What do you do with a World War II Nazi landing ship? Uh, well, you could convert it to other shipping purposes…. You could create a WWII museum…. You could turn it into scrap metal….
Too tame. Let’s think outside the box (or the ship, as the case may be).
How about turning it into a floating monastery? Sort of.
"Croatia’s defense ministry has donated a World War II Nazi ship to a local Roman Catholic monastery, which will turn it into a sailing church, the Jutarnji List daily newspaper reported Tuesday.
"The landing ship DTM-219 was used by Nazi Germany to transport tanks and infantry. It was given to communist Yugoslavia after 1945 as part of war compensation, [the newspaper] said.
[…]
"It will be used as sailing church for the young, who will be able to sail the Adriatic, pray and meditate as part of church-sponsored religious cruises, the daily said."
Of course, I must warn the monks that, in Catholic Answers’ experience, not everyone will be keen on the idea of religious cruises.
Even though I KNOW someone is going to use this to rag either Catholics or the Pope… I think this is good.
I wish them sucess.
Of course, I must warn the monks that, in Catholic Answers’ experience, not everyone will be keen on the idea of religious cruises.
While on a Caribbean cruise, that was sponsored by the NY Archdiocesan Mission Team, I and a couple of friends witnessed to a few at our table who were not part of our group. Another person in the group witnessed to a couple of the crew members. One of the mission team put on a skit during the talent show about God’s mercy.
Another time, while on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadelupe in Mexico City, I had an opportunity to talk with a British women who asked me what I had seen so far. When I told her about the shrine, she had never heard of it, and said that she wanted to go see it.
Bottom line….when I travel, I use it as a time to evangelize. I don’t just consider it a vacation.
Michelle,do you read the comments?
In rough seas, this could bring a new dimension to the idea of suffering for the Faith.
It sounds cool.
And being an ex-Nazi war machine, it’s a neat example of the redemption of the physical world.
“Michelle, do you read the comments?”
Yes.
Amusing link to the CA cruise complaint. We just love to complain about things. You know we must be pretty well off when we complain about things that aren’t done exactly to our tastes. We even love complaining about complaining.
What’st that? Me? Oh. Oh yeah.
A lot of the Croatian monks were Nazis and fought in WWII killing Jews, gypsies, Serbs, and Bosnians.
Including, Catholic priests being complicit in inviting Serbian Orthodox in to be baptized and convert and wholesale KILLING them ALL
I have a relative who pretended to be dead staying in a mass grave for over a day after people were executed, ALL IN THE NAME OF RELIGION
AGAINST CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX “BROTHERS”
You forgot to post evidence to back up your accusations.
Anon.
Your accusations are rediculous. I’m not saying there may not be some tragic kernel of truth behind it but the way you present it, combined with your cowardly anonymity, it is absolutely unbelievable, especially since if it had happened it would be all over the anti-Catholic accusations about the Church at this time period.
What is true is that French Catholic monks fought bravely against the Nazis.