Got a question for y'all who hav delt with the industrial side of the marine world. Over here in Beaumont Texas and was working on tanking a barge and we nodes a pontoon boat full of folk and a few smaller fishing type boats. Well they get close and pass up and we noiced most of the people where wear all white and they had a speaker playing something that sounds like that chanting stuff you'll here at some Catholic churches. They passed by went into a slip and after the dock guys called security apparently their a group who periodically goes around blessing ships and boats or something and apparently that slip was apparent of their route. About an hour later they can out with a escort boat who thanked them and told them to have a blessed day over their speakers and they went on down river.
Though it was weird and kinda culty looking but honestly don't see much harm in it. Asked around and no on on the boat or the dock guys had seen or heard of this kinda thing. Any of y'all ever heard of something like this ?

The "Blessing of the Fleet".

Correct, shrimp boats are routinely "blessed" before heading out on opening day of the season in south Louisiana.

Lots of catholics up and down the coast from the French colonists. Most those communities have an annual blessing of the fleet. Never saw it myself but I've heard of it.

http://www.fleetblessing.org/history-of-blessing-of-the-fleet-bayou-la-batre-alabama.php

Not uncommon up here for some towns to have a blessing of the fleet. Only seen it for fishing boats in the spring

A fishing village in NC has an annual blessing of the fleet. Sort of a boat parade with a local pastor invited to say a prayer for the safety of the boats and crew. Takes place this weekend.

Happens here in Southern MD too.

LOL, few years back, I was crabbing pretty tight to shore one Sunday morning, and a bunch of folks waded in to.get baptized.

yes see it in haines alaska every yr

https://www.chilkatvalleynews.com/story/2023/04/06/news/blessing-of-the-fleet/16925.html

I don't know about the Catholics, but I've seen the Russian Orthodox do it. Any Russians or other Eastern Orthodox groups down that way? Maybe some Protestants do it, but unaware of it. The "chanting stuff" you mentioned sounds more Orthodox than RC to me.

Once a year we have a blessing of the fleet on Hilton Head island in Scull Creek. All sorts of boats take part in that thing.

Orthodox are few and far between in the south. We had two groups of them in Birminham. One bunch of Russian Orthodox in Brookside who came over to work the mines. The only Russian Orthodox church in the state. And the Greeks, most of which became restaurateurs. The Russians lasted longer sticking to the faith but most all went native.

Dressed in white, probably Lotus People.

Raised Catholic but never saw that in my days on the river. Maybe am too much a heathen.

I think you got some rather different Baptists and Pentecostals down that way don't you? Maybe some of them. Ya didn't see them waving any snakes around did you?

An annual thing here in Portage Des Soux on the Mississippi River. They decorate their boats and parade past the "Our Lady of the River" shrine, and the Archbishop of St. Louis does his thing.

Wonder if they bless fishermen too? I was fishing below the lock & dam here where I fish fairly often and had my best Striper day in a long time. I heard talking and looked up to see nuns on top looking down at me. No idea what they were doing up there...