Blessing Of The Fleet Planned For Mississippi River

A group of Louisiana religious and maritime leaders have announced a first-of-its-kind blessing August 14-15 of the fleet of commercial vessels that work along the Lower Mississippi River.

The two-day Fête-Dieu du Mississippi will begin August 14 with an 8 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, La. A eucharistic procession will then make its way to the Shamrock Marine dock on the left descending bank of the river in Baton Rouge, where participants will board a series of tugboats, towboats and crew boats. A flotilla will then begin making its way downriver to New Orleans, stopping for the night in Convent, La.

During the trip between Baton Rouge and Convent, the flotilla will pass near a number of towns, including Plaquemine and Donaldsonville, with Father Michael Champagne, a priest at the Community of Jesus Crucified, offering blessings for the vessels in the river and people gathered on the levees along the way.

In Convent, the flotilla will dock at ACBL’s fleet, with participants making their way to St. Michael the Archangel Church for vespers and an evening of prayer. On August 15, en route to New Orleans, the flotilla will pass near Reserve and Luling, with Champagne again offering a blessing over those communities and the fleets along the way. A group of New Orleans dignitaries aboard the steamer Natchez will meet the flotilla at the Audubon Fly, located just down from the New Orleans Engineer District’s headquarters, with the entire assembly of vessels going together to the Natchez Dock across from the French Quarter. New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond will lead a closing Mass at St. Louis Cathedral, with a celebration following in Jackson Square.

Seven lead vessels will carry items like a crucifix, bells, incense bowls and the eucharist. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans will allow up to 15 boats at a time to be part of the flotilla. Companies interested in having a boat serve in the procession or participate in the flotilla can reach out to the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association by phone at 504-832-1199 and ask to speak with Capt. Toby Wattigney.

On the days of the blessing, vessels will check in on channel 69 and await instructions from Wattigney for joining the flotilla.

The Coast Guard will enact a 2-mile moving safety zone around the flotilla. The Coast Guard also anticipates closing the New Orleans harbor between roughly 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on August 15 as the flotilla arrives at the French Quarter.

Champagne said, while the procession will take place between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the idea is to give thanks for the entire Mississippi River, from source to sea. 

“We’re going to bless the river from Itaska all the way down,” Champagne said, noting that a friend and colleague of his is a bishop in Minnesota near the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

Wattigney said the motivation behind the event is simple: to seek a blessing on a river that has been a blessing for so many.

“I think it’s historic,” he said. “A lot of us have been seriously blessed by this river.”

The Fête-Dieu du Mississippi is the outgrowth of a decade-long event on Bayou Teche, which Champagne also leads. For more information, visit www.fetedieuduteche.org/fete-dieu-du-mississippi.