Scott and Jean Adam hand out Bibles as part of their ministry
Posted on 02/23/2011 1:55:51 PM PST by NYer
.- A sailing Catholic couple killed by Somali pirates during their global cruise to distribute Bibles was a “wonderful part” of a California Catholic parish, the couple’s pastor said.
Retirees Scott and Jean Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif. had decided to make a difference in the world by bringing Bibles to the “far-flung corners of the earth,” St. Monica Catholic Community pastor Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson said in a Feb. 22 interview.
“Our community believes in helping to form loving disciples who will transform this world,” he explained. Sharing Bibles was the Adams’ way of doing that during the sailing trip they began in 2004.
Their 58-foot sloop, the Quest, had separated from the Blue Water Rally cruise fleet traveling from Australia to the Mediterranean when they were hijacked by 19 Somali pirates in the northwest part of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Oman. The pirates captured the Adams and their friends Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle of Seattle.
Four U.S. naval warships were tailing the captured vessel and Navy officials were engaged in negotiations with two of the pirates on board one of the American naval ships on the morning of Feb. 22.
But those talks were cut short by the sound of gunfire coming from the Quest, which Navy forces quickly boarded and captured. However, they found all four Americans had been wounded fatally.
Msgr. Torgerson said the Adams’ deaths made him feel “great great, loss” and “great pain.”
“They were faith-filled people, people of the Scripture, people of the Eucharist. They were great people of our community,” he told CNA.
Jean, who was a retired dentist and a mother of two, sang in the church choir.
The priest cited St. Paul’s words in the daily readings about receiving the “unfaded crown of glory.”
“They won the crown. I believe with all my heart they are with God today,” he continued, calling eternal life “the gift and blessing of faithful people.”
“I hope that the four of them find that great peace,” he added, urging an end to violence.
In their 2011 travels, the Adams visited Phuket, Thailand; Galle, Sri Lanka; and Cochin, India. They passed out Catholic Bibles from the American Bible Society and New International Version Bibles from the International Bible Society.
On their website they spoke of finding “homes” for their Bibles as a part of “friendship evangelism.”
The yacht was en route to Salalah, Oman when they were captured. Two pirates were killed in the naval engagement and 13 were captured and detained.
Msgr. Torgerson said Catholics can take inspiration from the Adams.
“We want to make sure that each one of us does as they have done: to go about with courage and strength to make a difference in this world,” he said. “They were doing that as retired people. So all ages can go out and make some difference.”
The Adams’ parish has celebrated at least three liturgies for the dead and their families. It will remember the dead “in a very special way” at its Masses this week.
I don’t care what you think you know about the region. My son was also stationed in the Indian Ocean, but that doesn’t make me an expert on the region. The problem is that you don’t seem to understand the principle of the thing.
You may not like people sailing where they want or even - gasp! - distributing Bibles at their stops. But the whole point is that this is the open ocean and piracy should not be tolerated anywhere. You may not like these four people on the yacht, but it could have been anybody...you, your son if he went into the merchant marine eventually, anybody.
We cannot let Islamic pirates tell us what are no-go zones. We need to blow them out of the water and stop this nonsense. This has been a growing problem since the late 90s, but it’s only in the last few years that it has become so serious that it is halting shipping and adding its own surcharge to every shipment that goes through there.
And Obama has definitely empowered these people. They kidnapped many non-European crews on freighters and tankers, the occasional British or other European yachter, but they would never have dreamed of kidnapping (not to mention killing) Americans until now, when they know they have an American president who is essentially on their side.
Clinton made us look weak in Somalia in 1996 and basically let Somalia turn into an Islamic hell-hole. And while Bush didn’t do much about Somalia specifically, you have to admit that he had other things on his plate. However, at least the pirates knew that the US was on the side of its citizens and that is one of the reasons they didn’t attack US flagged ships.
They do now, because they know the current Occupant doesn’t give a good GD about Americans.
okay, thanks, I got my answer. Pink.
May Thy servants Scott and Jean rejoice in Thy embrace and be light to us.
[54] Now hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him. [55] But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. [56] And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him. [57] And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. [58] And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. [59] And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. (Acts 7)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.