A 12th century devotion from the south-east coast of Italy brought hundreds to Fremantle for the port city’s annual festival to bless the fishing fleet.
Fresh from his ad limina trip to Rome, Archbishop Barry Hickey visited the Fishing Fleet Festival in Fremantle on 30 October to bless the fleet.
Archbishop Hickey celebrated Mass for the festival in St Patrick’s Basilica on 30 October and took part in the procession of Our Lady of Capo d’Orlando, accompanied by hundreds down to the port where he boarded the lead boat and blessed the fleet.
Some small children dressed up as Carabinieri (Italian policemen), others wore traditional Italian costume, while still more were dressed in their First Communion attire and all formed part of the procession.
The fishermen and their families were placed under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title, Stella Maris – Our Lady, Star of the Sea.
Fireworks rocketed through the afternoon sky, temporarily enveloping onlookers in dense smoke and the crowd processed back to the Basilica where Archbishop Hickey led the congregation in benediction, bearing religious statues and banners.
The religious significance of the blessing was twofold, Archbishop Hickey explained in his official message for the 63rd Annual Blessing.
“The religious meaning of the Blessing of the Fleet is to give thanks to God for the bountiful harvest of the seas and to pray for the safety of the fishermen and their families who brave the elements to bring us that harvest,” Archbishop Hickey said in his message.
The Fishing Fleet Festival has been part of Fremantle’s culture for 63 years. It was brought to WA shores from the Italian coastal town of Molfetta on the Adriatic Sea. The custom dates back to the 12th century when wounded crusaders were brought back to Molfetta from the Holy Land carrying paintings of the Madonna and Child and told about the protection they received on the battlefield while carrying the pictures.
The custom of bearing the statues of Our Lady as part of the Fremantle festival was established in the 1950s, when the people of Capo d’Orlando donated the statue of Maria SS di Capo d’Orlando (Our Lady of the Cape of Orlando) to their fellow Sicilians in Fremantle. This statue joined the procession in 1954.
The Maria SS dei Martiri (Our Lady of Martyrs) statue was crafted by Con Samson of Subiaco and processed through Fremantle as part of the festival in 1950.
According to Boating Western Australia, these two statues are representative of the two towns from which the majority of fishermen migrated.
They are housed in the Marian Chapel in the Basilica in Fremantle.
A Triduum of Masses were celebrated as part of the Festival preparation from 26-28 October in St Patrick’s Basilica at 7.30pm.
The Minister for Fisheries, the Hon Norman Moore MLA; three Fransiscan Friars from Molfetta, Italy, Fr Giuseppe, Fr Andrea and Br Geraldo; and Oblates of Mary Immaculate who are the custodians of St Patrick’s Basilica were among those who attended the festival. More than 60 Fremantle businesses provided support.