MAINE MONITOR • September 7, 2025
As a maritime chaplain with Seafarer’s Friend, a 200-year-old New England organization, Thomas Kircher boarded vessels from Portsmouth to Searsport. Research shows that climate change has led to more frequent marine heatwaves and more intense storms, among other changes, according to NASA. The seafarers Kircher worked with had more immediate concerns than a warming planet, he said, but they all had stories of bigger waves and stronger winds. This summer, Kircher retired from Seafarer’s Friend to focus more on climate advocacy within faith communities, joining other faith leaders in Maine who are putting more emphasis on addressing people’s spiritual needs in the face of a warming planet.