MERRILVILLE – Bishop Frank Schuster, Bishop Promoter for Stella Maris USA, visited the Diocese of Gary on Aug. 12 to learn more about the ports in the country and how best to minister to the needs of seafarers.
Bishop Schuster, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle, became the Bishop Promoter for the United States on June 1 of this year, after Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, completed a seven-year term in the role.
In 1920, the Catholic port ministry was conceived and developed in Glasgow, Scotland, by Rev. Donald Macintosh, Arthur Gannon and Peter Anson, who were concerned about the lack of witness the Church was showing aboard ships, which laid the foundation for Stella Maris.
Stella Maris means “star of the seas,” and is one of the favorite titles mariners give to Our Lady, explained Bishop Schuster.
“On the water, you can imagine a star, the North Star, never moving, never changing, being stable, while the oceans are often turbulent,” he said. “All of us, not just mariners, can look at our Blessed Mother as that star, almost like a moon in the sense that the light that comes to us comes from Christ.”
Today, ships carry 95% of goods transported globally, and the international ministry remains focused on serving seafarers worldwide.
“At some point, the materials, components, or just the actual physical goods, have come to us by way of our seafarers,” explained Bishop Schuster. “Our seafarers spend months and months and months at sea, away from their families, and when they come to port, some are able to come ashore, some aren't.”
He continued, “When they're on a shore, as Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, ‘Good and faithful servant, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,’ and Jesus also said in the Gospel of St. John, ‘Love others, as I have loved you.’ We need to share that love with everybody that comes our way, but in a particular way, those who often get forgotten.”
That's why the apostolate of the sea, the bishop stated, is very important. While there are more than 100 cargo and cruise ports throughout the United States, and lots of issues Stella Maris is involved with, the heart of the ministry is very simple.
“It's about loving our neighbor and loving the stranger,” said Bishop Schuster.
The Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle expressed his appreciation for the hospitality of Bishop Robert J. McClory and others at the Diocese of Gary. The day of his visit to Northwest Indiana, the bishops celebrated Mass at the Pastoral Center in Merrillville and had the opportunity to visit the Port of Indiana in Burns Harbor. It was the first port Bishop Schuster visited outside of his home diocese.
He explained that in Seattle, the diocese has a good relationship with the port officials who allow them to come aboard with the captain’s permission for ministry work. In fact, on Holy Thursday, Bishop Schuster celebrated Mass on a freighter carrying corn from the Philippines that was predominantly Catholic.
“I was able to do the Last Supper Mass with them and wash their feet,” he said. “It was a very powerful thing.”
No ships were in the Port of Indiana on the day Bishop Schuster and Bishop McClory arrived in Burns Harbor; however, they received a warm welcome from port authorities, including Port Director Ryan McCoy, shipping agents and others who gave details on the history of the area and provided a tour of the grounds by bus.
Accompanying the bishops on the tour was Deacon Robert Petro. Deacon Petro, appointed by the Diocese of Gary’s Bishop Robert McClory to serve in the local ministry, shared that at the Port of Burns Harbor, he has met with seafarers from Ukraine, Poland, Eastern Europe, India, Yemen and the Philippines.
“These seafarers can go months without even placing their feet on solid ground and struggle with isolation from society and their religious communities,” he said.
Deacon Petro learned of the opportunity to support South Lake Michigan, including the Port of Burns Harbor and the mills, upon becoming ordained a deacon in June 2024, and Bishop Robert J. McClory gave his approval to work with the ministry.
“I love serving others,” Deacon Petro said. “My interest in seafarers originated with my great uncle, who was a merchant mariner during the war, whose ship was sunk in the Arctic Ocean as part of convoy PQ-17, taking supplies to Russia. I remember him sharing stories with us when I was a small child, and the experiences he described as an individual and crew left their mark on me.”
Deacon Petro works closely with Father Mike Enright from the Archdiocese of Chicago and other seafarer supporting groups in serving those coming to the south end of the lake.
“A ship’s time in port has become increasingly compressed, and so we try to provide them with the services they need in a tight window of time,” he said. “We usually communicate via WhatsApp to coordinate taking them to Mass, shopping runs, and meeting with them on their ships. We are a contact for them on the rare occasion they can get away for a few hours, helping them get to Chicago, using Uber, etc.”
Deacon Petro continued, “We are also working to build a relationship with the Coast Guard in Michigan City to provide ministerial services if needed. The USCG includes many young men and women who remind me of my own children, including my daughter, who is on active duty.”
During the visit, Bishop Schuster and Deacon Petro discussed the needs of seafarers and the industry support structure – port workers, shipping agents, when visiting South Lake Michigan and how they can support them, in addition to how the diocese can become further involved.
For more information on Stella Maris, visit usccb.org/committees/pastoral-care-migrants-refugees-travelers/stella-maris-who-we-are
