Fr. JP Heath
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Anglican priest and seafarers’ chaplain in Malmö: essays, sermons and reports

Seafarers in orange and grey overalls and white hard hats, smiling and giving thumbs up on the deck of a cargo ship in port

Your Passport Is Not a Reason to Keep You on Board

How chaplains across Northern Europe help crews get ashore, and what they do when they can’t.

By Fr. JP Heath Facilitation 9 min read

Read the essay

Photo: Mike Josefsson

Latest writing

All 96 pieces

“Who am I as a person living with HIV? Who am I as a person of faith?”

Fr. JP Heath, from “My HIV Journey as a Priest”
  1. Angel statue

    Angels Among Us: Serving Seafarers with God’s Love

    “I have spent quite a lot of this past week asking people what their thoughts are about angels.” Faith: sermons and reflections
  2. A marble statue’s hands joined in prayer

    Living is Christ, Dying is Gain: A Sermon on Life and Death

    “A few weeks ago I was asked to see a young man for spiritual counselling.” Faith: sermons and reflections
  3. A painting of harbour warehouses at dusk

    History of a seafarer’s sanctuary in Malmö

    “Malmö’s bustling port is a world of contrasts — the crisp sea breeze mixing with the rhythmic hum of machinery, while seafarers, men and women who sail across the world, often remain invisible to those on shore.” Facilitation: seafarers, HIV and human rights

  4. A Call to Compassion and Action: 40 Years into the HIV/AIDS Epidemic

    “This year marks over four decades since the HIV virus was first identified.” Facilitation: seafarers, HIV and human rights
  5. A group gathered in a hall, several holding up Bibles

    Bringing Bibles to Namibia: A Journey of Faith and Giving

    “Standing here on Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, I’m filled with gratitude.” Faith: sermons and reflections
  6. Seafarers and volunteers on an outing beside a lake

    Evolving Efforts for Seafarers in Malmö

    “Over the past three years, the work of maritime chaplains and volunteers in Malmö’s ports has undergone a significant transformation.” Facilitation: seafarers, HIV and human rights
  7. Police in high-visibility vests among refugees at the Hungarian border, 2015

    The Journey of Seeking Safety: Wisdom Madoka’s Story as an African Asylum Seeker in Sweden

    “In an era marked by global migration, there remain stories of remarkable endurance that often go unheard.” Facilitation: seafarers, HIV and human rights
  8. A bollard on a quay, looking out over a calm blue sea

    The Transformative Power of Life at Sea

    “In a world full of routines and predictable pathways, venturing into the sea offers more than just a career choice; it provides a transformative journey.” Facilitation: seafarers, HIV and human rights
  9. All 96 pieces Everything he has written, newest first.

Flavours

JP at home in Malmö with a tray of freshly baked hot cross buns

Hot cross buns for Easter, Malmö.

The sacred table, hospitality and shared bread.

“You see, hospitality is not just about presenting a meal. Hospitality is also about the way that you welcome the stranger.”

From a sermon on hospitality,

Osso Buco

A recipe,

Invite JP to preach, speak or lead a workshop

The seamen’s priest who spreads light in Malmö harbour.

“Sjömansprästen som sprider ljus i Malmö hamn” A Sydsvenskan headline, 13 December 2022, in English translation. Read in Swedish

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Fr. JP Heath

An Anglican priest and seafarers’ chaplain with Sjömanskyrkan in Malmö, based in the parish of S:t Petri. He helped found INERELA+, the network of religious leaders living with or affected by HIV, and co-edited three books on scripture and sexuality.

Ordained deacon in 1994 and priest in 1995, he has preached at St. George’s Cathedral, Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s “People’s Cathedral”.

Read his story
Preaching
Parishes, cathedrals and ecumenical services.
JP preaching from a cathedral pulpit with his arms open; candles burn on the chancel floor
South Africa, 2016. Photo: Paul Jeffrey.
Speaking
Seafarers’ welfare, HIV and faith, and the church at the margins.
JP in a clerical collar marching with a Zero Criminalisation placard
AIDS conference, Amsterdam, 2018. Photo: Paul Jeffrey.
Workshops and training
For religious leaders, on HIV, gender and human rights, as he has led for the World Council of Churches.
Women religious leaders behind a banner for the workshop on HIV and AIDS, San Pablo, Laguna, March 2016
HIV workshop, San Pablo, Laguna, 2016.

Based in Malmö, Sweden. Works in English and Swedish.

In the press

Newest first. Swedish headlines are shown in Swedish, each with an English translation.

  1. Fr. JP Heath in a clerical collar inside the Seafarers’ Church in Malmö
    Photo: SVT Nyheter

    Food for the detained crew of the Caffa

    4 more reports

Books

Three volumes co-edited by Fr. JP Heath on scripture, sexuality and the dignity of every person.

The books give his name as J.P. Mokgethi-Heath.

JP holding a copy of Behold, I Make All Things New with Rev. Phumzile Mabizela and Rev. Dr. Nyambura Njoroge
JP with Rev. Phumzile Mabizela and Rev. Dr. Nyambura Njoroge, holding Behold, I Make All Things New.

“There are no aliens in the household of God.”

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, on Behold, I Make All Things New