BLESSING OF THE BOATS

      It was drizzling lightly when we arrived at Frenchtown’s fishing dock at the designated time for the annual “Blessing of the Boats”.  A lone yellow haired grandma sat on a wooden bench with her grandson, also waiting for the event to begin.  We waited and chit chatted with her for fifteen minutes or so, and then walked beneath the protection of the fish market’s awning to peer up the narrow street only to find no one processing down the steep hill upon which St. Anne’s Chapel is perched.   The rain dwindled and Dan and I decided that we’d better start our ascent (about a quarter of a mile) to be in time for Mass.  We got there just as everyone was coming out of the chapel to begin the procession down to the dock, as they had waited for the rain to subside!

     Three altar servers carrying the cross, holy water, and incense lead the congregation at a steady, solemn pace.  There were four men (of mismatched heights) carrying what looked to be a heavy statue of St. Anne on their shoulders and another four balancing a replica of a sailboat on theirs.  We filed into line amid a group of elderly ladies who lead the people in reciting the rosary.  All the holy men in full vestments (the bishop, priest, monsignor, and a couple of deacons) brought up the rear. 

     At the dock, the yellow haired grandma was smoothing out a richly adorned white table cloth on which the statue of St. Anne and the sailboat were placed. Large palm tree fronds with sprays of fiery orange colored flowers completed the decorations. The bishop prayed over and blessed the statue, the boats, and us with holy water and incense. After a familiar hymn was sung in French, the whole group rearranged themselves to begin the arduous procession back up the hill for the celebration of Mass.

    

    I’d like to believe that God will give us extra credit- extra blessings for Exit Strategy this hurricane season because we went the extra half-mile today.