From the shoreline, the ships anchored off Newcastle can seem distant and anonymous. But each vessel is home to a crew of seafarers spending long periods away from the people and places they love. 

For the last year, Mark Spencer has been one of the first welcoming faces many of them encounter when they arrive in Newcastle. 

Now, after 43 years of service with the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, most of them spent in Catholic education, Mark is retiring from his role as Catholic Port Chaplain with Stella Maris, the Church’s global ministry to seafarers. 

His work has taken him onto cargo ships from every corner of the globe, supporting crew members who spend months at sea, separated from family, friends and familiar surroundings.  

“A chaplain to seafarers is someone who visits the ships, speaks with the crew, listens to them and then invites them back for shore leave to our centre where they can relax,” Mark said. 

“And it’s often back at the centre, shoulder to shoulder, that they tell me if there’s a problem because sometimes they feel intimidated on board or the problem may be with the hierarchy on the ship.” 

Those conversations can lead to important welfare interventions. 

Mark has helped crew members facing unpaid wages, restrictions on shore leave and complex medical situations. Working alongside the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), shipping companies and unions, he has advocated for seafarers when they have needed support. 

“If they need to have hospitalisation and then recuperation, the ship goes without them. They’re on that schedule, and we have to get their company to make sure they honour their contract to fly them home or to meet the ship,” he said. 

The work has also given him a glimpse into a life few people ever experience. 

“I can’t imagine a life like that on board those ships,” Mark said. 

“As you climb that accommodation ladder, which is sometimes 45 degrees to get upon the vessel, you’re then greeted by the person who’s on watch. You’d be surprised at how small their accommodation spaces are, and they can’t get away from one another.” 

At the heart of Stella Maris Newcastle is the seafarers’ centre near the harbour. Inside are lounges, dining tables, a kitchen, chapel, pool table and a shop. It is designed to remind visitors of home. 

“The centre is absolutely pinnacle to what we do,” Mark said. 

“You’re not going to find pictures of ships; you’re not going to find examples of lifebuoys. That’s the world they live in. When they come here, we want it to be a home away from home.” 

There is a piano, musical instruments and a television. Seafarers can relax, connect with loved ones and buy small souvenirs to take home. 

“Often, we’ll have a Chinese crew here, and they’ll be looking to buy a little statuette of the Opera House or something else, and I’ll say, ‘Look on the bottom; it says made in China. It’s gone the full circle.’” 

For Mark, however, the ministry is about much more than practical support. 

“It’s about us being harbours of hope,” he said. 

“It’s about us being Christ aboard that ship. They may not be Christian, but it’s us offering that charity to them each time, listening and letting them know it’s about a relational God. That we’re in this together.” 

One of the most significant initiatives each year is the distribution of Christmas gifts to every seafarer who enters the Port of Newcastle. Last Christmas, around 1,000 gifts were handed out. 

“It is so important for the loneliness factor,” Mark said. 

“They will say sometimes that’s the difference between them and their mental health saying, ‘I can’t be here any longer.’” 

Packed with donated items such as beanies, blankets, games, books and magazines, the gifts carry a simple but powerful message: someone cares. 

Catholic Schools have become an important part of that effort. 

Students from St Bede’s Catholic College, Chisholm last year helped pack Christmas gifts and write personal messages of encouragement, while students from Trinity Catholic College, Adamstown have spent time learning about the ministry. 

“The students at St Bede’s have written cards, they write a word of hope. It’s from the heart and the seafarers will read it,” Mark said. 

“In one particular card, this young chap tells the seafarer that his father was a diesel mechanic. And he said, ‘But wow, I don’t think he could fix the engines on a ship like you do. That’s really well skilled.’ It was like a well done at the end.” 

Reflecting on his time as chaplain, one story stands above the others. 

A Chinese engineer was medically evacuated to the Port of Newcastle after suffering a burst appendix. His ship continued its voyage, leaving him alone in hospital for almost three weeks. 

Mark visited daily, found an interpreter and helped him stay connected with his family. Eventually, with support from AMSA and the seafarers’ union, the engineer flew home. 

“We got him flown back to China business class so that he could lie down. I said to him, ‘I’ve never flown business class!’ 

“He has since contacted me and said, ‘You are my friend for life.’” 

It is a moment that captures the spirit of a ministry built on presence, compassion and human connection. 

“Throughout my educational career, I’ve always believed in being a servant leader,” he said. “So that comes first; Jesus showed us how to do that.” 

That commitment has inspired others to join the mission. Last year alone, volunteers contributed almost 10,000 hours to Stella Maris Newcastle, saving the Diocese an estimated $432,000. 

As he prepares to step away, Mark hopes others will continue answering the call. 

“Volunteer now, any age; there are so many different roles,” he said.  

Mark’s ministry will be remembered not through the ships he visited, but through the friendships he built and the simple assurance that, far from home, someone cared.