Photos of the Annual Eucharistic Procession by Boat in Louisiana on the Assumption

On Saturday, August 15th, the twelfth annual Eucharistic Procession by boat down Bayou Teche, Louisiana, was held as part of the celebration of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the Acadian people and of the Acadiana region. This day also marks the anniversary of the arrival of French-Canadian immigrants to the area in 1765, those who brought the Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring great trials and suffering. (The procession was first held in this manner in 2015 for the 250th anniversary.)

After Vespers and Final Benediction, it was announced that next year, the procession will run all the way from St Louis Missouri to St Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, an 8-day long pilgrimage down the Mississippi to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the consecration of the first St. Louis Church. It will arrive on December 9, the anniversary of the dedication of the present basilica of St Louis, which is the oldest continuously functioning cathedral in America. The event will also commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the Ursuline nuns from France to New Orleans; they still have the oldest continuously functioning school of its kind in America. Feliciter!

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Eucharistic Procession by Boat in Louisiana on the Assumption

On Tuesday, August 15th, the ninth annual Eucharistic Procession by boat down Bayou Teche, Louisiana, will take place as part of the celebration of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the Acadian people and of the Acadiana region. 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 procession was first held in this manner in 2015 for the 250th anniversary.)

This year the procession will travel a southern route, beginning in the city of Franklin at the historic church of the Assumption, and working its way north to St Peter Catholic Church in New Iberia. Fr. William Blanda, the pastor of St. Peter’s and Vicar Forane of the Southern Deanery states, “The Fete-Dieu has become a noble tradition here in the Diocese of Lafayette. Our people, richly steeped in devotion to Our Lord present in the Most Blessed Sacrament and to His Holy Mother, give honor to this richness which has nurtured the people of our diocese for many generations. This yearly pilgrimage down the Teche sustains our devotion for our generation and for generations to come. We are blessed to have this sacred event take place this year in the southern part of the Teche.”

The church of the Assumption in Franklin, Louisiana.

After Mass in French in the church of the Assumption, celebrated by Bishop Douglas Deshotel, there will be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of Mary and St. Joseph to the nearby boat landing, where Benediction will be offered. At 9:30 a.m., a cannon will sound, and the boats will depart in procession down the Teche toward New Iberia. The procession arrives in New Iberia on the banks of New Iberia City Park at 4:45 p.m.; from there, the Blessed Sacrament will be brought a half-mile to St Peter’s Catholic Church for Solemn Vespers and Benediction.

During Fȇte-Dieu du Teche, the Blessed Sacrament is fixed on an altar on the lead boat under a canopy. Two bell boats announce Jesus’ arrival and the thurifer boat carries a thurible which burns over 10 lbs. of incense along the journey. A statue of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a statue of St. Joseph follow on individual boats behind Jesus. The Eucharistic Procession pauses and disembarks at makeshift altars along the Bayou Teche for recitation of the Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. For those who are unable to participate by boat, all are invited to join for Mass at Assumption in Franklin at 8 am, and then to drive and gather at any of the planned stops along the banks. Priests will be available at each stop for Confessions.

For more information, visit the website www.jesuscrucified.net or Fete-Dieu du Teche on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified/, or contact Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC by telephone at (337) 394-6550 or email at fetedieuduteche@gmail.com Videos from past processions can be found on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCelyOi9waRB8A9SuYIO3UyQ

Itinerary for Ninth Annual Eucharistic Boat Procession on Bayou Teche
Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

8:00 am Holy Mass in French with Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, D.D. at the church of the Assumption in Franklin, Louisiana.
9:00 am Procession from Assumption to the Franklin boat landing
9:30 am Boat Procession departs
11:00 am Arrive at Baldwin and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
12:30 pm Arrive at Chitimacha Reservation and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
2:30 pm Arrive at Jeanerette and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
4:45 pm Flotilla arrives at New Iberia Park and disembarks for Benediction
5:00 pm Procession from City Park across Bayou Teche and Church Alley to St Peter’s
5:30 pm Solemn Vespers & Final Benediction at St Peter’s

Some highlights from last year:

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Corpus Christi 2023 Photopost (Part 4): Special London Edition

This fourth part of our annual Corpus Christi photopost series shows only one city, London, which celebrates the great feast in a truly exemplary fashion that our bishops in the United States would do well to imitate as part of the Eucharistic revival. The Central London Eucharistic procession, which was instituted ten years ago, is the culmination of the London Eucharistic Octave, a week of Adoration, sung Masses in various western Rites, and the Quarant’ore devotion at the church of Corpus Christi Maiden Lane in Covent Garden, which His Eminence Vincent Cardinal Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, established as the diocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament five years ago. The octave has grown in scope and popularity, and now attracts many hundreds of faithful to crowded Masses, culminating in a procession attended by some 2,000 people.

In the mean time, there will be a fifth post in this series, so if you would like to add your own photos of recent feasts such as the Sacred Heart, St John the Baptist or Ss Peter and Paul, send them in to photopost@newliturgicalmovement.org, and remember to include the name and location of the church. Keep up the good work of evanglizing through beauty!

Pontifical Mass at Corpus Christi Maiden Lane

Celebrated by His Eminence Vincent Cardinal Nichols, Abp of Westminster.  

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Eucharistic Procession by Boat in Louisiana on the Assumption

On Monday, August 15th, the eighth annual Eucharistic Procession by boat down Bayou Teche, Louisiana, will take place as part of the celebration of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the Acadian people and of the Acadiana region. It is also a day that marks the 257th anniversary of the arrival of French-Canadian immigrants who brought the Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring great trials and suffering. (The procession was first held in this manner in 2015 for the 250th anniversary.) The 40-mile procession this year coincides with the first year of the three-year Eucharistic Revival underway in the United States.

His Excellency Glen Provost, bishop of the Diocese of Lake Charles, comments, “The Fête Dieu du Têche is a marvelous and fitting way to observe and contribute to the Eucharistic Revival which is on-going for us in the United States. The Most Blessed Sacrament traveling by boat on the bayou which was a major channel of transportation for our ancestors calls to mind the vital role that the Eucharist has played in the faith of Acadiana.”

As part of the effort to cultivate a deeper devotion to Jesus’ Presence in the Most Holy Eucharist, boaters will be able to choose a patron from a list of 50 Eucharistic witnesses – saints and blessed who exemplified a life totally dedicated to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, such as Thomas Aquinas, Jean-Marie Vianney, Katherine Drexel, Bl. Carlo Acutis and Mother Teresa. Boats will feature cutouts, flags, and banners bearing the name of their Eucharistic Saint and present quotations from them about the importance of the Holy Eucharist. Families, church parishes, and Christian communities are encouraged to participate by registering a boat and traveling down the Bayou Teche or by following in their vehicle and gathering at the various stops for recitation of the Holy Rosary and Benediction. Catholic schools are also encouraged to join either by boat or by gathering at one of the stops along the way.

During Fȇte-Dieu du Teche the Blessed Sacrament is fixed on an altar on the lead boat under a canopy. Two bell boats announce Jesus’ arrival and the thurifer boat carries a thurible which burns over 10 lbs. of incense along the journey. A statue of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a statue of St. Joseph follow on individual boats behind Jesus. The Eucharistic Procession pauses and disembarks at makeshift altars along the Bayou Teche for recitation of the Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. For those who are unable to participate by boat, all are invited to join for Mass at St. Leo the Great in Leonville at 8 am and then to drive and gather at any of the planned stops along the banks behind the various churches along Bayou Teche. The prayers will be broadcast live on radio and live streamed, so persons with compromised health can listen while remaining in their vehicles. Priests will be available at each stop for Confessions.

For more information, visit the website www.jesuscrucified.net or Fete-Dieu du Teche on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified/, or contact Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC by telephone at (337) 394-6550 or email at fetedieuduteche@gmail.com Videos from past processions can be found on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCelyOi9waRB8A9SuYIO3UyQ

Itinerary for Eighth Annual Eucharistic Boat Procession on Bayou Teche
Monday, August 15, 2022, Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary

8:00 am Holy Mass in French with Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, D.D. at St. Leo the Great Church, Leonville
9:00 am Procession from St. Leo’s to the Leonville boat landing
9:30 am Boat Procession departs
10:20 am Arrive at Arnaudville and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
11:45 am Arrive at Cecilia and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
1:35 pm Arrive at Breaux Bridge and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
3:15 pm Arrive at Parks and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
4:45 pm Flotilla arrives at St. Martinville behind Notre Dame; Foot Procession to Notre Dame de Perpetuel Secours for Benediction
5:00 pm Procession from Notre Dame to St. Martin de Tours Church for Benediction
5:30 pm Procession down Main Street to Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel for Solemn Vespers & Final Benediction
6:00 pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Mater Dolorosa Chapel

Some highlights from last year:

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Eucharistic Octave in London, Sept. 11-19

This Saturday, the church of Corpus Christi in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London, in tandem with several other churches, will begin a special series of celebrations in honor of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, lasting until Sunday the 19th. The week will begin with a Pontifical Votive Mass of the Blessed Sacrament celebrated by His Eminence Vincent Cardinal Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, at noon on Saturday, September 11th, at Corpus Christi, and culminate in a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of central London on Sunday, September 19th, starting at 3.30pm.

From our fourth Corpus Christi photopost of 2018, some images of the Eucharistic procession held in Covent Garden that year.

Each evening during this week of prayer and adoration, Holy Mass will be celebrated in a different form at 6.30 pm at Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane: on Monday September 13th, in the Usus Antiquior of the Roman Rite, on Tuesday, in the Ordinariate Use; on Wednesday in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite; on Thursday, the Divine Liturgy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church; on Friday, there will be a Solemn Requiem Mass with Absolutions for all those who have died of Covid-19.

On Sunday, September 19th, a procession through Soho, Mayfair and Marylebone will commence at 3.30 pm, starting at Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street, and end with Pontifical Benediction at the church of St James, Spanish Place. En route there will be Stations at the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, and at the Ukrainian Cathedral of the Holy Family, Duke Street. The Procession will be jointly led by the Rt. Revd. Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Eparch of the Ukrainian Eparchy of the Holy Family and by the Rt. Revd. Mgr. Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The rector of Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, Fr Alan Robinson, said, “Many of us were looking forward to going to Budapest this September, for the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress; an event transferred from last September due to the COVID situation. Large numbers travelling from England to Hungary hasn’t really proved possible at the present time, and so we thought we could do something here in London. We wish to add our support to the Congress in Budapest, and to give witness to our love for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. It’s a great opportunity for us all to experience different expressions of Catholic liturgy here in this land. With the liturgies and the procession of the Most Blessed Sacrament, there is a wonderful opportunity for us to take part in Eucharistic evangelisation with those we encounter. There are many Catholics who have not yet returned to the Church since lockdown; during this octave we pray especially for them. And we help Our Blessed Lord to reach out to them, and to all those who do not yet know Him. Please pray for the strengthening of the Eucharistic Heart of the Church in this land and in our own hearts too.”

Fr. Christopher Colven, rector of St James’s Church, Spanish Place, said, “Living in central London one grows used to demonstrators taking over the streets and disrupting the traffic. On this occasion it will be good to see Catholics doing just those things in honour of Jesus Christ the King and Centre of all hearts as in his Eucharistic Presence he moves among those he has redeemed.”

Parishes, religious orders and Catholic organizations are invited to publicize this important event on social media and come in great numbers! Further details of the programme can be found here: www.catholiclondon.org. A PDF poster for the ‘Eucharistic Octave’ can be found here: bit.ly/2XSTUck For further information please contact Peter Sefton-Williams at: peter@seftonwilliams.com

Eucharistic Procession by Boat in Louisiana on the Assumption

On August 15th, the seventh annual Eucharistic Procession by boat down Bayou Teche, Louisiana, will take place as part of the celebration of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the Acadian people and of the Acadiana region. It is also a day that marks the 256th anniversary of the arrival of French-Canadian immigrants who brought the Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring great trials and suffering. (The procession was first held in this manner in 2015 for the 250th anniversary.) See the following website for more information, including the full program of events, as well as links to videos and pictures of the event, which is very well attended, from previous years: http://www.fetedieuduteche.org/ (Our thanks to Fr Michael Champagne of the Community of Jesus Crucified, organizer of the event, for bringing this to our attention; more information is also available on their Facebook page.)

From the event press release: The 40-mile Eucharistic Procession by boat this year coincides with the Year of St Joseph and the Year of the Family. The procession this year will highlight the Holy Family as Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament will be accompanied by boats carrying the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. Families are encouraged to participate by registering a family boat and traveling down the Bayou Teche, or by following the stops together for recitation of the Holy Rosary and Benediction.

The day begins at 8 AM with Sunday Mass in French by Bishop Douglas Deshotel at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Leonville. Following the Mass there will be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of Mary and St. Joseph to the nearby boat landing. Families are encouraged to join the procession and follow to the boat landing for Benediction. At 9:30 AM boats will depart in procession down the Teche toward St. Martinville, retracing the voyage made by the Acadians over 250 years ago.

Some picture highlights of the procession in 2019:

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Corpus Christi 2021 Photopost (Part 3)

It just happened to work out that the third (but still not final!) post in this year’s series of your Corpus Christi photos is almost all pictures of processions. The general revival of this custom is an encouraging and heartening sign of the ongoing rediscovery of our Catholic liturgical heritage, so once again, thanks to everyone who shared these with us.

Shrine of the Little Flower – Burrillville, Rhode Island

Celebrated with the FSSP parish in Providence, St Mary’s on Broadway

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Another Restoration of a Processional Monstrance

Last month, at the suggestion of reader Richard Seto, I shared a video about the restoration of the very large processional monstrance (‘custodia’ in Spanish) of the cathedral of the Assumption in Mexico City. Mr Seto was kind enough to suggest as a follow up a similar video about the even more magnificent one at Toledo in Spain, a rare chance to see up close some the details of the enameled gold and jeweled monstrance which had belonged to Queen Isabella that the custodia enshrines. The footage also inludes a part of the tapestry collection which is hung on the outside of the cathedral for the Corpus Christi procession. For those who do not speak Spanish, YouTube’s automatic subtitle and translation feature works very well with that particular language.

Restoration of a Large Processional Monstrance

Thanks to reader Richard Seto, who brought to my attention this very nice video about the restoration of the very large processional monstrance (‘custodia’ in Spanish) of the cathedral of the Assumption in Mexico City. The video includes a good amount of footage of Eucharistic processions, which are always an impressive affair in the Spanish-speaking world. For those who do not speak Spanish, YouTube’s automatic subtitle and translation feature works very well with that particular language.

Dominican Mass and Eucharistic Process in London

Last week, on the feast of the Immaculate Heart, our long-time contributor Fr Lawrence Lew celebrated a sung Mass in the Dominican Rite at the shrine of the Holy Rosary in London. This was part of the annual pilgrimage of the Schola Sainte-Cécile, who sang the Dominican chant propers and the Missa Exsultate Deo by the 17th-century French composer François Cosset. The shrine has 15 side-chapels, each one dedicated to a mystery of the Rosary. After the Mass, a Eucharistic procession was held, stopping at each of the last five chapels, where the Glorious Mysteries were prayed; while the procession went from one chapel to the next, the Schola sang a sequence for the feast of that mystery. (These were Victimae Paschali for the Resurrection and Veni, Sancte Spiritus for Pentecost; the sequences for the Ascension, Assumption and Coronation were taken from the medieval Parisian tradition.) The final Benediction was held at the main altar of the church, which as you can see below is huge, and has a huge choir in front of it. The church was quite packed for the Mass, and most of the congregation stayed for the procession. Thanks to Fr Lawrence and Mr Wojtek Szymczak for these photos; we also have a video from the Schola Sainte-Cécile’s Facebook page below.

At the singing of the Gospel.

Preaching pulpits are still being used in England!

Incensation at the Offertory

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Eucharistic Procession by Boat in Louisiana on the Assumption

On August 15th, the fifth annual Eucharistic Procession by boat down Bayou Teche, Louisiana, will take place as part of the celebration of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Patroness of the Acadian people and of the Acadiana region. It is also a day that marks the 254th anniversary of the arrival of French-Canadian immigrants who brought the Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring great trials and suffering. (The procession was first held in this manner in 2015 for the 250th anniversary.) See the following website for more information, including the full program of events, as well as links to videos and pictures of the event, which is very well attended, from previous years: http://www.fetedieuduteche.org/ (Our thanks to Fr Michael Champagne of the Community of Jesus Crucified, organizer of the event, for bringing this to our attention; more information is also available on their Facebook page.)

From the website: His Excellency John Douglas Deshotel, a native son of Acadiana and bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, will begin this year’s event by celebrating the Mass of the Assumption in French at St Leo the Great Church in Leonville at 8 am. The Blessed Sacrament will then be fixed on an altar on the lead boat under a canopy, with a pair of adorers in adoration between the towns visited. Another boat will carry the statue of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Eucharistic Procession will stop and disembark at makeshift altars along the Bayou Teche for recitation of the Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. For those who are unable to participate by boat, all are invited to join for Mass at St Leo the Great in Leonville at 8 am and then to drive and gather at any of the planned stops along the banks behind the various churches along Bayou Teche. Priests will be available at each stop for Confessions.

The Sacrament arrives at one of the stations during the first procession in 2015.

Historical Videos of Corpus Christi Processions

Every year around the feast of Corpus Christi, videos of this sort pop up on Facebook and elsewhere; here are a few of the more interesting ones I have spotted recently, starting with some footage from Vietnam in 1962.

From the archives of British Pathé, a report on the Corpus Christi Procession in Cologne, Germany, from 1947.

Another from Liverpool, 1934.

And some unedited footage, without soundtrack, of a procession held sometime during WW1.

Floral Carpets for Corpus Christi in Assisi

We will begin our Corpus Christi photoposts very soon; in the meantime, I wanted to share these photos as a special post, courtesy of a friend who is currently living in Assisi. In many Italian towns, the path of the Corpus Christi procession is decorated with elaborate designs made out of flower petals, the work of many patient hours, and of course, destined not to last; there is an Italian word for these, “infiorate”, which has no direct equivalent in English. Each section is done independently, mostly on religious themes, especially, but not exclusively related to the Eucharist, and often with a remarkable degree of detail, while others may be a bit more abstract.

St Clare of Assisi holding a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament, a reference to one of her more famous miracles (among many). In the year 1234, the army of the Emperor Frederick II, which counted a great many Saracens from Sicily in its number, were plundering the part of Umbria which includes Assisi. As the invaders sought to enter the convent at San Damiano, Clare took the ciborium from one of the chapels within the complex, and brought it to a window near the place where the soldiers had set a ladder against the walls in order to scale them. When she raised the Blessed Sacrament on high, the soldiers fell off the ladder and away from the wall as if dazzled, and the whole company of them fled.

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Bishop Schneider Celebrates at Trinità dei Pellegrini

This past Sunday, His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider, who is in Rome for the ad limina visit of the bishops of Kazakhstan, celebrated Mass at the FSSP’s Roman parish, Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini. In keeping with the old Roman custom of celebrating the Forty Hours devotion on the three days before Ash Wednesday, a solemn votive Mass of the Blessed Sacrament was said; towards the end, the Sacrament was placed a the monstrance, and set on the large throne seen in the photos below. (The tabernacle of the high altar is actually on runners, and designed to be pushed backwards precisely for this type of exposition, since back in the day, Trinità dei Pellegrini would hold the Forty Hours every month.) After the Mass, a procession was held within the church; the Sacrament was then returned to the throne above the altar until this morning, when the Forty Hours concluded.

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