SW News: Marking the Year of St Joseph, the Holy Family will be the highlight of the iconic Eucharistic Procession by boat along Bayou Teche in Louisiana, USA, in August. Apart from the statue of the Blessed Virgin, a boat carrying the sacred image of St Joseph will also accompany the vessel where the Blessed Sacrament is enthroned on the 40-mile journey through the Bayou on August 15.

Every year, the unique procession on the solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary commemorates the arrival of French and Canadian immigrants who brought the Catholic faith to the area enduring much trials and tribulations. Families have been asked to take part in this year’s procession by boat, stopping for benediction and rosary along the way.

The procession will begin at 8 am with Mass in French offered by Bishop Douglas Deshotel at St Leo the Great Church in Leonville. After Mass, there will be a procession to the nearby boat landing with the Blessed Sacrament and the statues of Our Lady and St Joseph. The procession will move towards St Martinville retracing the voyage of the immigrants who are known as Acadians more than two centuries ago.

“Fete Dieu du Teche has become an annual celebration in commemoration of the arrival of the first Acadians from what is now Nova Scotia. They were the first examples of ethnic cleansing in the New World when they were forced to leave their homes and go into exile because of their Catholic Faith at the end of the French and Indian War. A large number of them found their homes in South Louisiana which was Catholic and French,” said Bishop Deshotel of the Diocese of Lafayette.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has exhorted everyone to attend the upcoming event as it is a tribute to Jesus Christ.