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Saturday, August 15thFeast of the Assumption
In Honor of the 255th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Acadians and the Catholic Faith.
For More Information, Contact Fr. Michael Champagne, cjc
(337) [email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/Fete-Dieu-du-Teche-791548894286660/
• Begins with French Mass by Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, D.D., Bishop of Lafayette, at St. Leo’s in Leonville at 8:00 am • Procession to Landing 9:00 am, Boat Procession departs at 9:30 am• Stops at Each Church on the Bayou: Arnaudville, Cecilia, Breaux Bridge, Parks for Rosary and Benediction• End up in the evening at Evangeline Oak in St. Martinville• Disembark and Process into Notre Dame for Benediction• Process to St. Martin de Tours for Benediction• Process Down Main St. to Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel for Vespers and Benediction• Confessions will be Available at All Stops Along the Teche
Eucharistic ProcessionALONG BAYOU TECHE
Bulletin Announcement Fête-Dieu du Teche 2020 to take place Saturday August 15. This year’s unique 40-mile Eucharistic Procession by boat and foot will be offered in petition for an end of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an abundance of caution, anyone who is ill or has a compromised immune system is asked to remain home and participate in the Eucharistic procession on-line at www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified. All participants 8 years or older (whether on boats or on shore) will be expected to wear face masks and observe social distancing (this includes priests, seminarians, and laity). Persons with health conditions
prohibiting them from wearing a face mask are asked not to attend the event. A team of trained marshals will be on hand to assure implementation of safety precautions at all sites. Attendance at the Mass in French with Bishop Douglas Deshotel at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Leonville will be limited to approximately 315 persons. For those who are unable to enter inside the Church for the Mass, a PA system will be provided to hear Mass outside observing social distancing. At the end of Mass there will be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of Mary and St. Joseph to the nearby boat landing. A double procession at 6-foot spacing will be enforced. At 9:30 AM boats will depart in procession down the Teche toward St. Martinville, retracing the voyage made by the Acadians 255 years ago. Bayou residents are encouraged to come down to the bank and greet the Blessed Sacrament as it passes near their home. The boat procession will stop at churches in the towns along the Teche for Rosary and Benediction (arriving at Arnaudville behind St. Francis Regis at 10:20 AM; arriving behind St. Joseph Church in Cecilia at 11:45 AM; arriving at the Pavilion behind St. Bernard Church in Breaux Bridge at 1:35 PM; arriving at the park behind St. Joseph Church in Parks at 3:15 PM; and arriving at Old Market Street in St Martinville at about 4:45 PM). Upon arriving in St. Martinville, a foot procession will commence to Notre Dame de Perpetual Secours for Benediction, then to St. Martin de Tours for Benediction, and finally down Main Street to Mater Dolorosa Chapel for Solemn Vespers and Benediction at 5:30 PM. The prayers will be broadcast outside for the pilgrims. Confessions will be heard in mobile units at each of the stops along the way. Pilgrims are encouraged to have recourse if possible, to confession in their local parishes within 21 days of the event so as to obtain the indulgence and not place too much demands on the mobile units. Confessors in mobile units will be wearing face masks and the kneeler will be placed 6’ away from the screen. Mobile confessional teams will sanitize kneeler and confessional between each penitent. Pope Francis has granted participants of Fȇte-Dieu du Teche a Plenary Indulgence. The indulgence is valid on August 15 for those who attend the 8 am French Mass in Leonville, those who make the procession by boat, and those who participate in the devotions at one of the many stops along the Teche. Those who are impeded for a serious reason from physically attending the procession may also gain the indulgence by spiritually uniting their prayers and trials. The Holy Father asks participants to pray for fidelity to the Christian vocation, for the good of the family, and for priestly and religious vocations. If you have a boat, register it now at www.jesuscrucified.net/events/fete-dieu-du-teche-2020/form If you don’t have a boat, follow by vehicle and join us at one or all of the stops for the Rosary and Benediction. For more information or to register a boat visit our website at www.jesuscrucified.net, visit us on FB at www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified, send us an email at [email protected], or call (337) 394-6550.
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July 23, 2020
For Immediate Release Contact:
Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC
www.jesuscrucified.net
(337) 394-6550
https://www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified/
Sixth Annual Fête-Dieu du Teche 40-mile Eucharistic Boat Procession to be held in petition to God
for an end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fête-Dieu du Teche 2020 to take place Saturday
August 15. This year’s unique 40-mile Eucharistic
Procession by boat and foot will be offered in
petition for an end of the COVID-19 pandemic. In
an abundance of caution, anyone who is ill or has a
compromised immune system is asked to remain
home and participate in the procession on-line at
www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified.
All participants 8 years or older (whether on boats
or on shore) will be expected to wear face masks and
observe social distancing (this includes priests,
seminarians, and laity). Persons with health conditions prohibiting them from wearing a face mask are
asked not to attend the event. A team of trained marshals will be on hand to assure implementation of
safety precautions at all sites. Attendance at the Mass in French with Bishop Douglas Deshotel at St. Leo
the Great Catholic Church in Leonville will be limited to approximately 315 persons. For those who are
unable to enter inside the Church for the Mass, a PA system will be provided to hear Mass outside
observing social distancing. At the end of Mass there will be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament
and a statue of Mary and St. Joseph to the nearby boat landing. A double procession at 6-foot spacing
will be enforced.
The sixth annual Eucharistic Procession down Bayou Teche will take place on Saturday, August 15. The
date is important for Roman Catholics as it is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Patroness of the Acadian people and of Acadiana. It is also a day that marks the 255th anniversary of the
arrival of French-Canadian immigrants who brought the
Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring great trials and
suffering. Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC, organizer of the
event, notes that “having a Eucharistic Procession by boat on
the waters of the Teche rather than by foot in the streets makes
a lot of sense. Fête-Dieu du Teche on the Feast of the
Assumption recalls our rich Acadian history and, in a way, re-
enacts the journey made by the Acadians over 250 years ago.”
The Acadians were persecuted for their Catholic faith and sent
into exile from Nova Scotia. Many ended up settling in
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Louisiana. Fr. Champagne explains that having a boat
procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of
the Assumption involving priests, religious, and laity
is basically what happened in 1765. “In order to serve
the Acadian settlers in the Attakapas district, Fr. Jean-
Louis de Civrey accompanied the Acadians on their
journey down the Bayou Teche. Fr. Civrey became
the first resident priest. In his records, Fr. Civrey refers
to his new home as “la Nouvelle Acadie” and his new
parish “l'Église des Attakapas (Attakapas Church)”
and later, “lÉglise St-Martin de Tours (St. Martin de Tours Church)”. It is believed that St. Martinville
is named after the Church. In early baptismal records the church was originally referred to as St. Joseph
at the Attakapas. This year’s Fête-Dieu du Teche is special as it will be held on the eve of the opening
of the Year of St. Joseph in the Diocese of Lafayette. The Diocese of Lafayette boasts 13 church parishes
with the name of St. Joseph – 14 if one counts the original name of the Mother Church of the Acadians
prior to the name change to St. Martin de Tours. “Having the Catholic Priest accompany the Acadians
on their journey to Acadiana is indicative of our ancestors’ great allegiance to their Catholic Faith,
especially the Eucharist and Our Lady. Fête-Dieu du Teche today relives that original experience of the
Acadians.”
Hundreds will travel by boat to celebrate this
occasion in honoring the Blessed Sacrament and
the Acadian heritage. Each year the event is held
on the Bayou Teche with the exception that in
2018 the event was held on the Vermilion river
to help celebrate the centennial of the Diocese of
Lafayette. Thousands travelled from
throughout Louisiana and beyond to participate
in the event. Many participated in the
Eucharistic Procession by boat and others
followed by car and gathered along the banks of
the bayou at the various stops. Fr. Jeremy
Zipple, SJ traveled from New York to do a
documentary on the Fête in 2017. He recounts, “I found the whole thing incredibly moving. It was
beautiful to see an entire town coming together for prayer. It’s a sense of communal identity we just
don’t see much anymore in the Western world.” Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, D.D., a native son of
Acadiana and the current 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.
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The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary (August 15) is also the Feast of the
Acadians who settled here in 1765. The
Acadians originally sailed to Nouvelle-Écosse
(Nova Scotia) under the star of Our Lady of the
Assumption and again during the Grand
Dérangement. The Acadian flag, both Canadian
and Louisiana Acadian, highlights the centrality
of Our Lady of the Assumption for the Acadian
people. The gold star on a white field represents
“Our Lady of the Assumption”, Patroness of the
Acadians. When the first settlers departed France for the New World, the Virgin Mary was highly
revered. It was a period of great devotion to the Virgin. The King of France, Louis XIII, and Pope Pius
XI declared the Virgin Mary the patroness of the kingdom, (Patronne de Royaume) and Patroness Saint
of all the Acadians in Canada, Louisiana, and elsewhere. On August 15, 1638, France and her colonies
were consecrated to Mary under the title “Our Lady of the Assumption”. Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC,
the organizer of the unique event, explains that during Fȇte-Dieu du Teche “the Blessed Sacrament will
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. This
year will feature as well a St. Joseph boat with a statue of the husband of 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. The prayers will be broadcast live on
radio, so persons with compromised health can
listen while remaining in their vehicles. Priests
will be available at each stop for Confessions.”
Bishop Douglas Deshotel, notes, “I have been
edified by the devotion and participation of so
many priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful. I think such a public Eucharistic celebration is an
excellent manifestation of the new evangelization that we so desperately need.” Bishop Glen Provost,
a native son of the Diocese of Lafayette and bishop of Lafayette’s daughter diocese, the Diocese of
Lake Charles, reflecting on Fête-Dieu du Teche says, “Let us remember that the Acadians and French
who first settled in our area were Catholic, and in the case of the Acadians were expelled from Nova
Scotia primarily because they were Catholic. It is our history we remember. It is our faith we
celebrate. It is our Lord we adore and worship.” Fr. Champagne adds, “We need a day that is a true
‘feast day,’ in the old sense of the word - a holiday that’s truly a Holy Day … where we can really, all
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day long, have a feast day. Such is our
celebration Fête-Dieu du Teche!” In his
homily at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic
Church for the Fête-Dieu du Vermilion in
2018, Bishop Provost quoted Lafayette’s
second bishop, Bishop Maurice
Schexnayder who predicted, “The waters of
the Teche will be drained to the ground
before the people of Acadiana lose their
Catholic Faith.” Such a large throng of
faithful gathering on the Feast of the Assumption for Fête-Dieu du Teche points to the veracity of the
good bishop’s prophecy.
Boat Registration
To register a boat for the procession, send an email to [email protected], download a
registration form at https://www.jesuscrucified.net/fete-dieu-du-teche, or complete the online form at
https://www.jesuscrucified.net/events/fete-dieu-du-teche-2020/form. Once the registration form is
completed and waivers signed, either mail them
to 103 Railroad Avenue, St. Martinville, LA
70582 or scan the completed forms and email
them to the above email address as an attachment.
The boat coordinator will contact you with
details. The procession will travel at about 8 mph
and thus only motorized vessels are allowed.
Catholic schools are encouraged to send their
students or a representative group to be present at
the opening French Mass in Leonville with
Bishop Deshotel, at one or more of the stops along
the procession, and especially to participate in the
final foot procession in St. Martinville. Church
parishes, ecclesial movements, KC and St. Peter
Claver councils, Catholic schools, etc. are encouraged to register a boat and decorate it accordingly. Fifty
boats will be allowed to participate which will yield a one-mile procession. Boaters are asked to have an
FM radio so that they can participate in the continuous prayers live as they are led by the Eucharist Boat.
Additionally, participants in the procession as well as those in their cars or on the banks of the Bayou
can follow the prayers and devotions live from the Eucharist boat as they will be videoed and available
at www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified.
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Itinerary for Centennial Eucharistic Boat Procession on Bayou Teche
Saturday, August 15, 2020
(Feast of the Assumption of Mary)
8:00 a.m. Holy Mass in French with Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, D.D. at St. Leo the Great
Church, Leonville
9:00 a.m. Procession from St. Leo’s to Leonville boat landing
9:30 a.m. Boat Procession departs
10:20 a.m. Arrive at Arnaudville and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
11:45 a.m. Arrive at Cecilia and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
1:35 p.m. Arrive at Breaux Bridge and disembark
for Rosary and Benediction
3:15 p.m. Arrive at Parks and disembark for
Rosary and Benediction
4:45 p.m. Flotilla arrives at St. Martinville; Foot
Procession to Notre Dame de Perpetuel
Secours for Benediction
5:00 p.m. Procession from Notre Dame to St.
Martin de Tours Church for Benediction
5:30 p.m. Procession down Main Street to Our
Lady of Sorrows Chapel for Solemn
Vespers & Final Benediction
6:00 p.m. Solemn Vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Mater Dolorosa Chapel
** Confessions will be available at all stops in Mobile Units along the Procession
Pope Francis Grants Fête-Dieu du Teche Participants a Plenary Indulgence
Pope Francis, through his Grand Penitentiary, His Eminence Cardinal
Mauro Piacenza, has granted a plenary indulgence to participants of Fȇte-
Dieu du Teche on August 15, 2020. The indulgence is granted to the faithful
who devoutly participate in the opening Mass at St. Leo the Great in
Leonville, to those making the procession by boat down the Teche, and to
those who participate at the various stations along the bayou in the recitation
of the Marian Rosary and Benediction. This is indeed a sacred privilege!
This grant is under the normal conditions which means that the faithful must
have the intention to gain the
indulgence, perform one of
the indulgenced acts as given
above, be in the state of grace
at the time of the event, have received the Sacrament of
Reconciliation and Penance within 20 days, receive Holy
Communion, pray for the Holy Father’s intention, and be
free from all attachment to sin, mortal and venial. The
Fête-Dieu du Teche Plenary Indulgence can be offered for
oneself or in suffrage for a deceased loved one.
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Additional Information
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 [email protected]
###
START PROCESSION9:00 A.M.
END PROCESSION5:00 P.M.
38.1 MILES LONG
EVENT MAP
10’6”(3.9 miles)
11’0” (7.6 miles)
9’6” (14.1 miles)
13’8”(20.9 miles)
11’1” (18.3 miles)
10’2”(22.1 miles)
15’6”(22.5 miles)
Open(23.0 miles)
12’11”(26.0 miles)
Open(30.8 miles)
Open (34.6 miles)
Open (37.7 miles)
Bridge Crossing Height(Mileage from Start)
Restrooms
Reconciliation/ Confessions
Procession Path
11’4”(0 miles)
10’2”(7.7 miles)
Saturday, August 15, 2020
