Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) is a frontline service for the care of seafarers. This year, they celebrated their 90th anniversary. In addition to numerous celebrations throughout the year, in the month of October all European Regional AoS Co-ordinators met in Glasgow to celebrate the past and to look to the future of how AoS will grow in years to come. This celebration culminated on the evening of Tuesday 19th October 2010 at St Aloysius Church (where AoS was founded) where Bishop Peter Moran, Bishop Promoter for AoS in Scotland, will be presiding over Mass celebrated the history and work of AoS. This was followed by a small reception and final celebration.

AoS was officially created when on the 4th October 1920, a small group of lay people including Mr Peter F Anson, Mr Arthur Gannon and Br Daniel Shields SJ gathered in Glasgow and decided to unify the efforts amongst many coastal towns to help and support seafarers. They called it ‘Apostleship of the Sea (AoS)’. In 1922, the Archbishop of Glasgow, as Chairman of AoS at the time, submitted to the Holy See a copy of their Constitution. The Holy Father, Pius XII, responded with a letter addressed to P F Anson in which he blessed the ‘work’ of religious assistance to the people of the sea and expressed his hope that the initiative would reach the coasts of the two hemispheres. This it certainly did and the global AoS that we know today grew and came about.

This year is also when the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council has proclaimed the ‘Year of Seafarer’ and how fitting that while AoS are celebrating the 90th anniversary of their foundation, we are all called to support and encourage the ongoing work for seafarers around the world, and to help AoS in order that they can effectively continue the Work of the Maritime Apostolate in years to come.