Service to seafarers documented in booklet

A BOOKLET entitled A Life in Mission, the memoirs of Chaplain Emeritus Father Paul Noel, has been compiled by local author, David Hughes, to create awareness on the work The Mission to Seafarers undertakes in Durban.

David, who is the public relations officer for the Mission to Seafarers, launched the booklet at the organisation’s annual general meeting last month.

Chaplain Father Paul is a living testament to the work of the Mission and is the longest serving Padre in the history of the organisation. In celebration of 50 years of dedicated service, he was awarded the status of Chaplain Emeritus by the Secretary General of the organisation in 2012. In 2014, Father Paul was the winner of the Dr Dirk Lindemann Welfare Personality of the Year Award at the International Seafarers Welfare Awards. Now in his eighties, although he has officially retired, he continues to serve seafarers with a particular focus on visiting them in hospital when in port.

Seafarers face many dangers at sea such as the threat of piracy and for other reasons why their ship may not safely reach port. The Mission to Seafarers, through its many alliances around the world, offers the seafarer a home from home, an opportunity to communicate with loved ones and rest and relaxation while in port. The Mission to Seafarers ensures the spiritual and physical well-being of seafarers, as well as assisting them with social justice issues.

Speaking on how he got involved in the organisation, Father Paul said his wife Virginia’s father, Rev James Francis, was on the Mission’s committee in the 60s and wanted someone to help out in the curio shop.

“My background was working in my mom’s corner shop so I was offered the job. I turned it down as it was in the Point area, which didn’t have a good reputation at the time. But God talks, and in 1964 I decided to take on the job, and that was well over 50 years ago! I started in the curio shop until Bruce Evans, a charismatic bishop, told me he thought I had something to offer. I started working on the ships and never looked back,” he said. Father Paul had been working on the ships for a few years before becoming a lay minister. Bishop Rubin Phillip ordained him as a deacon at St Paul’s, and he was later ordained as a priest in the cathedral in Pietermaritzburg.

ALSO READ: Durban author pens history of St Paul’s Anglican Church

Virginia said after Paul started his work with the Mission, she decided to join the Flying Angels Guild, which falls under the Mission. The women are involved in fundraising lunches, wrapping of Christmas gifts and putting together toiletry bags for seafarers, as well as other projects.

David said his motivation to put the booklet together was to document Father Paul’s work over the years, as part of his work to document the history of Durban. He said he enjoyed working with Father Paul in compiling the booklet, as he had known him since the mid 70s, and knew he had a long, colourful career, supported through the years by Virginia.

Commenting on the process, Father Paul said: “We went with things I could remember when compiling the booklet. I have so many stories, but age gets the better of me! This has been the most rewarding job and if I was young again, I would’ve done it all over again.”

David said: “We encourage people to visit the Mission’s office, to collect a booklet and to find out more about what the Mission does. We are also interested to hear from people who had any interaction with Father Paul over the years.”

The community is encouraged to visit the Mission’s office at 22 Levenhall Road, Umbilo to pick up a free copy of the booklet. Any donations are welcome.

Any women wanting to join the Flying Angels Guild, which meets once a month on the Bluff, can pick up membership forms at the office. Contact 031 205 6508.

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