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“Priestly Ship Service”
Fr. Irek Dampc OMI is involved in an unusual and special ministry, blessing sea-vessels, here is his story.
Coming to China I would never have thought that I would be involved in such an unusual and special ministry like blessing sea-vessels. Since 2005 I blessed fourteen sea-vessels, each more than 200 m long. During the last blessing ceremony I did, someone from the shipyard told me that all together I blessed a total of almost 3 km of sea-vessels.
Blessing of Chinese ship-buildersAll of them were built for Polsteam, a Polish Company, which owns around a hundred different types of sea-vessels. Most of the vessels I blessed were built in a shipyard in Tianjin and some in shipyards in Nantong and Jingjian near Shanghai.
Blessing of a ship for Polish mariners is very important. It is unthinkable for them to board a sea-vessel which has not been blessed. However I know that in some countries, the practice of naming and blessing a sea-vessel is unknown and unusual. So, let me explain briefly this custom and the ceremony.
Captain "godmother" and Fr. Irek OMI
Each sea-vessel must have a “godmother”. During a naming ceremony, the godmother gives a name to a vessel and then cuts a rope to which a bottle of champagne is attached. After the rope is cut, the godmother smashes the bottle against the hull of the vessel to break it.
During most of the ceremonies I attended the bottle of champagne broke without any problems. But I have to admit that there were a couple of times that the godmother had to smash it two or three times before it broke and in one instance the captain of the vessel had to help.
Each godmother has responsibilities and privileges. She has to pray for the crew and from time to time to make contact with them. She has a right to board the vessel at any time and any place and spend as much time as she wishes on it, free of charge.
In the case of Polsteam, the godmother is chosen very carefully. Each of their sea-vessels takes a name from the different regions of Poland, like Kaszuby or a name of a city, like Wadowice. The godmother has to come from that particular region or city and the people from that particular area vote for her.
During the christening ceremony, I invite everyone to pray for those who built and those who will be using the vessel. So, we pray for the Chinese ship builders and the crew. I invite all present to join their hands and pray the “Our Father”, and then I sprinkle the vessel with holy water. A solemn blessing ends the ceremony.
Two weeks ago, I blessed a sea-vessel named Wadowice II. I have to say in all honesty that it was such a privilege blessing it and a very special experience for me. The vessel was named after the town where our beloved John Paul II was born. As Polsteam was not able to name it John Paul II because of different reasons, they chose instead to name the vessel after the birthplace of one of the greatest men in the twentieth century.
From what I hear from different captains sailing on the vessels I blessed, there are no problems and the vessels are functioning perfectly. So, it means the godmothers are very earnest in their prayers for the vessels and the holy water by which they were blessed is still working!
Fr. Irek Dampc O.M.I.
