On the first day of May, the Marian month par excellence, the community of Grado, in particular the microcosm of fishermen led by the local cooperative, will go in procession by sea to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Barbana, in the heart of the lagoon. A century later, the ceremony will once again be marked by moments of great intensity.
The meeting point is in the heart of Porto Mandracchio. After the opening prayer, the boats will sail up the canal leading to the sanctuary island of Barbana, where the fishing boats moored along the quays will be blessed. Once at the sanctuary, at 10 a.m., Holy Mass will be celebrated by the archpriest of Grado, Monsignor Paolo Nutarelli, accompanied by the ‘Santa Cecilia’ choir. The Holy Mass will be celebrated by the archpriest of Grado, Monsignor Paolo Nutarelli, accompanied by the ‘Santa Cecilia’ choir.
It was the night of 3 June 1925 when several fishing boats from Grado were caught in a violent storm. The crew immediately called on the Madonna di Barbana for help. She evidently answered their prayers, as they all returned home safe and sound. Since then, every year, the fishermen of Grado have travelled to Barbana to fulfil their vow of thanksgiving and, since the 1950s, 1 May has been chosen as the symbolic date for this anniversary. This is so as not to coincide with the Perdòn di Barbana.
Next to the altar, in memory and thanks to a kind gesture by the Benedictine monks who oversee the sanctuary, there will be a painting donated in 1925 by the fishermen and created by the secessionist painter Joseph Maria Auchentaller, which was brought to Barbana on 26 July of the same year. On it is an inscription recalling how ‘the Grado fleet of 56 boats, surprised and overwhelmed by a furious cyclone, was protected by the invoked B. V. of Barbana and returned unharmed to its port’. In memory of the century since the miraculous event, the Grado Fishermen's Cooperative will donate a new painting that renews its gratitude with great devotion. (Text by Leonardo Tognon)
Program
8:30
Meeting at Porto Mandracchio
Opening prayer in the presence of the Archbishop of Gorizia
Mons. Carlo Roberto Maria Redaelli
8:45
Departure of the procession of boats
Archbishop Carlo will bless the fishing boats and the flotilla moored along the picturesque harbour.
9.30 a.m.
Arrival in Barbana, procession to the sanctuary.
9.45 a.m.
History of the Vow of the Fishermen of Grado.
10 a.m.
Holy Mass, accompanied by the
the ‘Santa Cecilia’ choir
At the end of Holy Mass
Tribute to Egidio Bullesi
12:00
Departure from Barbana
On this occasion, there will be the jubilee opening of Barbana.