08/29/2026
As this month ends, we have to say “Gute Reise” (bon voyage) to one who wished it to thousands of mariners. SIH Port Chaplain Rev. Arnd Braun-Storck is retiring. Born in Germany, he interned with the German Seamen’s Mission in New York in 1990/91 and returned in 1994 as a port chaplain, serving alongside his future wife, Beate, who is also a pastor.
During the pandemic and its “social distancing” he practiced what he coined “social closeness” and “physical distancing.” Accordingly, in 2021 he wrote: “… as chaplains, we do what we are called to do: we support seafarers in spiritual distress and help them to identify and draw upon their sources of spiritual strength, hoping that we can provide some relief from stress that they are experiencing on a daily basis.”
He will be missed by the crews and our whole team: “Ahoi, Arnd!”
