Religious services on ZDam

[mlmagic]

I was reading on the HAL site that they offer Catholic Mass everyday and other services each sunday, can anyone tell me about that, is it so and what do they do?? My Dad is Catholic and would love to do mass everyday, but want to be sure it's not "hokey-pokey" he is very serious about mass...also we would love to be able to go to christmas service, since we will be on the Z @ xmas. thanks for any info!

mlmagic:)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Yes, HAL offers daily Mass and Sunday Mass on all their cruises. The priests are clergy in good standing, provided by the Apostleship of the Sea, in conjunction with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. (The Apostleship of the Sea is an international organization as well.) The priests are either retired or on vacation, and as I understand it, they receive their room, board, and passage in exchange for their services. The priest on our recent cruise was a Jesuit from Maine who did a fine job saying Mass.

 

Here is the website for the Apostleship of the Sea.

 

Fr. Himself is a priest who is a regular poster here on the HAL board, and he may be able to give you more info, as he serves frequently on HAL ships.

 

Karin

[mlmagic]

Yes, HAL offers daily Mass and Sunday Mass on all their cruises. The priests are clergy in good standing, provided by the Apostleship of the Sea, in conjunction with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. (The Apostleship of the Sea is an international organization as well.) The priests are either retired or on vacation, and as I understand it, they receive their room, board, and passage in exchange for their services. The priest on our recent cruise was a Jesuit from Maine who did a fine job saying Mass.

 

Here is the website for the Apostleship of the Sea.

 

Fr. Himself is a priest who is a regular poster here on the HAL board, and he may be able to give you more info, as he serves frequently on HAL ships.

 

Karin

 

Thanks so much Karin, that will be very important to my Dad. I appreciate the info.

~Lysa

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Thanks so much Karin, that will be very important to my Dad. I appreciate the info.

~Lysa

 

Lysa, you are very welcome. I wish you and your father, and whoever else may be traveling with you, a most enjoyable cruise.:)

 

Karin

[Juanita462]

I have gone by the Catholic services on my way to the Protestant one and they are very serious indeed and well conducted. Catholics are fortunate in that they have many more services than the Protestants do - perhaps that is why the Catholic priests don't have to pay and the Protestant pastors do. At least that is what our last pastor told us - he said they get a considerable discount but still have to pay. I was surprised as I thought they sailed for free in exchange for their services.

[mrblack]

My husband and I have attended mass several times on board and it is a very nice way to start the day. On sea days mass is usually at 8:00a.m. and on port days it is usually at 5:00p.m.

[SF49erfan]

HAL does provide a priest for daily Mass. On the Maasdam last Christmas there was a priest from Newark, NJ who was a chaplain in a nursing home. On the Statendam last month we had a Carmelite from England, who was stationed in a parish in Houston. All of the Masses were definately on the level and very good experiences.

If it is a sea day, Mass is in the morning (8:00 A.M.) and port days it is at 5:00 P.M.. It is usually held in the Wajang Theater.

[mlmagic]

thanks so much for all the great info, my Dad goes to mass everyday, so he will love it, it will be their first cruise, M/D don't really klnow what to expect, this will be good...

mlmagic:)

[love2relax]

One thing that I found very interesting on our Westerdam cruise was that they took up a collection. The priest said it was to pay the diocese for providing his services on board the ship. I wasn't carrying cash (since I was on the ship), but it really surprised me since I have attended Mass on other ships and no collection was taken up. We only went to the Saturday vigil service. One thing that was sort of funny was that the priest always started to sing every song, psalm, and Mass part in a high key....so that the congregation was forced to sing very high (think munchkin) or super low.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

One thing that I found very interesting on our Westerdam cruise was that they took up a collection. The priest said it was to pay the diocese for providing his services on board the ship. I wasn't carrying cash (since I was on the ship), but it really surprised me since I have attended Mass on other ships and no collection was taken up.

 

There was an optional collection taken at the end of Sunday Mass on our cruise. There was a basket stationed near the exit, and if passengers wished, they could contribute. The priest on our cruise said this collection was for the work of The Apostolate of the Sea, the group which provides not only the priests onboard the HAL ships, but also provides all the vestments, hymnals, and communion sets (all the linens and equipment a priest needs to use for Mass). Our priest also joked that any extra donations given him would be used in the casino.:D

[duck tune]

I attended the Catholic Mass on the Zaandam during an Alaskan cruise and I have attended on other HAL ships as well. The service is usually well attended - especially on Sunday -- so be sure that you allow more than just five minutes before the start of mass to get there. Many times there were no seats left as in my experience the service was held in the theater where movies are shown and it fills up quickly. Very nice service with singing and yes a collection basket was at the door to leave a donation if desired. They provide the booklets similar to those found in most churches to follow along with the mass and the readings.

[WNYCRUISER]

Along similar lines, does anyone know if they do a special Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve? We will be aboard the Noordam this year for the Holidays.

They usually have them at home, but didn't know if they perform one on the high seas.

[RuthC]

Many times there were no seats left as in my experience the service was held in the theater where movies are shown and it fills up quickly.

One time there was a movie scheduled for the theatre the same time as Mass. I asked the Cruise Director if they were going to show The Ten Commandments and call it even. :rolleyes:

(Mass was hurridly rescheduled for a nearby meeting room.)

[BeBeReader]

Are the services on board limited to one religious group or denomination? What about other religions? Do they get space and prayer books and, assuming one of the posters is correct -- rooms for their clergy provided free as well?

[Lefty Bob]

Any collection that is taken up is for seaman's welfare fund.

LB

[tomc]

HAL has a priest in SF who organizes all the priests. He gets 1/3 of the collection that supports a youth group he runs. Whoever (a diocese??) supplies the booklets, bread and wine, etc, gets 1/3 to pay for them. The priest-of-the-week gets 1/3 which is sent directly from HAL to the charity he names. This, according to several priests I have spoken to onboard.

 

They ask for donations for this reason. Nobody makes any $$ from what you give; it all goes to support good works. And, as it is a "going out the door" box, with no basket passed, nobody knows whether you donated or not. No church (or "the church," whatever) benefits; nobody gets paid.

 

As for the casino joke, the priest is part of the crew and I don't think he can go into the casino anyway. :cool:

[Old As Dirt Mom]

as for the casino joke, the priest is part of the crew and I don't think he can go into the casino anyway. :cool:

 

 

Hi Tom:

 

Yes, that is why our priest onboard Zaandam joked about it, and we in the congregation laughed. We knew he was not serious about going to the casino. :) Thanks for supplying the info regarding where the collection money goes. As I mentioned above, The Apostleship of the Sea supplies all liturgical items, from vestments to altar linens to missals, etc..

 

Karin

[tomc]

Speaking of jokes, I was in the theater once as the priest was getting ready for Mass. It was back in the days when the "Mr/Ms Rotterdam (etc)" icebreaker was a big thing. As he got ready to start, with a dead straight face, he said, "When we do the greeting of peace, it is customary to say, 'Peace be with you,' and you answer, 'And also with you.' You are not supposed to say, 'Are you Mr. Rotterdam?' 'Are you Ms. Rotterdam?'"

 

The place was up for grabs.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Are the services on board limited to one religious group or denomination? What about other religions? Do they get space and prayer books and, assuming one of the posters is correct -- rooms for their clergy provided free as well?

 

Where is Rev Neal, to answer all these good questions?! He would be able to directly address the question regarding compensation for services rendered.

 

BeBeReader:

 

Catholic Mass is said daily on all HAL ships. In addition, there are frequently Protestant clergy onboard as well, especially during the major holidays. If there are no Protestant clergy on board, then the Catholic chaplain will offer an interdenominational service on Sundays (not a Catholic service), in addition to offering Mass. HAL makes provision for Jewish clergy to be onboard during the major Jewish holidays as well. Here is a link to HAL's website which briefly states what religious services are available:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/guests/category.do?category=observices&topic=religious

 

Hope I've addressed your questions. :)

 

Karin

[RevNeal]

I have gone by the Catholic services on my way to the Protestant one and they are very serious indeed and well conducted. Catholics are fortunate in that they have many more services than the Protestants do - perhaps that is why the Catholic priests don't have to pay and the Protestant pastors do. At least that is what our last pastor told us - he said they get a considerable discount but still have to pay. I was surprised as I thought they sailed for free in exchange for their services.

 

Protestant Chaplains don't cruise for free ... but the discount is CONSIDERABLE. While I'm not allowed to precisely say, think "taxes and port fees."

 

Oh ... and ... the number of services from Protestants vary because Protestants vary. Some Protestant clergy will provide services, including Holy Communion, on all sea days and Sundays. Others provide Bible Studies, etc. It all depends upon the interests of the passengers and the willingness of the chaplain to offer services.

[SF49erfan]

Along similar lines, does anyone know if they do a special Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve? We will be aboard the Noordam this year for the Holidays.

 

We were on the Maasdam last Christmas Eve, and there was a beautiful Midnight Mass in the Rembrandt Lounge, right after the international choir concert. The priest asked the string quartet to play for Mass. It was wonderful. We are looking forward to this Christmas Eve on the Zaandam.

On another note - the priest also says Mass for the crew. It is held in their area after they get done work, around 11:00 PM.

[RevNeal]

Are the services on board limited to one religious group or denomination? What about other religions? Do they get space and prayer books and, assuming one of the posters is correct -- rooms for their clergy provided free as well?

 

In addition to Roman Catholic clergy, HAL will provide Protestant clergy to conduct "Interdenominational" services on cruises 10 days and longer as well as on cruises that occur over special church holidays. Jewish Rabbis are also contracted for cruises that occur over Jewish high holidays. There are collections of several interdenominational hymnals and other equipment. When I've provided Holy Communion from protestant passengers and crew I have used the Eucharistic vessels that the Roman Catholics use. I usually bring my own stole and alb and the ship presses and/or dry cleans the alb to remove wrinkles, etc.

 

Chaplains are considered part of the ship's Entertainment Enrichment staff.

[SF49erfan]

Along similar lines, does anyone know if they do a special Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve? We will be aboard the Noordam this year for the Holidays.

 

Oooops. Double post. Sorry

[RevNeal]

On another note - the priest also says Mass for the crew. It is held in their area after they get done work, around 11:00 PM.

 

The Catholic chaplain says Mass for the Roman Catholic crew members, yes. Protestant crew members (including the many Dutch Reformed officers) are often left lacking unless the Protestant Chaplains are willing to celebrate the Eucharist. While I'm not alone in providing such services, the number of protestant Chaplains who do are small. I once had a ship's officer tell me that he hadn't been able to partake of the Lord's Supper for 8 weeks because no Protestant Chaplain before me had been willing to offer it. :(

[RuthC]

Chaplains are considered part of the ship's Entertainment Enrichment staff.

Clergy as entertainment staff---that always cracks me up.

 

I can just hear it now: "Ladies and gentlemen, our opening hymm today is Let Me Entertain You. Please keep the bumps and grinds to a minimum. Thank you."