Fête Dieu du Teche
An Essay by Sr. Marie-Therese, CJC
Each year since 2015 on the Solemnity of the Assumption, Our Lady of the Acadians, August 15, the banks of the Bayou Teche are filled with Catholics and some curious bystanders for the Annual Eucharistic Boat Procession — Fête-Dieu du Teche. This “Feast of God on the Teche” turns a little winding waterway in the heart of Cajun Country into the privileged path of Our Eucharistic King. How did this strange and glorious sight come to emerge on the face of the dark and cypress-lined water if not from an outpouring of love and devotion for Jesus truly present in the Eucharist? Love expresses itself in endlessly interesting ways — God’s simply being present in the Blessed Sacrament is a testament to this truth. And so it is fitting that such a radical manifestation of faith as a festival procession for the Eucharist king would exist in an area of the world so rich in faith.
Cajun culture abounds with ridiculously radical people, people so rooted in the love of God as to amaze the rest of the world. Acadiana, this little pocket of Louisiana, owes its origins to the faithful Catholics of Nova Scotia who evacuated their homeland in the midst of great persecution of their Catholic Faith. At great cost, traveled all the way from Canada, down the Atlantic Coast, into the Gulf of Mexico, and up the Bayou Teche upon whose banks they could live their Catholic Faith with their families. Many were lost in the perilous journey, but being able to live their faith and pass that on made any sacrifice worthwhile to these brave, French-speaking Catholics.
Appropriately, on the 250th anniversary of this event, Fête-Dieu du Teche was born. Since 2015, the descendants of these brave people who so loved their faith have shown that this love endures as they publicly proclaim Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as the King of their Hearts. Such a sincere manifestation of faith is beyond any easy comparison.
The idea for this festival was conceived in 2015 by Fr. Michael Champagne of the Community of Jesus Crucified — priest, brother and sister servants of St. Martinville, LA. The Community of Jesus Crucified runs a retreat center located on the Bayou Teche and has its main religious houses there, as well. Father Champagne, who grew up in Leonville, LA, forty miles north of St. Martinville along the banks of the Bayou Teche, is steeped in the deep Catholic culture of the Acadian people. And for the members of CJC, whose priests, brothers and sisters spend three hours in Eucharistic Adoration each day, Christ in the Eucharist is himself the heartbeat of their religious lives of service. The idea of the Fête-Dieu du Teche thus springs from this love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. When you are in love with the Lord, you do crazy things like enthroning him in a six foot monstrance for a forty mile boat journey down the bayou! In essence, this is what the Fête-Dieu du Teche is, a flotilla of no fewer than fifty boats, the largest of which bears our Eucharistic Lord for the radically Catholic world inhabiting the Bayou Teche to see.
The procession begins, usually in Leonville, LA, with the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady in the French language of the Acadian people, followed by a foot procession to the boat dock. Flower girls donning white veils and dresses generously throw rose petals before the Eucharistic Lord, and many boys serve, carrying candles, incense, and bells. The whole occasion is marked by both solemnity and grandeur. As the Blessed Sacrament embarks, cannons and rifles are shot and hundreds gather along the banks of the boat launch. Between the two locations of Leonville and St. Martinville, the procession disembarks at four Catholic Churches founded by the Acadians directly on the bayou. Parishioners greet the Blessed Sacrament and pray a rosary. After Benediction the procession returns to the boats and continues the journey. Thousands of people cover the shores of the Teche to greet Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, dropping to their knees as he passes in front of their homes. Traffic stops on bridges, where little girls in white dresses throw thousands of rose petals from the railings to honor the Lord as the Blessed Sacrament passes below. People alienated from their faith approach out of curiosity and are struck by the reverence and love the faithful show for God under the appearance of a piece of bread. What a marvel to see such a manifestation of Love, Jesus in such humble form and a whole world around Him shut down to honor Him. What a celebration of countercultural culture!
In addition to the Eucharistic vessel, there are also boats that carry a large statue of Our Lady of the Assumption on a bier. Likewise, St. Joseph has his own boat. Just as the Eucharist Son enjoys the honor of the day, so is Our Lady feted on her Solemnity, and her earthly husband with her. Another boat precedes the Host with an enormous thurible, filling the surrounding area with the sweet fragrance of incense as it goes before the Eucharist. Two large bell boats herald the coming of the Lord with great volume and solemnity. Upon reaching St. Martinville, the procession disembarks for the last time, as do the fifty boats in tow, where those on water are greeted by a massive crowd of faithful who join the foot procession. As the procession continues to grow in size, the streets are completely shut down to make way for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Making its way from Notre-Dame du Perpétuel Secours to St. Martin de Tours (the “Mother Church of the Acadians”) and ending with Solemn Vespers at Mater Dolorosa Chapel of the Community of Jesus Crucified, the whole route is blessed and made holy by a profound contact with our Eucharistic Lord.
The long day, which began at 8:00 am that morning, comes to a close at 6:00 p.m. with a final Benediction and Solemn Vespers. The day is truly a timeless experience and a microcosm of the Christian life. The Fête-Dieu du Teche is a day of radical devotion to a Lord who radically loves us—so much so that He comes to be with us under the appearance of bread. This manifestation of Faith and Love is uniquely Catholic and Cajun. The Atakapa Indians, who are native to this portion of Louisiana, legendarily said that the Bayou Teche was a pathway created by a snake, winding its way through the land. How appropriate and necessary that we bring Our Eucharistic Lord out into this world, wounded by original sin and Satan’s evil snares, and allow Jesus’ Eucharistic presence to redeem what was once lost! As we say in the Easter Vigil Liturgy, “Oh necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us such a Redeemer!” What a joy and privilege to be able to have Our Lord with us in this way, redeeming the world and coming in such close contact with His creatures. May the good Lord continue to bless us with this opportunity of bringing our Eucharistic King to His people along the banks of the Bayou Teche for many years to come!
[For more information on the Fête-Dieu du Teche please visit: https://www.jesuscrucified.net/copy-of-f%C3%AAte-dieu-2022]
This essay was featured in the Summer 2023 issue of the Joie de Vivre print journal. To order this issue and subscribe to future issues, click the “Subscribe” tab above.
Sr. Marie-Therese, CJC, is currently serving as Superior of the Sister Servants of Jesus Crucified in St. Martinville, LA, living a life of deep Eucharistic prayer and serving Jesus in all His children.
