By Euan McArthurBack in January, Chris Reynolds swapped teaching chemistry in secondary school for a front-line role with Stella Maris, the Catholic charity that supports seafarers and fishers both practically and spiritually. The charity had begun building a presence in Northern Ireland in 2019.
As Regional Port Chaplain, Chris visits seafarers in ports across Northern Ireland including Belfast, Ardglass Foyle Port and Warrenpoint and hopes to continue to build the capacity of Stella Maris to reach seafarers soon in areas such as Kilkeel and Larne.
Chris is thoroughly enjoying his new role. He said: “I’m really enjoying it. Being here in Belfast, the job is fantastic. It’s an absolute dream job for me.
“I’m out every day visiting ships, speaking to seafarers. As a former seafarer, I find that really engaging. I work very closely with the Mission to Seafarers, and they very kindly let me work out of their Seafarers Centre. It is a privilege to work alongside chaplains and ministers from other denominations doing what we can to provide practical support to the seafaring community.
“Deacon Joe O’Donnell has been very helpful. He’s our Senior Area Port Chaplain for Scotland and Northern Ireland. He has been right there behind me the whole way; in the first instance I was able to follow his example but now more and more I am discovering my own way and growing in confidence in the role.
“If I’ve any questions, I’ve been able to ask him. I don’t feel like I can’t ask. I’m approaching 250 ship visits since taking on the role in January. However, it’s more about the quality of the visit than the quantity.
“There will be a day when I visit six ships, which is great, but there will be a day when I visit two because I could be taking people to hospital appointments, into town or to the Seafarers Centre.”
It has been an almost seamless transition for Stella Maris’ most recent recruit who is driven by the core values of the charity that was founded in Glasgow back in 1920.
In recent years, Deacon Joe O’Donnell had laid the foundations for Stella Maris in Northern Ireland with regular working visits there from Scotland. He had been ably supported throughout this process by Fr. Gerry McCloskey, who was appointed chaplain to Stella Maris by the Bishop.Fr. Gerry has played a significant role in supporting the fishing community, encouraging volunteers and saying Mass on board vessels, most recently on-board Dublin Eagle.
Chris is now building on those foundations and expanding the charity’s volunteer base in Northern Ireland. The charity’s growth of activities in Northern Ireland has been supported by the Merchant Navy Welfare Board.
And perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chris has settled in so well, given his previous experience:
Chris explained: “I spent three years in formation with the Redemptorists in the London Province, which was a wonderful experience and I also spent time training to be a Deck Officer in the Merchant Navy.
“I went all over the world. I worked on Tall Ships in the Indian Ocean, sailing from Africa to India. I was on oil tankers in the Gulf of Texas, Venezuela and the Caribbean.
“I spent a brief period on board an offshore vessel, working out of Aberdeen and Stena ferries as well on the Cairnryan to Belfast routes. It was fantastic experience.
“I know the job of a seafarer can be fantastic. It’s one of the best jobs out there and I encourage any young people to consider the merchant and maritime industry as a career.
“But it’s also a very difficult job. It comes with lots of stresses and strains. I’ve done a lot of things in life as I tried to find where I belong, and I feel this role is a chance to bring together my experience at sea and my experience with the Redemptorists.
“It has been everything I thought it would be and I absolutely love coming to work.”
For Chris, it’s all about making a difference to the lives of seafarers and a recent encounter with a Ukrainian seafarer stands out.
He said: “When I was teaching it was the pastoral element that was the bit I liked really…the chance to make a difference in somebody’s life.
“I feel much more natural doing what I’m doing here. We make small, tangible differences every single day. The highlights so far have just been making that difference to seafarers and seeing their face when I say to them; yes, I can help you with that…no problem!
“They might tell you that they’d like to visit a museum or go to the supermarket. They’re always so surprised when you say to them that you’ll take them…it’s free, don’t worry about it…
“On one ship I met a Ukrainian seafarer who was finding it difficult to work alongside his colleagues from Russia given current tensions.
“I thought to myself what do I say to this guy? His family were in Odesa and that city had just been bombing.
“There was no point pretending I could change everything for this guy. But all I could do was give him the number and email address of Fr. Alexander (the Stella Maris port chaplain in Odesa). I said it would be worth contacting Fr Alex as he might be able to visit his family and make sure they’re Ok.
“You could tell the guy was quite moved. If all I did that day was give a man the chance to touch base with someone close to his family and a chance to know they were safe then I feel we made a small but valuable difference. Sometimes visits send you away appreciating what you have and more determined than ever to support seafarers. Sometimes you do come away thinking that has made a real difference.”
Chris’ impact hasn’t gone unnoticed, and Joe O’Donnell is full of praise for his efforts.
Joe said: “The ship-visiting in Northern Ireland since Chris started has escalated quite high. That’s because we now have a permanent presence in Belfast. It does make a big difference having Chris here.”
