In top photo, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is being carried in procession from St. Catherine Laboure Church, Middletown, to nearby Ideal Beach as part of the parish’s observance of the Assumption on Aug. 15. Mike Ehrmann photo
The New Jersey shoreline provided one scenic and fitting setting Aug. 15 as local Catholics marked the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Universal Church commemorates Mary’s body and soul being taken up into heaven at the end of her earthly life.
Though the feast fell on a Saturday this year and was not a holy day of obligation in the Diocese, parishioners still flocked to their churches for Mass. And for those living or vacationing along coastal Monmouth and Ocean Counties, opportunities were plentiful to participate in the traditional blessing of the water afterward.
Such was the case for Our Lady of Hope Parish, West Long Branch, when parishioners gathered with their pastor, Father Mark Nillo, for Mass in St. Jerome Church and then at the Allenhurst Boardwalk for the occasion.
Photo Gallery: Feast of the Assumption in St. Catherine Laboure Parish, Middletown
“This beloved tradition” began years ago, before St. Jerome Parish and St. Mary Parish, Deal, were merged. It has remained “a beautiful tradition worth preserving, especially since St. Mary Church is in close proximity to the ocean and is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption,” Father Nillo said.
“The blessing of the ocean is a prayer of thanksgiving and protection,” he said, noting that the ocean can also be dangerous.
“As we stand at the shore and bless the ocean, we entrust ourselves, our families, our community and all who depend upon the sea to God’s love and care through the intercession of Mary.”
The tradition dates back to 15th-century Italy, when a bishop traveling from Venice encountered a fierce storm at sea during the Feast of the Assumption. Praying for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the prelate tossed his pastoral ring into the waters, which immediately became calm.
St. Rose Parish, Belmar, has held its annual procession and blessing of the water and boats since 2011, when Msgr. Edward Arnister became pastor. Ever since, Father David Baratelli, a longtime weekend assistant in the parish, has coordinated particulars such as contacting police and city officials to handle traffic control along the procession route.
“People look forward to it as a public witness of their faith and love for Mary on the Feast of her Assumption,” Msgr. Arnister said.
With the church and ocean less than a half-mile apart, the procession route is short. But it’s a longstanding tradition that holds great meaning for all who participate, according to Conventual Franciscan Father Michael Lorentsen, pastor of St. Junípero Serra Parish, Seaside Park. Father Lorentsen explained that the procession began long before Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish and St. Catharine of Siena Parish, Seaside Park, were merged in 2018.
“Many of the people who come for the Mass and procession are from the parish, but many people are from northern New Jersey as well,” he said.
For the third year, Father Richard Osborn and a throng of people celebrated the feast with Mass and procession from St. Catherine Labouré Church, Middletown, to Ideal Beach, a distance of about 0.3 miles. There, Father Osborn blessed the water and a floral wreath, which he flung into the bay.
In his homily, Father Osborn said he’s often heard believers saying that it’s difficult for them to relate to the Blessed Mother because “even though she is fully human, she is also the perfect Christian, the perfect follower of her son, Jesus.”
“People look to her and feel that they don’t measure up,” he said.
“But on this day when Our Lady is highlighted so prominently, she is not meant to be someone we become self-conscious toward. Rather, she is the model for us, she is the exemplar of what it means to be a Catholic,” he said.
Father Osborn said that the faithful should look to Mary “as our life, our sweetness and our hope,” as in the prayer, “Hail, Holy Queen.”
“That is the pinnacle of our humanity,” he said. “That it is our hope – that we hope to be with her and like her in eternal life with almighty God.”
Father Rick Osborn, pastor of St. Catherine Labouré Parish, Middletown, tosses a floral wreath into the water near Ideal Beach. Mike Ehrmann photo