A popular church leader in Bahrain is leaving the kingdom after more than 13 years in post helping visiting seafarers in need, as well as assisting with their spiritual well being, writes Stanley Szecowka.
The Rev’d Stephen Thanapaul, who has served as an assistant chaplain at St Christopher’s Cathedral and in the role of Mission to Seafarers chaplain, departs this week for India.
He will be returning to his home country to rejoin his wife, Jasmine, and daughter, Tryphaena, who is training to be a teacher and has one more year of her studies.
He will be continuing his work as a Mission to Seafarers’ chaplain in the busy port city of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, in southern India. In his farewell speech, Father Stephen thanked everyone he had worked with and described serving in Bahrain as ‘a rich experience’.
“I have learnt so much,” he added. “And, the friendships, people and experiences of the St Christopher’s Cathedral community have shaped who I am and will have a continuing impact as I return to my Mission to Seafarers ministry in India. Thank you and may God bless you in the years ahead.”
As assistant chaplain, Father Stephen was the first priest of the Tamil-language congregation founded on Easter Day 2014, which has grown to play such a significant part in the life of the cathedral community, but he has always played a full role within the English-speaking congregations too.
In his role as Mission to Seafarers’ chaplain, he has visited the crews of many ships visiting Bahrain’s ports.
As well as offering a listening ear and spiritual support, he has been ready to offer practical support, helping to connect seafarers with their families in their home countries, or driving crew members to visit the shopping malls in the brief time they are in port.
His role connected him with the wider community, especially when ships’ crews were stranded in Bahrain abandoned by their owners and he was always grateful for the support received from schools, churches and other community organisations who provided food and financial support towards the desperate seamen.
He has also served as a volunteer with the Ecumenical Conference of Charity (ECC), which responds to the needs of all people whatever their background, nationality or race, visiting hospitals, assessing peoples’ needs, making financial or food provision as required. In earlier years he was chairman of the ECC committee.
His main farewell party, a ‘Biryani, Bollywood and Barn Dance’, took place on Saturday and was attended by a large international gathering of friends. As well as being presented with a print of the cathedral by artist Ebrahim Al Ghanem, he was given a ‘thank you’ cheque to help him with his transition.
“Father Stephen has served such a wide variety of people with loyalty and devotion in the cathedral, the community and in the port,” said former dean, the Rev’d Chris Butt, who is back in Bahrain on a temporary stint and was one of Father Stephen’s colleagues for a decade. “His friendships are worldwide and his ministry has been richly appreciated by so many. He will be missed, but we wish him well in his return to India and for the future.’
As well as saying ‘good-bye’ to Father Stephen, the cathedral community has also welcomed the Rev’d Dr Franklin Isaac, who has arrived in Bahrain to take over from Fr Stephen. They are in fact swapping roles as Fr Franklin has been working as the Mission to Seafarers Chaplain in Tuticorin.
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