October 1, 2025 // Perspective

Sailing These Seas Together

Ken Hallenius

Back in May of 2024, a message came across my Facebook feed inviting interested readers to join in a new book club.

“Let’s read all 21 books of the Aubrey/Maturin series. I read these a while back, but would like to revisit them,” the poster wrote, and I was intrigued. I had heard of the epic series written by English author Patrick O’Brian about the adventures and exploits of fictional 19th-century British Navy captain Jack Aubrey and his best friend, the surgeon and naval intelligence officer Dr. Stephen Maturin, set during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The series had been the inspiration for the excellent 2003 movie “Master and Commander: Far Side of the World” starring Russell Crowe as Captain Aubrey, a film that I remembered liking when it was released.

I didn’t really know the fellow who posted the invitation, only that we were connected through a few mutual friends. When some of these “mutuals” indicated they might participate in the proposed book club, I thought it could be a bit of low-risk fun, and I signed up to join.

Fast forward to last evening when our little reading band, who now refer to ourselves as the “Shipmates,” met up to discuss the 14th book in the series, “The Truelove.” For nearly a year and a half now, we have been meeting once a month to talk about the latest volume, to drink a tot or two of rum (Navy-strength, obviously), and to eat a bit of pudding together, much like officers in the 19th century would’ve enjoyed as part of a shipboard celebration. (So far, our host has been making delicious chocolate pudding with whipped cream, but we have plans to cook up a traditional British-style steamed bread pudding filled with plump currants and topped with brandy sauce for our meet-up in the Christmas season.)

In our time together, we Shipmates have come to know the virtues and vices of the main protagonists Aubrey and Maturin, and we have read with joy the deepening of their friendship despite the occasional deep disagreements and frequent plot-complicating setbacks inflicted by their author. We’ve learned about the complicated rigging and sailwork of a 64-gun British ship of the line, read breathtaking accounts of harrowing sea battles, been treated to at least three shipboard brain surgeries, and discovered exactly why “Splice the mainbrace!” was a joyful order for sailors to hear from their captain. Together, we’ve become smitten with many of the books’ minor characters, especially the testy but highly competent captain’s steward Preserved Killick, who grumbles under his breath at every minor thing his captain requests, yet is always ready with a hot mug of coffee and plate of toasted cheese even before Aubrey can shout, “Killick! Killick there!”

Faith plays a subdued yet notable role in the lives of the characters. The series is set in the 19th century, and as nearly all of Britain’s naval officers at the time were drawn from the upper social classes, they are primarily Anglicans (though often nominally observant) who share a widespread suspicion of Roman Catholics as devious subjects of that foreign potentate, the pope. A notable exception is Dr. Maturin, who is of Irish-Catalan descent and is a practicing Catholic, at least as often as occasion allows, there being little access to the sacraments while at sea. Occasionally, we read of Maturin praying the Rosary, quoting the Psalms, or humming chants from the Mass and Divine Office (breviary). As most of the members of our book club are Catholic, these brief snippets bring moments of familiar delight during our reading.

The monthly conversations throughout the past 14 months have led to the blossoming of friendships among the Shipmates. Each of us brings our own experience and interests to the text we share, and our discussions about the plot points and character traits that my fellow readers find intriguing have helped me to get to know and appreciate these former strangers, even while they hone my own understanding of the story and its characters. I am a better reader because of my book club friends, and I love the story even more thanks to them.

In a broad sense, our experience of reading and sharing these novels together is similar to how the word of God is even more effective when we hear it proclaimed in our common worship or when we participate in a group Bible study. Not to draw too exact a parallel, of course, as in the sacred Scriptures it is the Holy Spirit who both speaks and also the one who prompts each of us to hear the message that He wants us to hear for our sanctification and salvation. “Iron sharpens iron,” as the Book of Proverbs reminds us. When we share with others the fruits of what the Holy Spirit has led us to understand, we can help our brothers and sisters to discern the voice of the Spirit speaking in their own hearts. And even exciting stories about swashbuckling sea battles can’t hold a candle to that.

What is the Spirit saying to you today, and who can you share that message with?

Ken Hallenius and his wife, Julie, are parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in South Bend.