2024 Blessing of the Fleet Program

JUNE 2, 2024 • 1PM

ECUMENICAL SERVICE

OFFICIANTS

• Pastor Connie Monson, Bethesda & Immanuel ELCA, Bayfield & Cornucopia

• Pastor Nathan Hoist, St. John’s UCC, LaPointe

• Father Mark Ricker, Christ Church Episcopal, Bayfield

• Pastor Lawrence Lee, Bayfield Presbyterian, Bayfield

• Pastor Rachel Sieja, Good Shepherd ELCA, Ashland

MEMORIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN OF BAYFIELD

This memorial honors the past, present, and future commercial fishermen of the Bayfield area. It was dedicated in 1981, having been commissioned by Mayor Edwin Erickson. Designed by the late Harold Kerr, Ph.D., the sculpture was executed by Brian Kerr, with site preparation by Erickson Marine. The pilings are from the steamer Ireland, which ran aground at Gull Island; the chain is from Pretoria, which sank off of Outer Island in 1905. The birds are cut from a 3/8 inch steel boiler plate. The timbers are from the ore dock in Ashland. The large sandstone block comes from Outer Island; the other stones are from Sand, Oak, Manitou, Cat and Outer Islands.

Vincent Schueren Spoons for the People

National Anthem (Star Spangled Banner)

All Sing

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Officiant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.

People: And also with you.

O: Let us bless the Lord with one heart and mind. We gather today to bless these boats and their equipment, and to bless those who will use them for work and pleasure. We call upon God who created all and who sustains all in

God’s loving care and direction. We remember that Christ calmed the Lake of Galilee and brought his disciples to safety. Today, we commend those who sail these craft to the care and safety of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 104:1-9, 23-28, 30-31

O: Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness! You are clothed with majesty and splendor. You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak and spread out the heavens like a curtain.

P: Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O: You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above; you make the clouds your chariot; you ride on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messengers and flames of fire your servants.

P: Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O: You have set the earth upon its foundations, so that it never shall move at any time. You covered it with the deep as with a mantle; the waters stood higher than the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the voice of your thunder they hastened away. They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath, to the places you had appointed for them.

P: Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O: You set the limits that they should not pass; they shall not again cover the earth. Mortals go forth to their work and to their labor until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

P: Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O: Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, creatures both small and great. There move the ships. All of them look to you to give them their food in due season. You give it to them; they gather it; you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.

P: Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O: You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth. May your glory, O Lord, endure forever; may you rejoice in all your works.

All: Amen.

Scripture Reading - Luke 8:22-25

O: The word of the Lord.

P: Thanks be to God!

Hymn - Eternal Father, Strong to Save

Vs. 1-4, All Sing, Page 5

The Blessing

O: May the saving power of the Lord guide and protect you, now and forever.

All: Amen.

O: May the Lord bless you and keep you in all paths of safety.

All: Amen.

O: May the Lord guide your journeys, help you travel in peace and fill you with a sense of wonder and gratitude.

All: Amen.

O: May the Lord bless your work, and may the waters provide sustainably.

All: Amen.

O: May Christ who calmed the troubled waters of the Lake of Galilee, grant you peace and safety on the waters.

All: Amen.

O: And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.

All: Amen.

O: Let us go forth in peace.

P: Thanks be to God!

The procession of boats and Blessing of the Fleet follows at the Harbor entrance.

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Honoring our Fishing History and Lake Superior Heritage

History comes to life with the traditional Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony. In the late 1950s, Bayfield inaugurated the Blessing of the Fleet to honor local fishing families, who formed the backbone of the area’s economy. Today, many businesses in the region still count on Lake Superior for their livelihood, especially in the form of recreational boating opportunities and providing a way for visitors to experience the Apostle Islands firsthand.

Commercial fishing boats, tugs, powerboats, sailboats, excursion crafts, kayaks and rowboats parade through Bayfield’s City Harbor. As they pass by the tip of the pier, clergy from the Apostle Islands area grant each vessel a blessing for safe passage and a prosperous season on Lake Superior.