On the 23rd October, the Fremantle community celebrated the annual Blessing of the Fleet, a great tradition that has been celebrated by the Italian communities of the Fremantle parish since 1948.
Fr Giancarlo Iollo OMI reflects on the origins of this feast and what it means for us today:
On 8th September 1947, due to bad weather, some fishermen from Fremantle, of Italian origin (specifically from the Molfetta province of Bari) decided to go to church to honour the feast of the nativity of Our Lady.
They came out of church and had the idea of forming a committee to organise a feast in honour of Our Lady of Martyrs every year, inspired by their own tradition from Molfetta which had been happening for centuries.
Over the years, the celebration has grown bigger and bigger, integrating in 1954 the devotion to Our Lady of Capo d'Orlando (from the island of Sicily) and later involving many other Catholic committees and associations from the entire city of Fremantle.
Today, the celebration in honour of Our Lady is known as the Blessing of the Fleet.
For three days leading up to the feast, there is a Triduum of masses celebrated in our Oblate parish, St Patrick’s Basilica, Fremantle. On the day of the feast there is a solemn celebration of Holy Mass, followed by a procession through the streets of Fremantle to the harbour, where the fishermen carry the statues of Our Lady. At the harbour, the Bishop blesses the boats, the fishermen and the whole city of Fremantle. All who are gathered return to the parish church for great festivities, finishing with fireworks.
This year I was asked to preach the Triduum in preparation for the feast and to give the homily on the day of the Sunday Mass.
It was an opportunity for me to learn about the history of these two devotions to Our Lady of Martyrs and Capo d'Orlando, and to become aware of a religious and cultural heritage, which on the one hand highlights a past history, which is continued even today in a totally different and changed context, and on the other hand emphasises the opportunity for a wide-ranging evangelisation effort that touches the entire city of Fremantle in some way, and which must be taken into account for the future.
- Fr Giancarlo Iollo OMI
