Church Services on the Volendam

[OJ46]

I did a search, but those relevant to my question were a couple of years old. It sounds like HAL, in the past, has had church services available. Is this still the case? I am Catholic, but would welcome any non-denominational service.

[RuthC]

There is Catholic Mass daily.

Once in a very rare while the priest does not make the sailing. Sometimes the priest gets sick and is hospitalized at the last moment. When that happens every effort is made to find a substitute priest.

If no one can be found in time for the sailing one may board later in the cruise.

 

Twice I've been aboard when the assigned priest didn't make the cruise. Both times there was a vacationing priest aboard who took over the duties.

[geocruiser]

Hi,

 

There would be a Catholic mass every day by a Catholic priest. We were on Volendam this past Dec and a friend of ours was the on board priest. Thats why we took that cruise to spend some time with him.

Of course, there may be a cruise that there might not be a priest due to unforeseen reasons.

 

Geo

[OJ46]

Thank you very much. I just wondered what the norm was. Surely I understand that things happen sometimes.

[Texas Tillie]

Also, it is my understanding that if you miss the daily mass, the passengers are welcome to attend the crew mass held around midnight. All you have to do is see the priest and he'll tell you when and where.

[RevNeal]

Since it hasn't yet been mentioned ... HAL will usually have a Protestant minister on cruises 10+ days in length, or over Holy Days; protestant services are offered on all sea days and on port Sundays, with the Eucharist sometimes offered (depending upon the minister and the requests of the passengers and crew) especially on the longer cruises.

[Richard in Panama]

My understanding is that Protestant Chaplains will be on 10 day cruises now only when the ship is actually at sea on Sunday . . . or for special holidays.

 

Regards, Richard

[Mollynme]

My understanding is that Protestant Chaplains will be on 10 day cruises now only when the ship is actually at sea on Sunday . . . or for special holidays.

That could explain why the Protestant service on my 7-day Zuiderdam cruise was conducted by a Catholic priest.

[tech]

Always being used to Holland having a service, we were really surprised that on a 10 day Princess cruise there was no passenger service.

 

Seems like a small thing to offer passengers ? The price of one or two chaplains ? Most of the ships are large enough to qualify as at least the size of a small town.

 

It would seem to me that this is one tradition that should not be done away with as they add more entertainment venues at the drop of a hat.

 

I guess we should be lucky that they don't become an extra pay service . Shush, I didn't say that, they might hear :D

 

But I am a dinosaur in the way of cruising. :)

[RevNeal]

My understanding is that Protestant Chaplains will be on 10 day cruises now only when the ship is actually at sea on Sunday . . . or for special holidays.

 

Or for cruises longer than 10-days, and particularly when there's more than one Sunday on that cruise. I suspect our Protestant Chaplain service days are numbered ... HAL is cutting back on the appointments, and in Europe particularly so. Eventually they'll just ask any protestant pastor aboard to do the service in exchange for some onboard credit, or some such, as sometimes happens even on the shorter 7-day runs.

[RevNeal]

That could explain why the Protestant service on my 7-day Zuiderdam cruise was conducted by a Catholic priest.

 

7-day cruises will not have a Protestant chaplain aboard except for when there's a High Holy Day (like Eater/Christmas) or a secular "High Day" (like Thanksgiving). On such cruises, particularly if Sunday is a sea day, they'll ask the Catholic chaplain to do it or, sometimes, a passenger will agree to do it. This is particularly necessary if protestant passengers/crew on such sailings want to receive Communion.

[CrystalLady]

Surprisingly for me, as a Roman Catholic, I have only seen a Priest once on Princess - on a New Zealand/Australia cruise.

 

I very much appreciate the fact that Holland America and Crystal Cruises always have Catholic Priests aboard - the occasional glitch can occur, but it's very rare.

[RuthC]

they'll ask the Catholic chaplain to do it or, sometimes, a passenger will agree to do it. This is particularly necessary if protestant passengers/crew on such sailings want to receive Communion.

Greg, please explain how the communion part would work in this instance. :confused:

From my understanding, the priest would not be able to give communion he has consecrated to Protestants, and certainly a Protestant layman couldn't consecrate? Could he/she?

Oh, and don't get too theological in the explanation, K? ;) Simplify! Simplify!

[Capital Cruiser]

Greg, please explain how the communion part would work in this instance. :confused:

From my understanding, the priest would not be able to give communion he has consecrated to Protestants, and certainly a Protestant layman couldn't consecrate? Could he/she?

 

Oh, and don't get too theological in the explanation, K? ;) Simplify! Simplify!

 

 

Thanks for asking the question, Ruth. I was wondering the same thing.

[Boytjie]

That could explain why the Protestant service on my 7-day Zuiderdam cruise was conducted by a Catholic priest.

 

Can a Catholic priest actually conduct a Protestant service?! :D:eek::D

[mickeyfitz]

I think it would be characterized as "nondenominational."

[RevNeal]

Greg, please explain how the communion part would work in this instance. :confused:

From my understanding, the priest would not be able to give communion he has consecrated to Protestants, and certainly a Protestant layman couldn't consecrate? Could he/she?

Oh, and don't get too theological in the explanation, K? ;) Simplify! Simplify!

 

Easy. They'll ask a passenger who is also a Protestant clergyperson to do it. It's not as if I'm the only protestant pastor who cruises, you know. :D As I said above, it would be necessary for the Line to ask a Protestant Passenger who is also a Clergy Person to preside at the Eucharist if protestant passengers/crew on such sailings wanted to receive Communion.

[RevNeal]

Can a Catholic priest actually conduct a Protestant service?! :D:eek::D

 

Of course. There is nothing in Canon Law which says that a Priest cannot offer ministry to Protestant Christians ... just that, other than in instances of extreme (i.e. life/death) emergency, they cannot commune them.

 

I've been on at least 5 cruises where there wasn't a Protestant minister assigned (all 7-day cruises). In 2 instances the Catholic Priest knew who and what I was and, with the blessing of the Cruise Director, asked me if I would be willing to serve in that capacity.

[Boytjie]

Of course. There is nothing in Canon Law which says that a Priest cannot offer ministry to Protestant Christians

 

It just sounds like an oxymoron. :)

[RuthC]

OK. Greg. Thanks. Now I get it.

I misinterpreted your earlier post as one continuous thought about the priest/passenger/have Communion.

Yes, I saw the punctuation! :rolleyes:

[RevNeal]

It just sounds like an oxymoron. :)

 

Perhaps it is. However, think about it this way. The minister may be a Roman Catholic priest, but the segment of the Body of Christ present for such a service would be Protestant. Hence ... a Protestant service. :D

[RevNeal]

OK. Greg. Thanks. Now I get it.

I misinterpreted your earlier post as one continuous thought about the priest/passenger/have Communion.

Yes, I saw the punctuation! :rolleyes:

 

That's alright. You weren't the only one who didn't "get it." And, I suppose I could have written a little more completely. :D I plead exhaustion ... it's been a long weekend and today was a long day. The First Sunday after Easter is often something of a "let down." The Sanctuary was packed on Easter ... both services were filled to standing room in the back, with kids sitting on the floor on the sides. It took 2-times longer than normal to commune everybody. It was wonderful. Today I could have touched off a cannon in the Sanctuary and hit more empty chair than parishioner. :( Of course, it doesn't help that this week is also Spring Break for one of the local School Districts. I think everybody and their brother is out of town this week/end.

[TCF]

My wife has her degrees in Theology and is referred to as a Theologian or non-denominational 'Lay Minister'. She performs Sunday services on a regular basis in protestant churches as a 'fill-in' for when ordained church ministers get ill or are on vacation etc.

A year ago we did a 10 - day Princess cruise to Panama and she volunteered to do a non-denominational service on the Sunday we were at sea...this was done before we left. Princess wanted her to go through so many 'hoops'...under the watchful eye of the Entertainment Dept.:eek: LMAO!!!..that it just wasn't worth all the time it would have taken to meet their demands.

In September we are doing a five week reposition on the Veendam from Vancouver to Tampa via Panama and Brasil!!!

Do you think HAL would appreciate her volunteering to do non-denominational Sunday services? She wouldn't want anything in return for doing it....she would just like to make sure that those protestants on board wanting a Sunday service would get one.

[Boytjie]

That's alright. You weren't the only one who didn't "get it." And, I suppose I could have written a little more completely. :D I plead exhaustion ... it's been a long weekend and today was a long day. The First Sunday after Easter is often something of a "let down." The Sanctuary was packed on Easter ... both services were filled to standing room in the back, with kids sitting on the floor on the sides. It took 2-times longer than normal to commune everybody. It was wonderful. Today I could have touched off a cannon in the Sanctuary and hit more empty chair than parishioner. :( Of course, it doesn't help that this week is also Spring Break for one of the local School Districts. I think everybody and their brother is out of town this week/end.

 

A.K.A. Low Sunday which has often been low attendance for us. Surprisingly we had a regular Sunday crowd yesterday. Attendance has been odd at our church this season: lower than usual attendance from Thursday to Saturday night and Easter Sunday it was one of the biggest crowds in many years. You never know. :)

[RevNeal]

My wife has her degrees in Theology and is referred to as a Theologian or non-denominational 'Lay Minister'. She performs Sunday services on a regular basis in protestant churches as a 'fill-in' for when ordained church ministers get ill or are on vacation etc.

 

You call her a "lay minister" ... from this am I correct in concluding that she's not ordained to Sacramental ministry or otherwise under the jurisdictional supervision of a Bishop, Presbytery, Synod, or (as in the case of Congregationalist churches) some kind of a "Board of Deacons?" HAL's guidelines require that those who are appointed to serve as chaplain be not only sufficiently trained and ordained for Sacramental ministry, but also under supervision in their ministries. Likewise, they need to be sufficiently ecumenical in their understanding of the Church that they are willing to serve the spiritual needs of any/all protestant Christians, including (but not limited to) serving Communion to any who come forward to receive. If your wife is ordained for Sacramental ministry in the judicatory where she serves, then she may qualify. Otherwise, based upon what you've said, while she may indeed be capable of preaching quite effectively and leading public worship, she wouldn't qualify for Chaplain duties with HAL.

 

A year ago we did a 10 - day Princess cruise to Panama and she volunteered to do a non-denominational service on the Sunday we were at sea...this was done before we left. Princess wanted her to go through so many 'hoops'...under the watchful eye of the Entertainment Dept.:eek: LMAO!!!..that it just wasn't worth all the time it would have taken to meet their demands.

 

I've heard similar stories from others on cruises where there's not been an appointed Protestant Chaplain, whom the Line has already vetted and with whom the Line has contracted to perform ministerial services. In many cases it's just not worth the hassle.

 

In September we are doing a five week reposition on the Veendam from Vancouver to Tampa via Panama and Brasil!!!

Do you think HAL would appreciate her volunteering to do non-denominational Sunday services? She wouldn't want anything in return for doing it....she would just like to make sure that those protestants on board wanting a Sunday service would get one.

 

On a wonderfully long 5-week repositioning cruise, like that one, HAL will have used it's normal vetting and appointing agency (Bramson Entertainment) to appointed a Protestant Chaplain. On a cruise of that length the Chaplain's responsibilities are many and varied ... we're talking about more than just a Sunday preaching service or a Bible Study or two. The duties will include celebrating the Eucharist for Protestant passengers and Crew, conducting services on non-Sunday sea days, tending to emergencies needs for those who become injured and for those who have had family members pass away during the cruise (that happens, on average, about once every 10-days), and offering more generalized forms of pastoral care in an ongoing basis throughout the course of the cruise. On shore excursions Chaplains often get to go as "shepherds," with duties to review a particular shore excursion experience and report to the Shore Excursions staff regarding the quality of the operation. While the duties are not strenuous, nor very time-consuming, they do require vetting by the Line's appointment agency and compensation for services rendered (i.e., a staff cabin, food, etc).

 

Often times the appointed Protestant Chaplain appreciates help in the worship services -- a liturgist or other diaconal assistance at the Altar, etc. In such instances, someone like your wife becomes invaluable. So, after you're settled in aboard the Veendam you might ask to speak to the Protestant Chaplain and then offer your services to assist in several ministerial functions during the course of the cruise.

 

I'm sorry if this isn't the answer you were hoping for.