What We Do

  • The Ministry to Seafarers (M2S) is dedicated to enhancing the lives of seafarers regardless of race, religion, gender or rank, through ship visiting, advocacy and hospitality; and showing Jesus’ love by caring for their physical, emotional, spiritual and justice needs.

  • Chaplain and seafarer next to a ship

    Ship Visits

    Our chaplains and volunteers visit each ship in port, offering a listening ear to seafarers who spend long periods of time away from home. Conversations revolve around families, faith, personal joys or sorrows or other interests they may have.

  • Chaplain with two seafarers

    Chaplaincy

    Visiting on ship or shore provides a time for our chaplains to offer spiritual counsel, a Bible or devotional or prayer with and for the crew. Sometimes crew request a particular type of service and we do our best to accommodate.

  • Man looking on phone

    Making Connections

    During regular ship visits, we ensure that seafarers are able to purchase SIM cards which they can use in and out of port to connect with friends and family.

  • Driver and seafarer

    Transportation

    For seafarers granted shore leave, the expansive 26 kilometre port presents its own challenge to accessing the city.

    The only safe, reliable and affordable option fo them is our free shuttle service - which goes anywhere in the port.

  • Seafarers in warm clothing

    Warm Clothing

    With many seafarers arriving directly from warmer countries, lack of warm clothing can often be the only reason they are not able to take shore leave.

    Through donations of gently used warm clothing, we are able to offer items on loan or to keep - to help the seafarers stay in good health and good spirits.

  • Volunteer with seafarer

    Home Away From Home

    Through our partnership with Mariners' House, we invite seafarers to the Seafarers' Centre where they can purchase necessities, enjoy recreational activities, receive the care they need, attend a chapel service, visit with others and rest.

Meet the Staff

  • Michelle DePooter

    Michelle DePooter

    Lead Chaplain

    Michelle grew up near Sarnia, Ontario. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from Kuyper College and an MA in Global Leadership from Fuller Seminary. She is currently working on a second MA in Counselling.

    She started working at M2S as an intern in 2000 and became Lead Chaplain in 2004.

    She was ordained by the Christian Reformed Church as a Commissioned Pastor in 2004 and endorsed as a chaplain by the CRC in 2020.

    She is currently the Vice President of the North American Maritime Ministry Association and sits on the Canada Seafarers’ Welfare Board.

    Michelle and her husband Don have four children and they enjoy spending time together as a family.

  • David Rozeboom

    David Rozeboom

    Chaplain

    David grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He moved to Montreal for work with a desire to see how all he learned in his Reformed upbringing would apply to a larger context and how he could create a place of spiritual safety for others.

    David completed a Bachelor of Theology from Farel Reformed Theological Seminary in Montreal.

    He started working at M2S in 2006 and also volunteers weekly with The Open Door. In 2017, David was shortlisted for ISWAN's The Dr Dierk Lindemann Welfare Personality of the Year award as nominated by seafarers.

    David is married to Brennan and they enjoy spending time outdoors.

  • Patty on phone

    Patty Sarazen

    Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator

    Patty grew up in Montreal and graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Education in Physical Education and English. She has high school teaching experience and has worked as an Administrator in the charitable sector since 2000.

    For many years Patty enjoyed coaching Atom and Pee-wee football and girls' hockey. She also had the pleasure of coordinating the Newcomer and Practical Care Teams at her church and serving as a deacon. She enjoys making introductions and then watching those relationships flourish.

    Patty is married to Daniel and they regularly visit their two Compassion Canada sponsor children in the Dominican Republic.

Rev Uittenbosch with volunteers

Who We Are

On Sunday afternoons in the early 1960s, the young people from First CRC in Montreal would visit the Dutch ships in the Port of Montreal and sing to the sailors on board. They were motivated by wanting the seafarers to feel at home.

In 1965, Reverend Uittenbosch became the first chaplain. He had a desire to minister to those ‘passing by.’ At that time, over 76 different nationalities came through the port. Chaplain Uittenbosch would provide a Bible in people’s own language and many sailors were baptized.

Later, Reverend Uittenbosch visited Christian Reformed churches to talk about the work in Montreal and he eventually raised enough funds to purchase 201 rue de la Commune Ouest to be used as a Seafarers’ Centre. In those years, volunteers came for weeks or months at a time to run the Centre as a home-away-from-home for seafarers.

As the new millennium dawned 1 million containers had been handled in the port. Container shipping was changing everything; ships were in port for much less time with fewer crew members. In 2001, the Port of Montreal encouraged all seafarer welfare groups to come together and work out of one Seafarers’ Centre.

While many things have changed, our focus on building personal contacts with seafarers has not.

Today, the Montreal Seafarers’ Centre is located on the Grand Quai and it houses Mariners' House, a Stella Maris office and Ministry to Seafarers. Mariners’ House is a non-profit organization supported by various shipping federations and companies. Stella Maris is a Catholic chaplaincy. We work hand-in-hand with both organizations to the benefit of all seafarers. We have two full-time chaplains and one administrator on staff, and rely on the help of many volunteers and interns.

Meet the Board of Directors

  • The Ministry to Seafarers operates as a corporation under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and is guided by a Board of Directors that formally meets twice a year.

  • Sonja Verbeek has more than 18 years of experience working in diverse leadership roles, including her current position as Director of Human Resources for the Kingston Police. Besides overseeing a busy Human Resources Unit, Sonja’s accomplishments in her six and a half years with the Kingston Police include spearheading initiatives in recruitment and performance evaluation, as well as shift deployment and promotional processes.

    She is currently Co-Chair of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Human Resource Committee and in 2016 was awarded the Barrie Police Service Chief of Police Award for her work on the competencies profile guide for civilian positions in police services.

    Sonja holds an advanced Certificate in Strategic HR Management from Cornell University (2013) Queen’s Executive MBA (2011), MPA (2001), and BA (1987), as well as a BAH in Translation (1991) from York University.

  • After working in the field of educational publishing, Shawn pursued an MDiv from Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) in Michigan, graduating in 1995.

    He has served as Lead Pastor in three Christian Reformed congregations in Southern Ontario.

    Having served on the Redeemer University Board, and the Board of Trustees for the Christian Reformed Church in North America, Shawn enjoys the challenge of helping organizations lean into their mission and vision.

    Since 2020, he has been serving as the Canadian Church Relations Liaison for CTS. In this new role, he works with pastors, congregations, and ministry agencies throughout Canada to build partnerships and to provide opportunities for leaders to be further equipped for Kingdom service.

  • Bert Wissink served in the Ottawa Police service for almost 30 years holding different positions including front line policing, investigator, platoon leader and police community centre supervisor.

    Bert has also served in two churches on the church council as deacon, elder, and chair.

  • George earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at Clearwater Christian College, Clearwater, Florida. He spent most of his working career in production management at grain and feed, fertilizer and turf grass outlets and then production management at a goat cheese factory.

    During this time, he served on school boards and committees and on church boards and committees. George is currently serving on the Board of the Christian School Foundation and is chair of his church council in Ottawa.

  • Sandra Holger Penner was born in 1949 in Minnesota, United States. After meeting her husband, she moved to Winnipeg, MB and later, to the province of Quebec. She has worked with her husband in establishing and administrating a burglar alarm company in the greater Montreal area.

    Since 2001, Sandra has directed an adult community choir called Les Chanteurs de Lorraine in Lorraine, QC. As well as presenting classical concerts twice a year, the choir has performed internationally with two European tours and one to eastern Québec and the Maritimes.

    Sandra is an active member of her church and with a team of volunteers host a Community Supper there once a month as an outreach program. Sandra is presently a member of the board of directors of Mariners’ House located in the Old Port of Montreal.

“Thanks…for the hard work you do day-in and day-out. The monthly report we receive gives us a window into your world.  The three of you are a busy, committed team, eager to serve the seafaring community well!  May God's blessing and favour continue to rest upon your work as you serve Him and His Kingdom, loving your seafaring neighbours as yourself! You're in my prayers!”


— Shawn Brix, Board Vice Chair