime Club of Mobile (AOS-USA) on Facebook. Contact Deacon John Archer at [email protected] or 925-548-5388 for interest in volunteering.