Catholic Mass

[kentuckysailor]

Do Holland cruises still have daily mass?

[sail7seas]

There is a Priest aboard almost every HAL cruise.

So, yes.......usually.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Check your daily Explorer program for the time and place each day.

[RuthC]

Unless there's an emergency that prevents the scheduled priest from arriving, and there hasn't been time to recruit a substitute priest, there is one on every sailing. Even if there is no assigned priest, frequently there is a priest sailing on vacation, and he will take over the responsibility. I have cruised twice when this has happened.

The general rule of scheduling is if it's a port day, the Mass is at 5:00 PM; on sea days, the Mass is at 8:00 AM. The Saturday vigil Mass is at 5:00, even if it's a sea day.

Once in a while there is a late afternoon port arrival. That's treated as a sea day for Mass scheduling purposes. On a very, very rare occasion, there is no Mass scheduled at all. If the ship has been in port all day, and it is either an overnight in port, or a late evening sailing, there may be no Mass scheduled.

Edited March 2, 2013 by RuthC

[Himself]

Yes, HAL normally has a priest. Sometimes Charters do not carry a priest but even there I know charters have requested a priest.

One time I was on a cruise and someone came up to me and said "Father Himself, what time is Mass?" It was then that I knew most people on this board knew I was a priest.

Edited March 2, 2013 by Himself

[innlady1]

Yes, HAL normally has a priest. Sometimes Charters do not carry a priest but even there I know charters have requested a priest.

One time I was on a cruise and someone came up to me and said "Father Himself, what time is Mass?" It was then that I knew most people on this board knew I was a priest.

 

Father, why do they not have a minister on board to do Protestant (or Interfaith) services? We had that a couple times on the Noordam but never on the S class ships.

[Traveling Dot]

I was on a cruise where the priest also did an interfaith service for the non-catholics on board. I think it was on the Rotterdam gong thru the Canal or it could have been the Amsterdam in Alaska. Getting old can't remember things that well anymore.:D But I do remember him saying that he was doing both services.

[Himself]

Father, why do they not have a minister on board to do Protestant (or Interfaith) services? We had that a couple times on the Noordam but never on the S class ships.

 

I do not know! It used to be that on cruises of ten days or longer they did take a Minister but when I did the two weeks on the Amsterdam in the summer of 2011, there was no minister.

[lvz2cruz]

Father, why do they not have a minister on board to do Protestant (or Interfaith) services? We had that a couple times on the Noordam but never on the S class ships.

 

 

A few times we have had vacationing pastors do the Protestant service. On Eurodam in December there were over 50 in attendance--it was in the show lounge where in our first cruises it was in one of the conference rooms by the shops.

People can call ahead of their cruise and volunteer to lead the worship. We love it because not only do we see a different type of worship than our church, but we often meet people we hang out with during the week.

[Typhoon1]

There is always a priest and other clergy aboard HAL cruises.

 

HAL seems to make it a point to offer clergy of more than one faith to its passengers.

[HALrunner]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the priests on-board are members of a society for ministry to seafarers. (The name is something like that, but I can't quite remember). They serve at ports as well for those working on all kinds of ships. Being catholic, I would be reluctant to go on longer voyages if a priest was not available onboard to perform the mass.

I have also met many wonderful protestant ministers on-board that volunteer to lead worship services, that are often very well attended. All are welcome at the catholic mass as well:)

[RuthC]

There is always a priest and other clergy aboard HAL cruises.

 

HAL seems to make it a point to offer clergy of more than one faith to its passengers.

If you had read the thread, you would know this is misleading.

A HAL-provided priest is standard, but a minister is provided by HAL only on mid-length and longer cruises.

A rabbi is aboard for holy days.

[Netta7]

Does anyone know the religious services typically offered on cruises during Easter week?

 

Thanks

[iflyrc5]

Just off the Noordam for 21 days and 21 days on the Ryndam. Priest on board both ships. Mass is offered every day. Normally at 8am or 5pm depending on ship schedule.

[kentuckysailor]

Appreciate all the answers. Also appreciate that HAL provides this. Another reason to choose Holland cruises.

[wander]

Natta 7

 

I have been on HAL ships for several Easters. Each time they held several Easter services for Catholics and Protestants. Since Passover and Easter are related in terms of calendar times each year, the Rabbi on board also performed Passover services at the appropriate time.

 

A very special (to me) Easter: Several years ago I was on a HAL ship for Easter and in addition to the individual services, a very early morning ecumenical Sunrise service was held by the Priest, Minister and Rabbi. It was on a rear deck with lots of chairs set-up and a standing room only crowd. It was a beautiful morning along the coast of Turkey just south of Ephesus. For the service the ship pulled into a very small bay with rock cliffs taller than the ship on 3 sides of us. As the service ended the sun rose above the cliffs and the deck was bathed in sunlight. A very special and spectacular moment to say the least. I shall always remember that morning.

[TraelorMex]

Hey, don't suppose you have a pix of this event (sunrise over mts?)

[Tapi]

Well, Catholic mass on HAL isn't something that I knew about when we booked our upcoming cruise, but I know that many family members in our group will be thrilled!

 

Although we normally attend mass when we are home, NOT having religious services while cruising (on other cruise lines) is something that we had grown used to.

 

Another reason to look forward to our 1st Holland America cruise! :)

[RevNeal]

I posted this on the other thread, but I'll also post it here since the question came up.

 

Holland America Line currently contracts with Protestant clergy to provide Interdenominational Christian services and Pastoral Care on selected cruises 10+ days in length. The current general rule-of-thumb is that (1) if the cruise is 10+ days in length and (2) has 2 or more Sundays or has a lot of sea days, then a Protestant Guest Minister is usually assigned. Over the past few years the number of cruises with officially assigned Protestant Guest Ministers has declined somewhat. They have also changed their vetting process and the method by which one volunteers and is assigned duty.

 

The 14-Day Alaska Cruises in 2011 and 2012 did NOT have official Protestant Guest Ministers assigned to them, which is why Father Himself's 14-Day on the Amsterdam in 2011 didn't have one. Why? HAL has run 7-day cruises in Alaska for so long (and 7-day cruises, other than those over Christmas and Easter, don't have PGMs aboard) that it just didn't occur to them to assign any Protestant Clergy to those runs. At least, that is what I was told when I asked about it.

[RevNeal]

All are welcome at the catholic mass as well:)

 

Yes, indeed, and visa versa. On occasion I've even had the Catholic Priest stop by to listen to my sermon. I paid him the return compliment. :D

 

This being said, for me attending Roman Catholic Mass can be a somewhat painful experience. It's like going to a banquet at which the food you love the most is being served, but you're not allowed to eat. Hence, for me, if I attend the Roman Catholic Mass I usually slip out following the the Creed or, if I stay for the Eucharistic Prayer, I exit during the Our Father.

 

When I serve as Protestant Guest Minister I always make sure that Holy Communion is celebrated at least once a week. One of my biggest complaints is that, while HAL PGMs are supposed to offer the sacrament to all Protestants, and also to the Protestants among the crew, so many don't or refuse to do so. Once, when I was on a long cruise where I wasn't the PGM, I asked the assigned PGM when he was going to Celebrate Communion and he said he wasn't going to do it. When I challenged him on that, he said that I could lead it if I wished. So, I talked to the Cruise Director and we scheduled it for the next Sunday morning (which was a Sea Day) ... the place was PACKED.

[buckirj1]

Great, now I have Tom Lehrer's "Vatican Rag" going through my head. Thanks, guys!

 

"...2-4-6-8, time to..."

 

I groove to the anglo side of progressive small-c catholicism. I'm appreciative of any corporate observance onboard, provided it isn't too early, which was one of the original points of the thread. If there's no corporate observance, then I make do with the Daily Office. Anybody wanna join me for Morning Prayer up in the Lido this afternoon?

[RevNeal]

Great, now I have Tom Lehrer's "Vatican Rag" going through my head. Thanks, guys!

 

"...2-4-6-8, time to..."

 

I groove to the anglo side of progressive small-c catholicism. I'm appreciative of any corporate observance onboard, provided it isn't too early, which was one of the original points of the thread. If there's no corporate observance, then I make do with the Daily Office. Anybody wanna join me for Morning Prayer up in the Lido this afternoon?

 

LOL!

Thanks for the laugh.

Having been a novice in an Anglican Monastic Community back during my Seminary Days I am addicted to the Daily Office. :)

[buckirj1]

LOL!

Thanks for the laugh.

Having been a novice in an Anglican Monastic Community back during my Seminary Days I am addicted to the Daily Office. :)

 

Yes, I remember you mentioning you did some time with the Cowleys (SSJE) in Cambridge. I have a soft spot for them; they ministered to my church for many years in the 1940s and 1950s when we were without a priest during their chaplaincy for the nearby All Saints Sisters of the Poor. Way before my time, but anyway...

 

Oh, and to bring this back to business, here's a link to an old Mystery Worshipper review of the Ryndam's interdenominational service. It can't have changed all that much.

 

http://shipoffools.com/mystery/1999/115Mystery.html

 

Hmm, it's been a long time since a Mystery Worshipper visited a cruise ship. I don't write well enough (and haven't sailed HAL yet anyway), but some of you are fine writers.

[Netta7]

Wander,

 

Thank you for the information on Easter week services. While we won't be in Ephesus for this cruise, I am happy to hear there will be services. I would love to try it in Ephesus though!

 

Thanks!

[lvz2cruz]

Am I the only one visualizing Satan doing somersaults as you all argue?

How can we attract people to the Christian faith if that is what they see?