Shrimp boat blessing is annual festival in Louisiana bayous

Published: 2004-05-11

CHAUVIN, La. (CNS) -- Standing on the bow of the Angela Marie, Msgr. Frederic J. Brunet, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Chauvin, led a festive flotilla through Bayou Petit Caillou, blessing each boat he passed. Scores of shrimpers in colorfully decorated shrimp boats participated in the April 18 blessing of the fleet, an annual tradition that dates back nearly a century in the waterways of southern Louisiana. In the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese, fleet blessings are held in Chauvin, Golden Meadow, Grand Caillou, Grand Isle, Pointe-Aux-Chenes and Theriot each spring. At the end of the summer, Morgan City has a fleet blessing on Labor Day in conjunction with its annual Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. The blessings coincide with the start of the two inshore shrimp seasons -- brown shrimp in the spring and white shrimp in late summer.

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