The Eleventh Annual Fête-Dieu du Teche will be held on Friday, August 15, featuring a 40-mile Eucharistic Procession by boat along Bayou Teche. This year’s celebration coincides with the Great Jubilee throughout the Catholic Church every 25 years, and will focus on the theme of “The Christian’s Pilgrimage of Hope.”
Families and church organizations are invited to take part by registering a boat and joining the water pilgrimage, or by following along by car and gathering at designated stops for the Rosary and Benediction. The day begins at 8:00 a.m. with Mass in French, celebrated by Bishop Douglas Deshotel at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Leonville. Following Mass, a procession with the Blessed Sacrament—accompanied by statues of Mary and St. Joseph—will make its way to the nearby boat landing for Benediction.
At 9:30 a.m., the
(See FÊTE-DIEU, Pg. A-6) boats will depart in procession toward St. Martinville, retracing the historic journey made by the Acadians 260 years ago. Along the way, the procession will stop at churches in Arnaudville, Cecilia, Breaux Bridge, and Parks for recitation of the Rosary and Benediction.
Fête-Dieu
In the evening, the pilgrimage will arrive at the Evangeline Oak in St. Martinville, then continue to Notre Dame Church for Benediction, followed by St. Martin de Tours for another Benediction. The day will conclude with a procession down Main Street to Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel for Vespers and Benediction. Confessions will be available at all stops.
August 15 holds deep significance as the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—Patroness of the Acadian people and of Acadiana—and marks the 260th anniversary of the arrival of the French-Canadian immigrants who brought the Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring hardship and exile.
Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC, organizer of the event, explains: “Having a Eucharistic Procession by boat on the waters of the Teche, rather than on foot through the streets, makes perfect sense. Fête-Dieu du Teche, held on the Feast of the Assumption, recalls our rich Acadian history and, in a way, re-enacts the journey made by our ancestors more than 250 years ago.”
