Blessing of fleet reflects the times
Priest speaks of hardships for fishermen
GLOUCESTER - The annual St. Peter's Fiesta is anchored in more than 80 years of tradition, but the tide of economic problems that has plagued this fishing community cast a pall over yesterday's festivities.
"The work of fishing for one's livelihood has become so difficult and so stressful, due to the many restrictions placed on the work," the Rev. Eugene Alves of Our Lady of Good Voyage Church told hundreds of people gathered at the harbor for the annual Blessing of the Fleet.
Referring to strict government regulations that some say have undermined the fisherman's livelihood, Alves said he prayed to God to help fishermen live "with dignity and assurance that a just wage will be theirs."
The fiesta began in 1927 to honor St. Peter, the Roman Catholic patron saint of fishermen. Yesterday marked the last of five days of celebration.
This year's fiesta featured carnival rides, boat races, and greasy pole contests.
While some complain that the festival has grown too commercialized, Gloucester residents at the events yesterday said the fiesta is still about tradition.
"For the people who have always lived here, it's a time for family," said Jeanne Smith, 67, who was sitting in a lawn chair by the harbor.
Her husband, Allyn, 65, said the number of fishing jobs has dwindled in recent years and dramatically changed the North Shore city where he and his wife both grew up.
"It's not fishermen alone; they're the beginning," he said. "And the end of it sweeps through the whole community. You take the whole thing and put it together, and it's very, very difficult for a lot of people."
A study prepared for the Massachusetts Fisheries Recovery Commission in 2006 said that fishing employment fell by 21.9 percent in Gloucester during the 1990s.
Despite the talk of troubling times, the city was in high spirits yesterday.
After a morning Mass, a religious procession wound from St. Peter's Park through the streets of Gloucester.
Men marched down Washington Street with statues of Sts. Peter and Mary hoisted onto their shoulders.
People shouted "Viva San Pietro!" as the statues floated past to the sound of trumpets and drums. Red rose petals and rainbow confetti littered sidewalks.
Children scooped spoonfuls of shaved ice as their parents carried paper plates that sagged under thick slices of pizza.
Even children spoke proudly of the festival.
At St. Peter's Park, sitting near a large, wooden altar and stage where Mass was said yesterday, 10-year-old Devon Muise reflected on the fiesta's purpose: "To celebrate St. Peter."
Muise, however, who lives in Sarasota, Fla., and comes to the fiesta every year with relatives who live in Gloucester, was not without a few complaints.
"There were more rides and games last year," he said.
Maddie Hanna can be reached at mhanna@globe.com. 