Minnesota parish keeps couple from capsized ship in daily prayers
By Pat Norby (Catholic News Service)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- Members of a Catholic parish in a suburb of St. Paul have been keeping Jerry and Barbara Heil in their prayers since they were reported missing when a cruise ship capsized Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy.
Lawrence Erickson, business administrator at St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, said parishioners have been offering prayers for the couple during daily Mass and the rosary prior to Mass, along with time spent in perpetual adoration. An evening prayer service was scheduled for Jan. 18 for the couple.
"I do not remember a day, and I've been here five years, that I haven't seen one or the other of them here," Erickson said of the Heils. They have been involved in the parish festival, Dorothy Day (Center), social ministry and teaching faith formation," he added.
"They lead from within. ... they touch but don't leave a fingerprint. They are that soft in their approach on how much they give," he told The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The couple's son, Aaron Heil, a first-grade public school teacher and member of St. Michael Parish in St. Michael, gave The Associated Press the following statement from the family: "We are waiting patiently for the rescuers to safely try to find our parents," it said. "Our prayers and thoughts are with our parents; those others that are still missing and their families; and the brave rescuers. We are working closely with the U.S. Embassy in Italy and are confident that everything is being done to find our parents."
A Jan. 17 message posted on a blog the family created to communicate with the media and the public said: "At this point we don't have anything new to report. ... Please continue to pray for the other families and the safety of the rescuers. We want to thank the press for their patience and continued privacy."
Authorities announced Jan. 18 search operations had to be suspended because rough waters had caused the partially submerged ship to shift. They did not immediately know when the search could be resumed. The Minnesota couple were among the more than two dozen people who remained missing.
The head of the cruise ship line has blamed the tragedy on "human error" on the part of the captain.
In a posting on his blog, The Deacon's Bench -- www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/ -- Deacon Greg Kandra carried an account of the ship's last hours as related by Father Rafaeli Mallena, who was the chaplain on the cruise.
The 70-year-old priest "described his ordeal to Father Giacomo Martino, director of the Apostolate of the Sea for the Italian bishops' conference," writes Deacon Kandra.
When he realized "the ship was in serious peril," the priest said, he knew he had to protect the valuables "the staff had entrusted to him" and protect the Blessed Sacrament.
Father Mallena said when an explosion was heard during dinner, he went to the chapel to pray and 40 minutes later heard the "abandon ship" alarm.
"He consumed the Eucharist and locked the staff's valuables, including jewelry and money, in a safe. As chaos ensued among the 4,200 passengers aboard, the priest tried to stay aboard in an effort to help but he was persuaded by crew members that it would be better if he boarded a lifeboat and left the sinking ship," writes Deacon Kandra. The priest is now back in Rome, "recovering from his ordeal."
Copyright (c) 2012 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops