Introduction: ICMA invited its members to the 2025 Latin America Regional Meeting in Santos, Brazil from 23-25 April 2025.
Meeting hosts and sponsors: Thank you to the ICMA member societies in Santos for hosting us. Financial support received from the ITF Seafarers’ Trust. The Rev. Felipi Shütz Bennert is the ICMA regional contact.
Conference Hotel: Parque Balneario Hotel Santos, Av. Ana Costa, 555 – Gonzaga, Santos – SP, 11060-003, Brazil
Schedule
Wednesday 23 April
- 13h00 – 14h00 – Welcome and Registration
- 14h00 – 15h45 – Session 1
- Opening words and prayer
- Pastor Felipi Schütz Bennert (DSM Santos / ICMA LAC Coordinator)
- Choir – Coro Cênico Céu da Boca
- “ICMA – welcome and introduction to our network” – Dr. Jason Zuidema (ICMA)
- “What is the value of our collective voice?” – The Rev’d Mark Nestlehutt (President and Executive Director, The Seamen’s Church Institute / President, ICMA)
- Opening words and prayer
- 16h15 – 18h00 – Session 2
- “ICMA – Code of Conduct (2024 update) and our network of care” – Dr. Jason Zuidema (ICMA)
- “Who is who? Presentation of the member organizations in the region”
- Kathrin Grund and Andrea Meenken, Deutsche Seemannsmission
- Fr. Samuel Fonseca Torres, Stella Maris
- Fr. Ian Hutchinson Cervantes, The Mission to Seafarers
- Rivelino Dos Santos, Sailor’s Society
Thursday 24 April
- 9h00 – 9h15 – Daily Prayer (The Mission to Seafarers)
- 9h15 – 11h30 – Session 3 (with break at 10:15 a.m.)
- “Understanding seafarers’ ministry work as diakonia” – Deacon Dionata de Oliveira (Lutheran Church of Brazil – IECLB)
- 14h00 – 15h45 – Session 4
- “Mental Health in Maritime Life,” Karin Bayona (ISWAN)
- 16h15 – 18h00 – Session 5
- “The reality of seafarers’ families” – Sra. Lala Tolentino (The Mission to Seafarers – Philippines)
- “Challenging times – Cliffs that were avoided and the right course for the future of maritime mission” – Pastor Matthias Ristau (Deutsche Seemannsmission – Hamburg)
- Tour of the Seafarers Center in Santos
Friday 25 April
- 9h00 – 9h15 – Opening Prayer (Stella Maris)
- 9h30 – 10h30 – Session 6
- “The Port of Santos: The Largest Port in Latin America” – Felipe Fray Buschinelli (Port of Santos)
- “Mental and Physical Health on Board: Port Doctor’s Perspective” (Cemin Centro Médico Internacional)
- 11h00 – 12h00 – Session 7
- Seafarers’ welfare Government perspective – Rodrigo Aoki Fuziy, Labour Inspector, Labour Inspection Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Brazil
- 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – City Tour and Boat trip
- 7 p.m. – Ecumenical closing celebration and dinner together (Santos Lutheran Church)
For more information: gensec@icma.as