St. Raphael’s will hold the 2026 Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday beginning at 10AM at the Erickson and Jensen Shrimp docks (1100 Shrimpboat Lane off Main Street). Â
There will be no services at the church on Williams Drive that morning. Instead, the congregation will gather at the shrimp docks, where the regular Sunday service with Holy Communion will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
At 11:00 a.m., the Sunday service will conclude and a brief service of prayers, readings, and songs will begin, asking for safe journeys and a bountiful harvest for shrimpers, fishermen, and recreational boaters. The Bishop and clergy will then walk along the docks to bless the boats and crews currently in port.
Following the dockside blessings, the group will proceed to Salty Sam’s Marina, where they will board a private vessel and head into the bay to bless recreational boaters who would like to participate. Look for a 30-foot open fisherman displaying St. Raphael’s Church banners and a cross held high.
The blessing boat will travel along the docks, pass the waterfront restaurants, go under the bridge, and stop by the Coast Guard Station for individual boat blessings. The route will then continue past Snug Harbor and Nervous Nellie’s before returning under the bridge and back to Salty Sam’s Marina.
