By Eric Martin
An age-old Mediterranean practice to pray for the safety of fishermen and a bountiful catch has once again come to life on the streets of Fremantle.
The annual celebration of the Blessing of the Fleet in Fremantle on Sunday 27 October attracted hundreds of spectators and tourists, in addition to local fishermen who took part in the procession, carrying the banners and sashes of the Madonna and patron saint of their Italian hometown.
The annual event commenced with Mass at St Patrick’s Basilica Fremantle Parish, celebrated by Emeritus Archbishop Barry Hickey and concelebrated by Parish Priest, Fr John Sebastian OMI, Oblate Provincial of Australia, Fr Christian Fini OMI, who was visiting from Melbourne, Fremantle Assistant Parish Priests, Fr John Archbold OMI, Fr John David OMI and Spearwood Parish Priest Fr Pierangelo Borali CRS.
Delivering his homily in Italian, much to the delight of crowd gathered, the Archbishop Emeritus focused on the importance of the Festival in maintaining Catholic identity in the modern, secular world.
“This great annual Mass and Procession for the Blessing of the Fleet can only be understood through the eyes of faith,” Emeritus Archbishop Hickey said.
“At a time in Australian history when many people are walking away from their traditional Catholic faith, it is time for us to affirm our faith and to do so publicly.
“We show our faith by calling on the prayers of Our Heavenly Mother Mary to protect all seafarers as they face the power of the ocean and its wind and waves,” he explained.
“We show our faith by carrying her statue through the streets of Fremantle. Hoping to touch the hearts of those who have come for the great spectacle, and we show our faith when we call on God to bless the fishing fleet, the fishing industry and all the families who rely on fishing for their survival.”
The procession of the Blessing of the Fleet celebration has connections with the religious traditions of Molfetta on the Adriatic in south-east Italy, and Capo d’Orlando, Sicily, with a 12th Century legend claiming a ship filled with injured and dying Crusaders returning from the Holy Land in 1188, found a Byzantine-style icon of the Madonna and child floating on the water.
The crusaders rescued the icon and miraculously survived their journey, making safe landfall in Sicily, near the fishing town of Molfetta.
In gratitude for their deliverance from the power of the sea, the crusaders gifted the icon to a hospice built in Molfetta: for generations the townspeople would attribute miracles to the image, with the annual celebration of the icon’s discovery coming to symbolise the many risks of going to sea and the importance of a productive, local fishing industry.
The Madonna dei Martiri, whose icon it was, became the patron saint of the fisherman of Molfetta and it is her veneration that is at the centre of the fiesta (for the Molfettesi at least).
The first Blessing of the Fleet was celebrated in 1948 by fishermen who had immigrated from the town of Molfetta and before long, the Molfettesi were joined by their counterparts from Capo d’Orlando, Italy, who included the Madonna di Capo d’Orlando (their patron saint) in the procession.
The fiesta began as an expression of ‘campanilismo’ (that uniquely Italian love and pride of home) by the migrants from these two towns and grew to encompass the broader loyalties of Italians in the Fremantle area as well as Portuguese and Croatian fishermen connected with the fishing industry.
The Blessing of the Fleet in Fremantle is now a well-known and established religious and civic tradition, with the procession commencing at St Patrick’s Basilica before winding its way through the city to the Fishing Boat Harbour.
Following the procession was a celebration with entertainment and food, culminating in a fireworks display that lit up the harbour.
