Festival T-shirt Day proclaimed; Decal will conduct Mass, bless fleet

The celebrant for the annual Mass in the Park and Blessing of the Fleet will be the Rev. Freddie Decal, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Decal, a native of the Philippines, his siblings came to this country in 1980. Decal entered the seminary when he was 15 years old. He studied theology at the Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila, a Jesuit University, and was ordained a priest Dec. 17, 1977.

Decal served as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart Church from 1984 through the end of 1990. He then served for almost 12 years at St. Gregory Church in Houma. He was assigned to Annunziata, and then assigned to Holy Family Church in Dulac. He served there for five years, and then was assigned Sacred
Church in Cut Off for the past seven years before being assigned to Sacred Heart, Morgan City.

Decal will be the celebrant during the Mass in the Park at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, in Lawrence Park. Decal will also be presiding over the Annual Blessing of the Fleet at 10 a.m. Sept. 3 from the Morgan City docks.

For more information, contact the festival office at 985-385-0703, or visit the festival’s web site at www.shrimpandpetroleum.org.

Join the fleet
You’re invited to join in the blessing of the vessels for the upcoming season at 10 a.m. Sept. 3. Only vessels registered with the Festival Office are allowed in the water parade. All vessels are required to fly the registration flag provided by the festival.

Awards will be given to first, second and third place in each division. Divisions include: shrimp, petroleum and pleasure craft.

A door prize will be given for attending the blessing and water parade. The prize will be two tickets for the Sept. 30 LSU vs. Troy game. The winner must be 18 years or older. One entry is allowed per person, and you must be present to win. The drawing will be at noon. The door prize has been donated by Gulf South Dental Lab.

If you are interested in registering your vessel to be a part of the Blessing of the Fleet visit the Festival Office, 715 Second St. in Morgan City. For more information, contact the festival office at 985-385-0703.