By Tim Woodworth
for The Irish Loop Post
His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Cabot has a fresh face in its company as Padre Stephen John Courtney has joined the Naval Reserve. A local area resident, Padre Courtney has been eager to join Cabot since August of 2021. With family roots on the Southern Shore of the Avalon Peninsula, Padre Courtney was raised in Mount Pearl and graduated from O’Donel High School. Cadets became an interest of his at this time and he was very involved with HMCS Northern Ranger and HMCS Marconi.
Working on the open sea has also been a long time endeavour of Padre Courtney who has been a fisherperson in the Crab fishery for most of his life. It was in the year two thousand that the Padre entered St. Augustine’s Seminary and was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. John’s a few years later.
Primarily having served in the rural parts of the Archdiocese, such as St. Mary’s Bay where he served as chaplain and padre to Royal Canadian Legion Branch 62 in addition to his parish responsibilities.
“My love of the water and my love of ministry have led me to HMCS Cabot where I will attempt to combine the two.” Said Padre Courtney. “Ever since Cdr. Carew invited me to consider being a Padre in the military, I have pondered what it would be like to serve in this capacity. I am both excited and humbled to serve our country in this way and to serve the members of the Cabot military family. I have always had deep respect for the military and those who serve.”
Enrollments have remained steady at Cabot, with two new recruits swearing their oaths of allegiance on the same day that Queen Elizabeth II passed. Padre Courtney is the first person at Cabot to swear allegiance to King Charles III, a marked change from the enrollment ceremony that we all have become so familiar with over the illustrious span of Her Majesties’ reign. Cabot’s Commanding Officer, Commander Paul Carew is also a Southern Shore resident and encouraged Padre Courtney to join the Naval Reserve. He recognized the Padre’s youthful spirited enthusiasm and wanted to provide that to the Cabot military family and their loved ones.
“I met Father Courtney for the first time at the Basilica in July 2021 and during the course of a social conversation discovered his passion for the Sea and the Navy.” Said Commander Carew. “Sharing my personal love of the Sea, fishing, the Navy and recruiting could not be contained and in short order I had the good Father Steve submitting an application to join Cabot. After a few small challenges over 15 months, I had the pleasure of enrolling Lieutenant Navy “Padre” Steve Courtney as the first enrollee at Cabot to pledge allegiance to “His” Majesty King Charles III on 29 Oct 2022.” Padre Courtney was the first Cabot in over 70 years to enroll under a King. At that time in 1952 Cabot was in its infancy at only two years old.
Within hours of swearing in Padre Courtney was given a chance to try out his sea-legs in a Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB). He sailed out through the Narrows and felt the fresh spray of the North Atlantic. His connection with the people of Newfoundland and Labrador will undoubtedly remain strong as he starts his new ministry at Cabot.
