By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
It’s a tradition that spans decades and is honored at harbors across the Gulf coast and this Monday, the Texas Shrimpers Association (TSA) will be hosting it for shrimpers who call the Rio Grande Valley home. It’s the Blessing of the Fleet, a nondenominational ceremony dedicated to offering good will and prayers to the region’s shrimping fleet.
As it has been in the past, Monday morning’s ceremony will be presided over by the Rev. Mark Watters. Watters will deliver a sermon at Zimco Marine located on Highway 48 between Port Isabel and Brownsville before boarding a shrimp trawler for a tour of the shrimp basin.
As the vessel makes its way through the various channels of the basin, Rev. Watters will recite prayers, anointing them with Holy Water, and offering his traditional call for “a bountiful catch.”
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