|
HOUSTON MARITIME CHAPLAINCY TRAINING PROGRAM
APPLICATION-INFORMATION SHEET
Dates of Training Program: February 8-20, 2009
Please fill out and mail, e-mail (matra58@hotmail.com) or fax (713.672.2444) as soon as possible to:
Fr. Jan Kubisa – Coordinator
Houston Maritime Chaplaincy Training Program
Houston International Seafarers' Center
P.O. Box 9506
Houston, TX 77261-9506
U.S.A.
***Coordinator’s Cell Phone: (713) 397-8258 ***E-mail: matra58@hotmail.com
Additional Contact Person: Brother Anthony Ornelas, sss, branthonysss@yahoo.com
Center Telephone: (713) 672-0511 Center Fax: (713) 672-2444
Center Website: www.houstonseafarers.com (school application can be downloaded)
|
Student Name:____________________________________________________________
(First) (Middle) (Last)
Date of Birth: _____/ _____/_____ Gender: Male Female Nationality: _____________
MM DD YR
Mailing Address: __________________________________________________________
City: ________________________ State: ______________ ZIP Code: ________________
Work Telephone: ______________________ Home Phone: _______________________
Cell Phone: _____________________________ Fax: ____________________________
E-mail: _________________________________________________________________
Nominated by (Seafarers’ Agency): ____________________________________________
Agency Head: ____________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________________
City: _________________________ State: ____________ ZIP Code: _________________
Agency Telephone: ___________________ Agency E-mail: ________________________
Student's employing organization or church judicatory may be different from above agency. Please give full name or organization, Diocese, district, company, etc., and the address and telephone number of its chief officer. |
STUDENT INFORMATION AND SELF-ASSESSMENT SHEET
Please answer the following questions as completely as possible. Please limit yourself to a half page at the most for each question. We would prefer to have your typed answers to these questions. (Please mail, fax or email your answers to the coordinator as soon as possible).
How do you want your name written on your Official Certificate at the completion of the program (usually the formal written title of your name)?
_______________________________________________________________
By what name would you like others to address you?: ___________________________________________________
Denomination: ____________________ Port(s) Served: ___________________________
Length of Time in Maritime Ministry: ____________________________________________
_____________ Clergy
Number of years ordained _______________________________
_____________ Religious
Number of years in religious life ________________________
_____________ Laity
Please type your answers to these questions on another sheet of paper:
1. What is your call to Seafaring Ministry? What unique gifts and experiences do you bring to this ministry?
2. What Biblical passage or verse is most significant for you in the Ministry you conduct for seafarers? Why is it significant to you?
3. What Biblical passage or verse would you most like to take to Seafarers which you minister to?
4. In your opinion, what is the most important current ministry issue your local Seafaring Ministry faces? How do you attempt to work/deal with this issue?
5. What are your main areas of responsibility in your port ministry?
6. What are the three things you feel you would need to learn most while at the Maritime Chaplaincy Training Program, and why?
7. Do you have a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) background? If so, please describe.
Your answers and opinions will help us a great deal in getting to know who you are and what background/experience you bring to the Training Program. We will carefully read and evaluate your answers as to enable us to fill the student roster. |
GENERAL INFORMATION
STUDENTS' ROSTER
We can only place 12 students in the training program. It is a first-come first-serve basis. The application deadline is on December 01, 2007 (You may contact us after this date to see if there is any space available, however). You will be notified either of your acceptance or placement on a waiting list.
Classes are from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. There are no activities during the weekend, so you are free to recreate and enjoy the Houston area. The students are required to do a partial Night Duty (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) at the Houston International Seafarers' Center and a Ship Visit together with their mentors. The off-site activities and sessions are part of the class schedule.
EXPECTATIONS
We expect prospective students to be involved in working with seafarers. We prefer those candidates who have already had at least one-year experience working as maritime chaplains. However, we realize that not everyone has had that opportunity. You will therefore find that the topics range from the very simple, down-to-earth, practical knowledge of ship visitation to legal and contractual issues dealing with seafarers. There are also some sessions allotted for an experience similar to Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). All presentations are in English so students must be fluent in English. Students will have an opportunity to participate in worship leadership and/or preaching. In order to facilitate group dynamics and the building of rapport, we request that no more than two persons attend from the same port ministry. The Coordinator will maximize the use of emails in communicating with the students, so please include your email address or create a web-based email address with Yahoo or Hotmail that we may use in getting communications out quickly to all students.
CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE)
There will be 10 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) included in the School curriculum. This fulfills the CPE requirement by the Apostleship of the Sea (AOSUSA) for the certification process as a Port Chaplain. Each student is expected to present a pastoral conversation between you and a seafarer. This is to be written in a "verbatim" form, namely, what the seafarer said, then what the chaplain said, and so on. This will be read out load by you and another student and the group will have the opportunity to review the interaction. It can be a situation you think went well or one in which you would have liked to have interacted differently in some way. This process provides an opportunity for students to have tangible situations to learn from by the input and interactions of the students and faculty. You will be receiving more information about how to "write a verbatim." If your role at your seafarers' ministry is more center-based, you still have direct interaction with seafarers and will be expected to present a verbatim as well.
COMPUTER ACCESS
The Seafarers' Center has a strong wireless network if you wish to bring your laptop. We also have four computers with internet access. You may also bring any other electronics you may wish to use for recording classes or communicating with others. |
EXHIBIT YOUR CENTER! SHARE RESOURCES!
Please bring information about your home agency and ministry: descriptive/historical materials, brochures, posters, and resources you find most useful. A list of web-sites that assist you in your ministry would also be appreciated by all.
ESTIMATED EXPENSES
Training Program fee $200.00
Accommodations $100.00
Spending Money $200.00
Car Rental $400-$450 for two weeks (add insurance of $200.00 +) |
Send, as soon as possible, a check for $200.00 payable to Ministry to the Port of Houston and write “Maritime Chaplaincy Training Program” in the notation section of your check. Please also let us know your flight arrangements: airport, airline, arrival time, date, flight number—and let us know the same details about your departure. Please let us know if you plan to rent a car or if you will need transportation to and from the airport.
SCHOLARSHIP GRANT AND ENDORSEMENT
The Houston Maritime Chaplaincy Training Program has been endorsed and supported by the Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America (AOSUSA), and the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA). The AOSUSA requires its members to attend the Training Program for the certification of its members.
A Scholarship Grant may be available for the Roman Catholic chaplains who minister in the U.S.A. through the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS); however, students are expected to pay their tuition fee prior to their arrival and have ready their accommodation donation upon arrival. AOS students will then seek reimbursement from AOS. Please note that prior approval from Sr. Myrna Tordillo, MSCS, AOS National Director/Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers/USCCB, is required (202.541.3035 or mtordillo@usccb.org). The general requirement for this grant is that you must have been officially assigned to your chaplaincy by your bishop. The Scholarship is limited and will be granted on a "first-come, first-serve" basis.
For other persons in need of scholarship assistance, please contact the School Coordinator (Fr. Jan Kubisa) directly at 713.397 2858 or matra58@hotmail.com. |
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES
Please arrive no later than 4:00 PM on Sunday, February 8th in order to get settled into your lodging accommodations and meet your host. When arranging your departure plans, please note that graduation is around noon on Friday, February 20th, so please arrange your flights after 3:00 p.m. on that Friday.
AIRPORTS AND AIRFARE
If possible, plan your arrival/departure destination at the Houston Hobby (HOU) airport which is just a 20 minute-drive to the Port of Houston/Seafarers' Center; otherwise, plan to arrive at the Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) which is a 45-minute drive from the Seafarers’ Center. Please arrange your flights well in advance and let us know your itinerary (forwarding your email confirmation to us would be great)! The cost of the airfare depends on which airline, their promotions, travel dates, and the arrival/departure airport.
WELCOMING DINNER RECEPTION
You will need to arrive in Houston mid- to late afternoon on Sunday, February 8th. We will have a dinner reception for you on Sunday evening from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. to give you the opportunity to meet with other students and with some of our staff. If you will be arriving earlier than February 8th or plan to leave later than the 20th, please let us know so we can make the necessary arrangements. |
TRANSPORTATION
Please plan to rent a car while in Houston, as there is minimal public transportation around the port area. There is free time in the evenings and on the weekend, so having a car will greatly enhance your leisure time while in Houston. The cost should be $400 – $450 (with another $100 – $200 if you add insurance). Calling the 800 numbers of car rental agencies will let you know of any special deals and get you a better estimate of the rental expense. Also check with your credit card company about your Insurance coverage for car rental when paid with a major credit card. Also some automobile policies for your own vehicle have some coverage when you are renting another vehicle. Check with your insurance carrier.
You may choose to share transportation with another student, and we can help with coordinating transportation for all the students from among those who have rented cars. For those students who are not renting cars, we will provide free transportation for you to and from the Houston airports; however, the rectories are all some distance from the Seafarers’ Center, so it is most helpful if several folks have rented cars and can carpool with other students to the Seafarers’ Center each day. For those students riding along with someone who has rented a car, some appropriate reimbursement to them would be most appreciated.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Upon acceptance, unless otherwise requested, we will endeavor to house you in a Catholic Church rectory at minimal cost. Please bring a $100.00 donation to offer to your host. A private residence is made available for women students. This may mean you have the place all to yourself, or you may have an opportunity to interact with your host. Different arrangements can be made for married couples but we need to know as soon as possible if you plan to bring your spouse.
MEALS
There is a light breakfast provided as you arrive each morning, but your host rectory may provide breakfast as well. Also, at some rectories there is a refrigerator where you may keep some groceries for your meals. Lunch will be provided Monday through Friday by various local churches and/or organizations. Dining out in the evening would be on your own or dinner may be provided by your host rectory. The students usually all go out to a restaurant together one evening during the School.
WEATHER IN FEBRUARY
Usually mild but temperatures can vary from low 40's to high 70's or even 80's. The humidity is high (80%). There is usually lots of sunshine, but also the very likely possibility of rainy days.
CLOTHING
Bring at least one sweater or cardigan, warm trousers and a jacket/raincoat. Summer clothing may also be appropriate! Dress during the training program days and ship visitation is casual. Slacks and good (leather) walking shoes (soles should be a non-slip type for ship visitation) are necessary and appropriate for ship visitation, which we do once during the school. If you desire more ship visitation experiences, let us know. Clergy may want to wear their collars but this is not a requirement. Throughout the school, simply dress in such a way as to ensure maximum safety and comfort. Generally, the atmosphere in the Seafarers' Center is relaxed and people tend to dress casually. You may want to bring more formal dress for the Class Graduation pictures which will be taken late morning on Friday, February 20th. Lunch will be on your own after the graduation service as many folks are hurrying off to catch departing flights. |
ENTERTAINMENT
Houston: There are numerous opportunities for entertainment in the Houston area. The Museum District (several different kinds of museums, and some free of charge) is about 30 minutes by car from our center. There are many restaurants, ranging from those with reasonable prices to those that are ridiculously expensive. The Galleria is a very large shopping area on the near west side that also includes an ice skating rink.
Galveston: Galveston is well worth visiting. There are the Moody Gardens, which includes a tropical rainforest as well as an aquarium, a butterfly garden, and an I-Max theater (entrance fees vary as to how many events you wish to see). Galveston also has The Strand which is a very popular historical and shopping area; Galveston Beach; and the Bishop's Palace but you need to make reservations for a tour. Galveston is approximately one hour by car from our seafarers' center.
NASA Space Center: Take I-45 South (approximately 45 minutes) from the Center. It is definitely worth a trip. See I-Max movies, a mock-up of the space shuttle, displays of the various rockets, lunar modules and related information regarding space. Entrance fee is $13.00 with discounted tickets through the Seafarers’ Center. |
|
