A prayerful remembrance of local fishermen lost to the sea, sadly including this past year, attracted a large crowd to Saint Mary Church and the town fishing dock on Sunday, July 26, in Stonington Borough.
The gatherings were part of the 71st annual Blessing of the Fleet, and offered Bishop Richard Reidy of the Diocese of Norwich the opportunity to meet with captains and crews of the local fishery and confer blessings on them for a safe season, and a bountiful catch.
The tradition is well-woven into the Stonington Borough fishing community, which over the past year lost Thomas Williams, Joel Trebisacci and Donald Harlacher.
"Captain Don" Harlacher, of Quaker Hill, and Trebisacci, of Westerly, were well-known in the tight-knit commercial fishing community. Williams, of Stonington, was the captain of the fishing vessel Heritage. Last year, Heritage was the lead boat that took the bishop out for his first blessing of the broken anchor wreath, which families of the deceased place in the water while the boats of the fleet form a circle.
Families of the men, including sons Chase, Palmer and Owen Williams, daughter and son Linda and William Trebisacci and sister and brother-in-law TerriLynn and Ryan Coppola, placed wreaths at the monument on which their loved ones' names now appear, at the end of the fishing pier.
Bishop Reidy celebrated the Fishermen’s Mass Sunday morning in St. Mary Church in the Borough. The names of the members of the Stonington Fishermen Association who died while doing their jobs were read aloud at Mass.
In his homily, Bishop Reidy noted the significance of the Blessing events.
"Today, we gather to thank God for you — for your crews, your families, and this fishing community. We pray for your protection, for favorable weather, for a good catch, and for a good market," he told fishermen and their families.
"We also remember the forty-three members of the Stonington fleet and community who have been lost at sea. We remember each of them today, especially those who have died during this past year, including Tommy Williams. Their loss reminds us of the uncertainty and danger that accompany life on the water. It also reminds us of the debt of gratitude we owe to your families and loved ones, who share in both the sacrifices and the risks of this vocation."
The blessing is the culmination of a weekend of events surrounding it in Stonington Borough. There was a 5K race and walk on Friday in the Borough, followed by a gathering with food and music Saturday at the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society.
From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, visitors to the pier could learn about the history of Stonington's industrious fleet, grab a bite to eat and listen to live music.
A statue of St. Peter, patron saint of fishermen, was part of the procession through the streets of the borough following the Mass. Marchers included local fife and drum bands, brass bands and students from diocesan schools. With deep Portuguese roots in Stonington, traditional Portuguese dancers from the Hartford area performed.
Some children dressed up as fishing boats, and another group of marchers, costumed as pirates, asked the bishop to absolve them of thier past misdeeds, to which he cheerfully obliged. The grand marshal this year was Jeff Hoadley, chief of the Borough fire department, who is retiring after a decades-long career as a firefighter.
Then Bishop Reidy and Fr. Dennis Perkins, riding an antique car, joined local and state officials and the families of fishermen at the fishermen’s memorial, at the end of the pier that is home base to the fleet.
The bishop said a prayer for the safety of the fishermen and the important but often dangerous work that they do on the water.
After the ceremony, Bishop Reidy walked the docks, blessing each fishing boat with holy water and meeting some of the crews. The bishop and Fr. Perkins then joined some of the fishermen and their families on the fishing vessel Tradition, which steamed out past the breakwater. Other boats from the fleet followed in procession.
The ceremony concluded there, where a wreath in the shape of a broken anchor, commemorating the deceased local fishermen was cast into the water.
Story and photos By Ryan Blessing
