Morning Catholic must-reads: 02/12/11

The Holy Father is quite right that the New Evangelisation depends on the family, this does present huge problems where the father or mother is away for extended periods, such is the case with seafarers.  It therefore remains crucial that the Church can find ways, perhaps using modern social communication to enable these parents to play their proper role in the family and in the evangelisation of their children.  A major task of port chaplains of the Apostleship of the Sea is to assist seafarers in getting in contact by phone, email or skype with their family.  I was last Friday with our Troon (Scotland) port chaplain with a filipino fisherman skyping his family and excitedly sharing in the preparations for his newborn son’s baptism when he returned home later this month.
John Green, Director of Development, Apostleship of the Sea