Seafarers International House

Dear Friends of Seafarers Interna­tional House (SIH):

 

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

 

I write this to you early in our 150th anniversary year of 2023, as I reflect on the year prior, 2022, and our “branding symbol” of the lighted lighthouse. I’m always aware of the 2 million “people on the way” - seafarers and migrants - who have found a lighted welcome on their dark and often unsafe journeys to the port of New York, and subsequent other ports, over these past 150 years. The Gospel writer Matthew takes that light metaphor and expands it to have Jesus say that not only are all of us the lights of the world, but that we are lights for the world now. Not some quaint lighthouse symbol from 150 years ago, but now, today, as we welcomed 20,000 seafarers and 23 asylees from 15 countries in 2022 alone.

Although we have had retirements of two faithful, long-serving port chaplains this year, Revs. Luisito Destreza and William Rex, the light continues to shine in that we have two additional port chaplains, Pastors Kate Drefke and Lowell Chilton in Albany. In 2022, almost 3,000 Christmas-at-Sea satchels were collected and distributed - a new all-time record of light shared.

The scenarios may be a bit different from year to year, but the approach is always the same: we provide housing (subsidized for seafarers, and at no cost to immigrants), as well as practical and spiritual support, thus providing a light-house welcome.

 

Here in Manhattan, we have been aware of the effects of “Title 42” this past year. Title 42 is a pandemic-era policy that both the Trump and Biden administrations have used to immediately expel arriving migrants back to Mexico or their countries of origin, except for arrivals from countries with which the U.S. does not have good diplomatic relations - namely Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, and Nicaragua.

 

As a result, these unmoored migrants from four countries make up a very small portion of those allowed to stay in the U.S. and pursue asylum claims. Then, in a most cruel twist, they are bused to New York City from Texas and Florida, resulting in Manhattan being disproportionately overwhelmed with migrants arriving - sometimes as many as 3,500 migrants per week. At Seafarers International House, we have been able to house some asylees from Venezuela and Colombia. We are grateful for our housekeeper, Damaris, at the Markle Residence (our temporary home). She is originally from Venezuela herself and can assist these new arrivals in their own language and help them to navigate the city. She is a human lighthouse for such a vulnerable population and embodies the Biblical call to be lighthouses in our own contexts, and to be lighthouses now.

Thank you for all you do as our financial and spiritual supporters who enable Seafarers International House to be a lighthouse now.