Procession Seeks Blessing Of Mississippi River Fleet

An estimated 12,000 people participated in the first Fête-Dieu du Mississippi, a two-day blessing of the Lower Mississippi River fleet held between Baton Rouge, La., and New Orleans August 14 and 15. At one point, more than 20 commercial vessels were part of the flotilla, with fireboats and the steamboat Natchez joining once the procession reached the New Orleans harbor.

The procession began in Baton Rouge, stopped overnight in Convent, La., at American Commercial Barge Line’s dock there, and concluded with a Mass at St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter, officiated by New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

“It was a tremendous experience,” said the Rev. Michael Champagne, a priest at the Community of Jesus Crucified and driving force behind the event. “A lot of people were deeply moved.”

After a Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge on August 14, a procession, with a 14-foot-tall monstrance, walked to Shamrock Marine’s dock on the east bank of the Mississippi River near the Interstate 10 bridge.

“The temperature was in the high 90s under a cloudless sky,” Champagne said, adding that, at 61 years old, pulling the monstrance, which had weights added to ensure stability, was tough.

Once a crane at Shamrock’s dock loaded the monstrance on what was designated the “Eucharist Barge,” a Crosby Towing barge called the Nighthawk that was pushed by the towboat Big Eddie, the procession formed behind the Chloe Armentor, a crew boat operated by Shamrock Marine, on which several bells were mounted.

Weighing more than 200 pounds, the monstrance used for Fête-Dieu du Mississippi was built by Stromberg Architectural Specialties of Greenville, Texas. The host was baked by the Passionist nuns of Kentucky and measured 14¼ inches.

Kurt Crosby was a big supporter from the very beginning, Champagne said. “We should do this for the Glory of God,” Crosby told Champagne in explaining his support.

Following the bell boat, Turn Services’ Bold Venture carried two thuribles, burning incense during the procession. The charcoal-fired thurible was built by Albert Lavalais, a former inmate at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. For 21 years, Champagne ministered to Lavalais, who is now free and serving at Champagne’s church. It is a replica of the thurible at St. Martin de Tours Church in St Martinville, La.

A second, larger thurible, fueled by propane, was built by John and Taylor Angelle, owners of Angelle Fabrication in Lafayette, La. In all, about 40 pounds of incense was burned during the procession, Champagne estimated.

ACBL’s mv. Jeff Kindl carried the crucifix, modeled after a crucifix from a monastery in northern France. Mark Habetz of Lafayette directed construction of the corpus for the procession. The corpus was 10 feet tall, and the cross stood 17 feet tall. The crucifix weighed 175 pounds.

Altar boys carried the corpus to the boat in Baton Rouge, unloaded it from the Jeff Kindl in New Orleans and carried it to the St. Louis Cathedral, where it had to be turned on its side to pass through the gates for the procession to pass through Jackson Square.

E.N. Bisso’s Elizabeth B carried statues of St. Joseph and St. Mary for the first half of the procession. A Crescent Towing boat, the South Carolina, carried the statues the second day. The statues were on loan from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. They were donated to the seminary by Fr. Mark Beard, who died in an automobile wreck a year ago.

Ten years ago, Champagne started the annual Fete-Dieu du Teche on Bayou Teche in southern Louisiana, an event blessing the fishing communities there and honoring the early settlers of Louisiana, who were escaping religious persecution in Canada.

Then, three years ago, Champagne began thinking about a similar blessing of the Mississippi River. Not knowing where to start, he called Jeff Landry, a personal friend who was at that time the attorney general of Louisiana.

Landry, who has since been elected governor, said Champagne should start with the pilots’ associations and suggested contacting Capt. Toby Wattigney with the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots Association (NOBRA).

“Capt. Wattigney was all-in on the idea,” Champagne said, adding that he contributed a lot of time, personal finances and connections toward the planning meetings.

Gordon Stevens, owner of the Steamer Natchez, donated use of the sternwheeler for celebrants to ride free of charge. When the Natchez joined the procession at Nine Mile Point below the Huey Long Bridge, participants kneeled in prayer.

As the procession continued to New Orleans, tugboats saluted with fire monitors, joining the fireboats from the Port of New Orleans and Port of South Louisiana. The Gen. Roy S. Kelley, the fireboat of the Port of New Orleans, included blue-colored water in the display.

The Coast Guard established a two-mile moving security zone around the procession and closed the Mississippi River at Algiers Point for the docking of the Natchez and unloading of the procession boats. The commercial tugs and fireboats took advantage of the closed river and continued their water cannon display.

At Baton Rouge and at the French Quarter, the Louisiana National Guard fired a 105 mm cannon in salute for the benediction.

After services, attendees at churches along the way gathered on the river levee to observe the procession. Crowds were estimated at 1,100 in Baton Rouge, 2,000 in Plaquemine, 1,500 in Donaldsonville, 2,500 in Convent between the evening arrival and morning departure from the ACBL dock, more than 1,000 in Luling, 800 in Reserve and 500 at Audubon Park.

Several hundred watched at the Gretna Courthouse in Jefferson Parish, and another 100 more were along the banks where the Harvey Canal meets the river. Tugs from ARTCo joined as the procession approached Luling. Harbor tugs from Bisso Towboat and Moran Towing added to the water cannon display.

More than 1,100 people crowded into St. Louis Cathedral for the August 15 Mass, with hundreds more standing outside, listening to the Mass on speakers.

Champagne was repeatedly asked if the Fête-Dieu du Mississippi will now be an annual event.

“It took three years to set up the first one,” he said. “The next one will be easier, using that framework. We’ll see how it develops.”

Champagne singled out Capt. Wattigney, Kurt Crosby and Duncan Armentor of Shamrock Marine as early contributors, although there were many more that helped make the event a success.