Sunday Mass on departure day

[mom4mom]

We are boarding the Oosterdam on Sun, 5/17.  I know HAL has a priest on every sailing.  Will he say Mass after departure at 4pm?  If so will it be before or after dinner?

[sansterre]

Does HAL have a priest on every sailing?  Also a rabbi?  And minister?

Just wondering if the church pays for this or does HAL provide the room and board?

(Sorry, I have no answer to mom4mom's question.)

[catl331]

24 minutes ago, mom4mom said:

Will he say Mass after departure at 4pm?

Usually 5:00 pm for a 4:00 pm sailing

 

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by catl331

[CruiserBruce]

Maybe...but I wouldn't count on it. And I can't say they have a priest on every sailing.

[dd likes to cruise]

If attending Mass is important to you, I would find a church prior to getting on board Sunday morning. Should be easy. And no worries later if there is not one on board. Also there is Saturday night Vigil for you too. 

[RuthC]

Barring unforeseen circumstances, HAL has a priest on every sailing. On departure day, Mass will be held, generally at 5:00 PM, and will be fast enough to make it to dinner by 5:30. 

The schedule has always been evening Mass on port days, and morning (8:00 AM) Mass on sea days, although there were a couple of recent reports of Mass in the evening every day. Once in a rare while, when in ports very early and very late, there is no Mass that day. 

[kazu]

58 minutes ago, sansterre said:

Does HAL have a priest on every sailing?  Also a rabbi?  And minister?

Just wondering if the church pays for this or does HAL provide the room and board?

(Sorry, I have no answer to mom4mom's question.)

 

There is usually not a rabbi or minister.;  I believe the exception may be the Grand Voyages.

 

[catl331]

1 hour ago, sansterre said:

Just wondering if the church pays for this or does HAL provide the room and board?

I was waiting for Himself (a Catholic priest) to chime in on this thread, but maybe he's busy this morning.  It's my understanding that HAL provides room and board but no salary for his services. That could be wrong though!

[VMax1700]

1 hour ago, catl331 said:

I was waiting for Himself (a Catholic priest) to chime in on this thread, but maybe he's busy this morning.  It's my understanding that HAL provides room and board but no salary for his services. That could be wrong though!

I believe reading that there is an organisation which arranges the services of priests on a voluntary basis and HAL provides room and board.  If I am wrong I am sure @Himself will let us know!

[Petronillus]

While we wait for Himself to contribute authoritatively, it's helpful to know that there is an international organization called the Apostleship of the Sea. It's U.S. chapter (see aos-usa.org) operates under the auspices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They vet the chaplains for any US-based cruise line that avails itself of their services, most notably HAL. By vetting I mean that they ascertain that the priest is in good standing with his bishop or, in the case of a religious order (like the Jesuits, the Franciscans, Dominicans, etc.), his religious superiors. Their coordinating role is very important. As a rule, the priests are lodged in an inside cabin among the officers and receive their meals (MDR and/or Lido buffet) at no charge. They pay for any amenities and for their travel from and back to their home base.

[sansterre]

56 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

While we wait for Himself to contribute authoritatively, it's helpful to know that there is an international organization called the Apostleship of the Sea. It's U.S. chapter (see aos-usa.org) operates under the auspices of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They vet the chaplains for any US-based cruise line that avails itself of their services, most notably HAL. By vetting I mean that they ascertain that the priest is in good standing with his bishop or, in the case of a religious order (like the Jesuits, the Franciscans, Dominicans, etc.), his religious superiors. Their coordinating role is very important. As a rule, the priests are lodged in an inside cabin among the officers and receive their meals (MDR and/or Lido buffet) at no charge. They pay for any amenities and for their travel from and back to their home base.

So it seems that it is like the Medical staff on board the ships.  It puzzles me that the Protestant, Jewish, and other faiths don't have something similar.

[daisy-mae]

1 hour ago, Petronillus said:

 As a rule, the priests are lodged in an inside cabin among the officers and receive their meals (MDR and/or Lido buffet) at no charge. They pay for any amenities and for their travel from and back to their home base.

 

I don't know about HAL, but on a Celebrity cruise a few years ago the priest (an elderly gentleman) asked for volunteers to pass the collection plate (actually plastic shopping bags) to help him defray his expenses. He explained that the cruise line provided "room and board", but that he was responsible for all other costs.

[Donald]

At HAL, the Priest / Minister / Rabbi gets to keep 50% of the collection plate.

[Petronillus]

In my experience, I have never seen a collection taken up at a daily Mass. And, while I may be wrong, I thought that the Sunday collection went to support the Apostleship of the Sea.

[DaveOKC]

22 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

In my experience, I have never seen a collection taken up at a daily Mass. And, while I may be wrong, I thought that the Sunday collection went to support the Apostleship of the Sea.

There is a collection box located by the prayer books.  Most times the Priest will mention it, but not always.  I have never seen a "passing of the plate/trash bag".

[cosmo1027]

We have a 5 pm Sunday departure out of Port Everglades on the Nieuw Statendam. Does anyone know if there will be a Sunday evening mass (assuming there is a priest onboard)?

[VMax1700]

12 minutes ago, cosmo1027 said:

We have a 5 pm Sunday departure out of Port Everglades on the Nieuw Statendam. Does anyone know if there will be a Sunday evening mass (assuming there is a priest onboard)?

In all probability, yes!  You will be given the 'Where & When' for the day, when you check in and that will list the location of the mass.

[ZSandy25]

50 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

In my experience, I have never seen a collection taken up at a daily Mass. And, while I may be wrong, I thought that the Sunday collection went to support the Apostleship of the Sea.

This is what the priest on our last cruise said the money goes.  I have never seen a collection basket/bag passed at mass.  There is a slotted box by the missals where one can leave a donation.  Will wait until Himself chimes in with  factual information.

[daisy-mae]

21 minutes ago, ZSandy25 said:

Will wait until Himself chimes in with  factual information.

 

Just to be clear, the passing of plastic bags for collection is something that I witnessed personally on a Celebrity cruise; so to that extent it is factual.

Perhaps there is a different procedure on HAL and other cruise lines.

[ZSandy25]

5 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

 

Just to be clear, the passing of plastic bags for collection is something that I witnessed personally on a Celebrity cruise; so to that extent it is factual.

Perhaps there is a different procedure on HAL and other cruise lines.

I'm sorry for the wording in my post, when re-reading it I see how my words looked.  I wasn't doubting what you witnessed, just passing along what I have experienced at mass on HAL ships. In regards to Himself posting it had more to do with his experience with HAL and how things work for him.   Please accept my apology. 

[cosmo1027]

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

In all probability, yes!  You will be given the 'Where & When' for the day, when you check in and that will list the location of the mass.

Thank you!  Also, I started searching for a “When and Where” that might shed light and found one from a Dec sailing on the NS and they did have Sunday evening mass:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/NS-KW-Embarkation-Day.pdf

[CruisingAndDiving]

I find it both curious and a little troubling that HAL would support only one religion (Catholics) while not offering a similar program for others (Jewish, etc.)

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one that wishes to attend a service, but not have it led by a faith I'm not associated with.

[daisy-mae]

1 hour ago, ZSandy25 said:

I'm sorry for the wording in my post, when re-reading it I see how my words looked.  I wasn't doubting what you witnessed, just passing along what I have experienced at mass on HAL ships. In regards to Himself posting it had more to do with his experience with HAL and how things work for him.   Please accept my apology. 

 

Thanks ZSandy. I admit that the whole scenario seemed a little bizarre. It would be good to get a clarification from someone who has first-hand knowledge.

[Shmoo here]

55 minutes ago, CruisingAndDiving said:

I find it both curious and a little troubling that HAL would support only one religion (Catholics) while not offering a similar program for others (Jewish, etc.)

 

I'm sure I'm not the only one that wishes to attend a service, but not have it led by a faith I'm not associated with.

I believe the priest onboard was a concession to the crew as part of their job perks, allowing the predominantly Catholic crew the chance to practice, even when away from home.  Then passengers, once they found out there was a priest onboard, started asking if they could attend also.  

 

As someone who's attended both Catholic and Protestant services onboard cruise ships (not just HAL), I'll just say that the Catholic ones are much better attended on a regular basis.  

[Bruinboy]

I am a retired Presbyterian pastor. I served as a Protestant Chaplain on the Maasdam during a Panama Canal passage back in 2004 prior to my recent retirement. My memory is not all that clear since it was 15 plus years ago, but here is what I remember. The protestant chaplains were booked by a private agency for HAL. We had to submit all sorts of paper work in terms of vetting. The Protestant chaplains were retained for cruises longer than seven days. My cruise was fifteen days. I did worship services on Sundays, sea days, marriage renewal ceremonies and counseling as requested. I was given an inside cabin, but not where the crew sleeps. My cost for the cruise was transportation to and from the ship plus  twenty-five dollars a day for the cruise. We ate in the Lido or Main Dining Room.  My wife could come for an additional twenty-five dollars a day which she did. They suspended this program a number of years ago, I believe at least five years ago, if not more. As far as I know the Catholic priest does double duty ... mass plus interdenominational services. I was hoping to continue doing this after retirement when I had more flexibility, but that is no longer an option. I still love and sail HAL, however.