DETROIT (WWJ) - A Detroit church is hosting a long-standing tradition to get boats and crews ready for the start of a new boating season.
Mariners’ Church of Detroit is hosting its 60th Annual Blessing of the Fleet on March 10. The service will begin at 11 a.m. A livestream of the service will be available at https://www.youtube.com/@MarinersChurchofDetroit.
“The Blessing of the Fleet traditionally attracts a number of captains, masters and many other uniformed personnel as well as professional and recreational boaters who simply like to honor tradition receiving the blessing for themselves, their crews, their families and their boats,” a press release about the event said. “It also serves as an opportunity to remember those lost on the waterways over the years.”
This will be the first time Rev. Todd Meyer is conducting the service. Meyer became the Mariners’ lead pastor last summer.
“The Blessing of the Fleet service has grown through the years, especially since we began livestreaming it and can now reach into communities throughout the Midwest and around the Great Lakes region,” Meyer said. “As a ‘house of prayer for all people,’ we encourage our local parishioners and any other interested guest to bring their burgees, pennants and pennons to be blessed with a special seafarer blessing for themselves, their boats, crews and passengers.”
Church officials said the tradition has “served thousands of sailors throughout the years to launch a new safe and successful seafaring season.”
The tradition of “blessing the fleet” began centuries ago in fishing communities in the Mediterranean.
The service will include music by Mariners’ professional choir and its 4,100 pipe organ. There will also be a presentation of the Captain Lewis Ludington Award. The award “commemorates the ongoing work of the International Ship Masters’ Association.” The winners this year are Captain George T. Lisner and Captain William J. Rabatsky.
The names of the 30 people who died in Michigan waterways in 2023 will be read by Captain Kathy McGraw. The Octorara Bell, which is a remnant from a ship of the same name, will be rung by members of the Ship Masters’ during the reading.
The bell “now serves one purpose only: to honor fallen seamen,” the statement said. “Octorara is an Iroquois word that means ‘long remembered.’”
“Michigan is blessed to have such incredibly beautiful waterways, but they can also turn treacherous,” Meyer said. “We’re always excited to celebrate the new boating season and to pray for calm waters, safe passage and enjoyable journeys. We hope to have a large congregation of in-person and on-line participants join the service.”
Mariners’ Church of Detroit, a state and national landmark, was founded in 1842 for visiting seamen to worship. It is one of the oldest structures on the Detroit Riverfront.
“Today, 182 years later, the church stands as a ‘house of prayer for all people’ and welcomes everyone who wishes to visit,” the press release said.
Mariners’ Church of Detroit is located at 170 E. Jefferson Avenue at the Windsor Tunnel entrance. Free parking is available at the Ford Auditorium Garage. It is across from the church.
More about the church and the Blessing of the Fleet service can be found on their webpage.