Thousands converge on Diocese of Baton Rouge for Fête-Dieu du Mississippi

A large crowd of people from across the state flocked to Baton Rouge on August 14 to celebrate the beginning of a 2-day Eucharistic celebration of faith, life, and culture along the Mississippi River during Fête-Dieu du Mississippi.

The event stemmed from the annual Fête-Dieu du Têche, which celebrated its tenth anniversary by charting a Eucharistic procession on the Mississippi River instead of the usual bayou in Lafayette. The Flotilla carried a 14-foot monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament 130 miles from Baton Rouge to New Orleans with stops and rallies along the way to “bless the river and the state of Louisiana,” said organizers.

Renamed Fête-Dieu du Mississippi this year, meaning “festival of God on the Mississippi River,” the event was planned in conjunction with the national three-year National Eucharistic Revival.

St. Joseph Cathedral was packed with people during an 8 a.m. Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael G. Duca.

“As we think of the words of institution, we think about those particular words, ‘This is my body, this is my blood,’ said Bishop Duca in his homily, which was based on the day’s Gospel reading (Jn 6:51-58). “But what we should reflect upon as equally profound and deeply are the words immediately before that. Jesus took the bread and said to his Apostles, ‘take this and eat of it … take this chalice of my blood.’ There’s never been so great an offering of a gift in all of time.”

The bishop urged the congregation to reflect on the fact that when they receive the Lord they receive an invitation to share in his life and to become part of him.

He added, “As we take the Lord into the streets we offer that light to all who can see; we offer that light of Christ to shine upon them to open their hearts. That they can see when we walk not just how we love one another but how we believe and draw them to Christ.”

Following Mass, people braved the heat to participate in a Eucharistic procession to the Mississippi River. Some looked on with curiosity and others knelt in prayer as the monstrance passed by.

“To see the Eucharist this large, I’m getting emotional,” said Caroline Frey, a parishioner of St. Ann Church in Morganza, at the Baton Rouge Mississippi levee area. “In Louisiana his presence is everywhere and be a part of this is such a blessing.”

Jeff Ward, a parishioner at St. Alphonsus Church in Greenwell Springs, said the experiences of the Mass and procession highlighted the lessons he learned in his adult formation group meetings.

“This is very meaningful, much deeper than I had anticipated,” said Ward.

Stephen Borel, who moved to Baton Rouge from the Acadiana area about a year ago, said he attended the Fête-Dieu du Têche every year. When he heard the event was moved to the Mississippi River and would start in Baton Rouge, he was thrilled.

“It is really awesome seeing the procession throughout the downtown city area, and watching that kind of expression of faith, especially in the second largest city in this state, was really incredible. And the giant monstrance, this major huge Eucharist just was amazing.”

He noted a man who walked behind him commented, “Man, Jesus is big this time.’”

Matthew Saintenac filmed the Eucharistic pilgrimage for KTO TV, a French-language religious international television channel. The event provided an opportunity to capture a historic moment in terms of the history, culture, and the Catholic Church in Louisiana.

“We are making a documentary about the French Catholic legacy in Louisiana … The history of the church, the history of the settlers, and the Cajan and the Creoles,” Saintenac said.

She added, “I was really impressed when I watched the Olympics on TV that a lot of the (medalists), in general, when asked by the reporters who they want to thank said, ‘God and my parents.’ I find that’s what this country needs.”

During the Vespers Service, Father Aquinas Gilbeau OP, who had spoken at the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July, gave a stirring talk about the Mississippi River as the center of family, culture, and faith.

The Mississippi River, when combined with its tributary rivers, is one of the largest rivers in the world, Father Gilbeau pointed out. It discharges three times as much water as the St. Lawrence River, 25 times as much as the Rhine River, and 338 times as much as the Thames River.

“The Mississippi contains a grandeur that naturally draws from our hearts. If we love, respect, and honor the river it stirs us up,” said Father Gilbeau.

The river is the setting of Mark Twain’s two most famous books, “The Adventures of Huck Finn” and the “Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

“Tonight, with thanksgiving as our special focus, we thank God for our homes, the river that runs through them. We give thanks to the towns and cities, villages, and cultures that fill this land. We give thanks to the Christian faith, to the church that sustains it. We give thanks for the life that we live here,” said Father Gilbeau.

Adoration was held all night at St. Michael. After morning prayer the next day, the flotilla continued to New Orleans, where there was a procession to St. Louis Cathedral, benediction and Mass with Archbishop Gregory Aymond of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The event concluded with a celebration in Jackson Square.