Status of priests on ships (especially Symphony)?

[mom4mom]

4 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

On no! What happened?

They said he had missed the ship. We had 3 ship changes since booking as well as a date change around final payment. They also moved up the sailing time about 2 weeks before and maybe the priest just never got notified.  It was quite a disappointment. 

[cruisegirl1]

We've seen ship sponsored religious services mostly during major holidays ( of various faiths) .   There are self (passenger) led services, with the cruise line offering  space,  books and other necessary items.

 

M

[John&LaLa]

Last I saw was on Allure TA in 2020.

 

Very well 'attended' by loads of no Catholics to get a good seat for Progressive Trivia.😉🤣🤣

[Joseph2017China]

14 hours ago, yogimax said:

Why?  I would think the important factor would be an opportunity to worship with others.

A prayer service is not a mass, huge difference.  Cruise ships do not hire priest to do the services, but a Catholic Priest does a service daily, whether in their cabin, or in public.  So, many will just do it in Public on Sunday, to help others.  But don't count on one being on your ship.  

[mugtech]

1 hour ago, cello56 said:

49 cruises and have only seen a priest on one. If your cruise stops at a port on a Sunday you could always attend mass at a local church. We know a couple who always does this. 

We got to attend Mass in Lisbon, Portugal.   Was a lot like Mass in the Philippines,  plenty of extra music in a language I did not understand.  Only required to say "Amen" after receiving the wafer and being told "Corpus Christi "  

[maryann2]

There is an organisation which supplies priests to the ships for crew as well as guests.

I have seen them more often on Celebrity ships on transatlantics.

Apostleship Of The Seas.

 

http://www.aos-usa.org/store/pg/40-About-the-Cruise-Ship-Priest-Program-clone.aspx

 

 

[poocher]

Absolutely but for a Catholic, that does not fulfill the requirement to attend weekly Mass.  Not asking a cruise line to endorse or favor any religion,  OP was just asking what the chances of having a priest on board to perform the service would be.

Edited June 21, 2022 by poocher

[baelor]

23 minutes ago, Nunagoras said:

FYI: At the first evening or 2nd morning of your sailing go to the guest services area where a "social events" board will be available. If a Priest is onboard willing to celebrate Mass, it will be announced at that place, as well as "Friends of Bill W", LGBT, and other social events like that.

Thanks!

[SeattleAl]

I do remember years ago most cruise ships tried to have a Christian clergyman - usually Protestant - on each cruise to offer a Sunday service and be available as needed. They received a free or heavily discounted fare for this service. I don't think this is common anymore.

[Bill Miller]

We've been lucky enough to be on two Celebrity sailings that Most Rev. William F. Heagen, Bishop of Lakewood Spiritual Care Coordinator, Angelic Health  of NJ was on. When he has time off from his hospice ministry he like to cruise. Great guy. If you see a guy in the smoking section with a red zucchetto (skull cap) that's probably Bill. Very engaging and fun to chat with. 

[Qwksilver]

I looked it up for the OP. Priests still can't be married, so status would be "single" even in international waters.

Your Welcome! 

[baelor]

10 minutes ago, Qwksilver said:

I looked it up for the OP. Priests still can't be married, so status would be "single" even in international waters.

Your Welcome! 

OMG thank you for clearing that up! 😛

[Travelgrrl]

On 6/21/2022 at 6:17 AM, BND said:

We have a very good friend who is a priest that we have known since college.  He has very limited funds and time off.  He used to take his mother on trips once every year or two  (she paid but he was her travel companion).  She's gone now so his travel is more restricted as he just doesn't have the income to do it as often.  

 

#Baelor, BND and others - I sometimes (pre Covid) travel on cruises as a guest lecturer or as someone who leads craft classes. The deal is that you get a cabin for free, can bring someone else, and pay a small fee to the booking agency who coordinates between you and the cruise line. You do have to pay for your own transportation, tips as usual, and you cannot play Bingo or gamble in the casino. (No problem, that's the one 'vice' I don't have! 😁)  Also, it's an unwritten rule that you should behave onboard, no skinny dipping in the Solarium! 😆

 

The agency also handles religious leaders. They don't care if you're a priest or a pastor, so there is no guarantee you'll get a priest. They offer a non-denominational service with whatever religious leader they have on that cruise. And no guarantee that someone on the agency's list will opt for your particular cruise - but I'd say in the Good Old Days there was usually one on every sailing.

 

Same process for Gentleman Hosts whose function is to dance with older, single ladies. No foolin' around!  I think these might have gone by the wayside in recent years. 

 

Sometimes I have been gathered (with my guest) and the entertainers, religious leader, and Gentleman Hosts to do some kind of documentation mid-cruise. It's interesting, the kind of people that, like me, have figured out a way to get an (almost) free cruise!

 

BND, you can PM me if your priest friend would like to contact my booking agency. 

Edited June 28, 2022 by Travelgrrl
Added info about PM.

[BND]

3 minutes ago, Travelgrrl said:

 

#Baelor, BND and others - I sometimes (pre Covid) travel on cruises as a guest lecturer or as someone who leads craft classes. The deal is that you get a cabin for free, can bring someone else, and pay a small fee to the booking agency who coordinates between you and the cruise line. You do have to pay for your own transportation, tips as usual, and you cannot play Bingo or gamble in the casino. (No problem, that's the one 'vice' I don't have! 😁)  Also, it's an unwritten rule that you should behave onboard, no skinny dipping in the Solarium! 😆

 

The agency also handles religious leaders. They don't care if you're a priest or a pastor, so there is no guarantee you'll get a priest. They offer a non-denominational service with whatever religious leader they have on that cruise. And no guarantee that someone on the agency's list will opt for your particular cruise - but I'd say in the Good Old Days there was usually one on every sailing.

 

Same process for Gentleman Hosts whose function is to dance with older, single ladies. No foolin' around!  I think these might have gone by the wayside in recent years. 

 

Sometimes I have been gathered (with my guest) and the entertainers, religious leader, and Gentleman Hosts to do some kind of documentation mid-cruise. It's interesting, the kind of people that, like me, have figured out a way to get an (almost) free cruise!

 

BND, you can PM me if your priest friend would like to contact my booking agency. 

There is no PM on CC.  Also, he doesn't cruise.  He actually just went to Germany for work/vacation.  We actually had a a friend at our church who did face painting on cruises out of Baltimore for RCI, but she moved out of state and retired.   

[Travelgrrl]

2 hours ago, BND said:

There is no PM on CC.  Also, he doesn't cruise.  He actually just went to Germany for work/vacation.  We actually had a a friend at our church who did face painting on cruises out of Baltimore for RCI, but she moved out of state and retired.   

 

Thanks! Due to COVID, I haven't been on Cruise Critic for awhile so didn't remember that.

 

I do face painting on cruises also, which is the easiest hustle of all! 

[constantcruiser]

On our second RCCL cruise back in the 80's there was a middle-aged man at our table who was a real character.  He outdrank, out-gambled, and out-partied all of us.  He introduced himself as "FM" and said he sold fire extinguishers.   He danced with many of the older ladies, and I even tried to set him up with a couple of them.  On the last night of the cruise, he came to the table wearing a priest's collar.  At first we thought it was a joke, but then he told us the only way he can truly enjoy his vacation is if no one knows his true calling.  FM stands for Father Mike and his goal is to keep people from meeting fire in the afterlife!  He has long since retired, but we still exchange Christmas cards every year.  So there may be a clergyman on your cruise who just wants people to treat him as a fellow passenger.