Apostleship of the Sea continues ministry to survivors of Concordia
(January 19, 2012) Salvage work began on Wednesday on the Costa Concordia, as hopes
faded for the 24 passengers who remained unaccounted-for. Rescue workers have already
combed the area of the ship that remains above the water line. The salvage workers
will begin once an official end to rescue efforts is declared. Along with them, a
specialist team from Dutch Salvage Company, SMIT is to start drilling through the
ship towards the 17 tanks that hold more than 2,000 tones of fuel. The captain of
the Italian ship, Francesco Schettino is under house arrest, accused of causing the
crash. The story of the sinking cruise ship off Italy’s coast has made headlines across
the globe this week. The Catholic Apostleship of the Sea has been on hand to help
passengers of the Concordia, which was carrying more than 4,000 passengers and hundreds
of crew when it hit a bank of rocks off the island of Giglio in central Italy and
capsized Friday night. The chaplain onboard assisted shocked crew and passengers,
including those injured. The priest and parishioners of Giglio and the mainland have
worked round the clock to assist passengers, many of whom were given first refuge
in churches and schools. The local Italian chapters of the Apostleship of the Sea
have been distributing clothing and food and are providing spiritual and emotional
support. Each year the Apostleship of the Sea deploys chaplains on many cruise lines
to support the pastoral and practical welfare of crew and passengers. Last year more
than 700 cruise chaplains provided 15,000 days of cruise chaplaincy across the world.