Blessing of the Fleet to be held Palm Sunday

Historic City News readers will want to plan extra time to allow for the procession and closure of the Bridge of Lions while the St Augustine Yacht Club presents the annual Blessing of the Fleet on Palm Sunday, April 9th, starting at approximately 12:30 p.m.

Members of the Knights of Columbus will escort the procession of St Augustine’s Royal Family and Bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine from the Cathedral Basilica, located at 38 Cathedral Place, to the Municipal Marina, located at 111 Avenida Menendez.

The Blessing of the Fleet is a historical ceremony dating back to the earliest days of Spanish colonial occupation. This event takes place on Palm Sunday each year and invites all vessels, commercial and pleasure, to receive a blessing from the Bishop.

Traffic will be interrupted for less than 20 minutes in the vicinity of the Plaza de la Constitución; however, the Bridge of Lions will remain closed to all marine traffic for the duration of the Blessing. Vehicular traffic may be interrupted as necessary to accommodate the event.

The St. Augustine Yacht Club is estimating that the Blessing will continue approximately two hours — depending on the actual number of participating vessels. This event is open to the public and admission is free of charge.