ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (ChurchMilitant.com) – In Cajun country, Jesus doesn’t just walk along the sea, He also processes down the bayou.
Fr. Michael Champagne and Fr. John Joseph
Louisiana Catholics participated in the ninth annual Fête-Dieu du Teche on Tuesday, a Eucharistic boat procession along the Bayou Teche.
“We want to cultivate reverence and respect,” Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC, told servers at practice the day before. Father Champagne is the religious superior of the Community of Jesus Crucified and the organizer of the Eucharistic event.
Father John Joseph, CJC, gave the servers, around 50 boys and young men dressed in cassocks and surplices, three things to keep in mind. The first was to “know the gift,” that is the gift of the Eucharist, Christ’s sacrifice, which they had the opportunity to honor throughout the day with their service. The second was to “offer yourself.” The last was to “put skin in the game,” as Christ assumed flesh in his ministry, so they also must use their bodies to physically bring Him to others.
The all-day adoration event takes place on the Solemnity of the Assumption each year. According to the press release:
August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the Acadian people and of Acadiana. It is also a day that marks the 258th anniversary of the arrival of French-Canadian immigrants who brought the Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring great trials and suffering.
“The 37-mile Eucharistic procession by boat this year is offered to beseech the Prince of Peace for peace in our hearts, families and communities and an end of gun violence now so prevalent,” it also stated.
This year, the trip down the bayou took a different route. It began at 8 a.m. with Lafayette’s bishop celebrating Holy Mass in French at the Church of the Assumption in Franklin, Louisiana.
Bishop Douglas Deshotel is quoted in the press release:
In the diocese of Lafayette, Aug. 15 is the day observed when the Acadians began settling in our part of Louisiana. After the French and Indian War, around 1763, the British demanded that those living in present-day Nova Scotia renounce their Catholic faith and swear allegiance to the British king. Those who did not were expelled from the country. They lost their lands, their homes and some their lives. It was the first example of ethnic cleansing in the New World. Many came to settle in South Louisiana where it was French and Catholic. They brought their culture, their food and their Catholic faith — a special devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Mary the Mother of God.
From there, the Eucharist was processed out of the church and down the street to the boat launch in Franklin, where the journey by boat began. Boats with large bells and incense led the way, announcing the coming of the boat that contained the Blessed Sacrament. Next, were boats that carried large statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, with other boats full of participants following behind. Nearly 50 boats made the water pilgrimage. Prayers from the Blessed Sacrament boat were broadcast on the radio for all to follow along.
Participants traveled by boat or car to each stop where the sacrament of reconciliation was available, while those gathered prayed the Holy Rosary and took part in benediction. Many others watched the procession from their backyards as the boats went by, even kneeling as the Blessed Sacrament passed. One young couple got engaged as they watched the procession go by.
The Eucharist made four other stops along the bayou, at Baldwin, Charenton and Jeanerette. It ended in New Iberia, Louisiana. There, the Eucharist was processed through the town’s streets to St. Peter’s Catholic Church, where the day ended at 6 p.m. with vespers and benediction.
One woman who regularly attends the event, which coincides with her birthday each year, expressed, “Getting to have adoration all day long on my birthday is the best present ever.”
One of the servers remarked the journey was like “a field trip for Jesus” because He’s normally only reserved in the church, but He gets to “be outside a little bit with a bunch of people He loves” for this special event.
A woman of Cajun descent spoke of her love for the cultural aspect of the event and location: “It’s really awesome to honor the sacrifice of the Cajuns and their devotion.”
Another young woman labeled the boat procession “radical and refreshing.” “It’s like we’re getting back to actually living out the gospel,” she explained.
According to a young man, “This is what a real Eucharistic revival looks like. Events like this, where it’s extremely hot and unpleasant to endure the whole day, show others we really do believe in Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist. Events like this bring about true conversions.”
Pope Francis offered attendees of the Fête-Dieu du Teche the opportunity to gain a plenary indulgence. “The Holy Father asks participants to pray for fidelity to the Christian vocation, for the good of the family and for priestly and religious vocations,” stated the press release.