SCI Equips Chaplains to See and Serve the World’s Mariners with a Grant from The Episcopal Church’s United Thank Offering (UTO) Grant

Most of us rarely think about how the coffee we drink, the clothes we wear, or the electronics we use arrive in our hands. As much as 90% of the world’s goods travel by ship, carried by men and women who spend months at sea, far from family, navigating dangerous and demanding conditions. These seafarers and mariners keep the global economy moving, but too often they remain invisible. The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) calls this reality “Sea Blindness.”

Sometimes that invisibility is felt most acutely in moments of loss. Earlier this year, SCI’s Ministry on the River (MOR) was called to support a maritime community grieving the death of one of their own. Given the relentless pace of the inland maritime industry, it would have been easy to overlook the need for space to grieve or reflect. But company leadership made a wise and compassionate choice: to pause and make time.

The family of the deceased was invited to the company office to meet the staff, the very people the deceased often spoke about. It became a meaningful moment of connection, as they shared stories, honored her memory, and came together in remembrance while collecting her personal belongings. The Rev. Grace Pardun, Supervisory Chaplain, Ministry on the River, Upper Mississippi & Ohio River Region, reflected, “I believe it was an experience that reflects the core of SCI’s chaplaincy—entering willingly into difficult places of hardship and sorrow, bringing with us peace, comfort, and reassurance that no one in maritime stands alone. When we experience loss, we mourn as a community, and together, we begin to heal.”

This kind of care is at the heart of SCI’s mission — and now, with grant support from The Episcopal Church’s United Thank Offering (UTO), SCI is expanding its ability to prepare chaplains for exactly these moments.

Thanks to a $45,000 grant from UTO, SCI is launching I Sea You: Equipping Chaplains to Support the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Needs of Mariners Marginalized by Sea Blindness. This two-phase initiative will identify the essential competencies maritime chaplains need and create a trauma-informed continuing education curriculum to train them to meet mariners’ unique needs.

The Rev. Dr. David Fleenor, an Episcopal priest, ACPE Certified Educator, and board-certified chaplain, will lead the research and curriculum development. Dr. Fleenor recently earned a PhD in Health Sciences, in which he studied the essential competencies for healthcare chaplains. He will now bring that expertise to the maritime world.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to raise the profile of maritime chaplains and equip them with the tools they need to serve those who labor, often invisibly, on the inland waterways and vast oceans of the world,” said Dr. Fleenor. “By identifying and teaching these competencies, we can help chaplains bring practical, emotional, and spiritual care to mariners who are frequently marginalized, ensuring they are seen, valued, and supported.”

The project will begin with a research study to define the core knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for effective maritime chaplaincy. The second phase will develop a research-based curriculum that equips SCI’s chaplains and volunteer associates to address mariners’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, whether in crisis or in the daily realities of life at sea.

“This work will open new horizons for our chaplains,” said the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, SCI’s President & Executive Director. “It is about more than training; it is about deepening our presence with mariners, standing with them in moments of joy and hardship, and ensuring they know they are never alone.”

For more information about the Seamen’s Church Institute and its maritime chaplaincy program, visit https://seamenschurch.org.