FR PATSY FOLEY, the Apostleship of the Sea’s chaplain to the port of Tilbury and the Thames, has decided to postpone his retirement. As the time approached to hang up his hard hat and ship-visiting kit, Fr Foley decided that the prospect of losing touch with the many seafarers from lands as far away as Burma, Vietnam, the Philippines and India was not an attractive one. He has devoted 10 years of his life to the service of seafarers, first in the seafarers’ centre in Southampton and for the past two and a half years at Tilbury.
Eamonn Delaney, chairman of AoS and a trustee of centres for seafarers, a charity that provides infrastructure in Tilbury, said: “We are delighted that Fr Patsy has decided to remain with us. His skills as a chaplain are legendary and he is known the length and breadth of the ports he has worked in.
“Seafarers all know that they can rely on Fr Patsy to turn up onboard ship whenever he is needed. The reassurance that pastoral care is always at hand is a lifeline to troubled seafarers when they arrive in port.”