BAYOU TECHE — The seventh annual Fête-Dieu du Teche will be held on Sunday, August 15. The 40-mile Eucharistic Procession will be offered in prayer for the sanctification and unification of families. This year the Feast of the Assumption boat procession occurs during the Year of St. Joseph and will celebrate the 256th Anniversary of the arrival of the Acadians and the Catholic Faith.
Hosted by Father Michael Champagne and the Community of Jesus Crucified, the festivities will begin 8:00 a.m. with Mass in French by Bishop Douglas Deshotel at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Leonville. Following the Mass, a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of Mary and St. Joseph will begin to the nearby boat landing for Benediction. At 9:30 a.m., boats will depart in procession down Bayou Teche toward St. Martinville — retracing the voyage made by the Acadians over 250 years ago — with stops along the way for Rosary and Benediction at churches in Arnaudville, Cecilia, Breaux Bridge, and Parks.
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 6:00 p.m. Confessions will be heard in mobile units at each of the stops along the way.
Pope Francis has granted participants of Fête-Dieu du Teche a Plenary Indulgence. The indulgence is valid on August 15 for those who attend the French Mass in Leonville, those who make the procession by boat, and for those who participate in the devotions at one of the many stops along the Teche.
If you have a boat, register at: https://www.jesuscrucified.net/events/fete-dieu-du-teche-2021/form. For more information, visit https://www.jesuscrucified.net; visit https://www.facebook.com/CommunityofJesusCrucified; email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or call 337-394-6550.
