Saturday was a really really good day and I really feel blessed to be a part of the dedication ceremony for the new cross on the Virgin Island.  This really has been an amazing experience.

 

When we first got there we actually  drove directly over to the Virgin Island.  We met the Father and he told us to drive back over to the church where we could park and take the shuttle.  We found our way back to the Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, parked our car and found a small group of folks waiting on the shuttle.  We were quickly identified as "not from around there" but were greeted with open arms.  

 

While we waited, we told them we drove all the way from Baton Rouge to see the dedication ceremony and the folks were eager to tell us all about the Virgin Island.  We told them about our project and that we were excited to document this memorial.  We could tell that they were excited about the ceremony and were antsy with anticipation.  The shuttle arrived and we were on our way.  We were taken over the bayou to the property of the Priests home (the island is pretty much in his front yard).  There were I would say about 50 people were there anxiously waiting - some as spectators, most as participants.  The Knights of Columbus were to lead the Priests (both the "old" Priest and the "new" Priest) across the concrete foot-bridge to the island to kick off the ceremony.  The KC's were dresses in their formal attire with black capes with the silk red lining underneath.  Very regal! 

 

We found our contact, Mrs. Linda Cooke, and she then introduced me to Ray and Bessie Crochet.  What a beautiful couple!  Ray is a KC and is a local historian.  He was also the middle school principle for many years.  Mrs. Bessie put together a slide show presentation that we would be able to see after the dedication.

We made our way to the island and waiting with the others for the ceremony to begin.  There were a few chairs, but most of us stood.  What a beautiful ceremony!  The smell of incense was heavy in the air - beautiful aroma!  The Priests blesses the new cross then blesses the Virgin Mary status.  The entire group of spectators and participants then prayed the Rosary.  Breathtaking!

After the ceremony, several chosen people carried a smaller Virgin Mary statue and everyone else followed her back to the church.  The processional was about a half mile and most everyone walked with her back to the church.

She was carried into the activity center and that's where we got to see the slide show.  Mass followed.

Thank you so much Pierre Part for continuing to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and continuing to pray to her for the safety and security of your community.  I look forward to returning soon.

Preparing for a Site Visit

Getting ready for another exciting trip!  Me and Kim-Loan Ngo are heading down to Pierre Part and the Pierre Part Branch Library to dig deep into this local legend.  According to the stories, there was a flood in 1882 and a local Catholic church was left in ruins.  When the water went down, there she stood - a small statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and she was not damaged.  After repairs to the church, the statue was placed in the chapel.

In 1909 a new larger statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary arrived. The old smaller statue was buried on the island and the new one placed on the island.

We are driving out there February 1st.  If you live in the area and are familiar with the story, we would love to talk to you.  Please email us at monumentallouisiana@gmail.com .