04 November 2016 — The Philippine Catholic Mission in Hamburg celebrated a thanksgiving mass and cultural program to mark the third Filipino Seafarer’s Day at the Kleinen Michel Parish in Stadthausbrücken, Hamburg, Germany on October 30. 

Fr. Simon Boiser, the priest for English-speaking Catholics in Hamburg, disclosed that many members of the Catholic Mission in Hamburg are former seafarers who helped organized the event.  The occasion was attended by active seamen, the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, church representatives and members of the Deutsche Seemannsmission Hamburg-Altona e.V. and the Deutsche Seemannsmission Duckdalben International Seamen's Club.

In his remarks, Consul Adrian Cruz thanked the Seaman’s Mission for their assistance in setting up overseas voter registration centers at the Ports of Kiel and Rostock. He also met with individual seafarers who sought advice on social security concerns and retirement opportunities in the Philippines.  After the mass, a cultural program was held to raise awareness of the unique role played by Filipino seafarers for the shipping industry as well as for the Philippine economy. END