At Castel Gandolfo, the Boat Procession in Honor of Our Lady of the Lake
On Saturday evening, August 30, a procession of boats lit with hundreds of candles and adorned with countless flowers glided across the waters of Lake Castel Gandolfo (Albano). This evocative scene was part of the traditional nighttime procession on the lake in honor of the Virgin Mary, which since 1954 has drawn many faithful.
During the procession, the statue of Our Lady was carried aboard a boat, escorted by a flotilla of vessels and accompanied by hymns and prayers. Some devotees chose to accompany the rite by swimming, while others followed from the lakeside road, accompanied by a marching band.
Earlier in the evening, novices of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians had led the Rosary in the Church of Our Lady of the Lake, and Father Tadeusz Rozmus, pastor of the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo, celebrated Mass.
On the morning of Sunday, August 31, the Castelli Romani motorcycle rally took place, starting from the lakeside church. The event brought together motorcycle enthusiasts for a moment of prayer and spiritual reflection. In his homily, the Bishop of Albano, Monsignor Vincenzo Viva, offered a particularly meaningful description, comparing the imperfections of motorcycles to signs of human frailty: "If you look closely at your motorcycles, especially those that are a few years old, you will surely notice that they, too, have scars. Scratches on the fairing, a dent in the tank, a scrape here or there... In the end, what are these scratches and dents? They tell the story of our human frailty. Our falls. Our imperfections as individuals and families. Our shortcomings, and at times even our pettiness. Yet these dents also speak of our ability to rise again and start anew, time and again."
After the Eucharistic celebration, the motorcyclists paraded along the lakeshore, concluding the procession with a floral offering in honor of the Virgin Mary.
AThus concluded the event in honor of Our Lady of the Lake, which filled Castel Gandolfo with two days of spirituality and rich tradition. Organized by the Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova in collaboration with the local tourism board, with contributions from the Lungolago Association and the support of the municipal administration, the celebration brought together parishioners, residents, visitors, and civil, religious, and military representatives.
This tradition, initiated in 1954 by Father Dino Sella to mark the Marian Year proclaimed by Pope Pius XII, is deeply rooted in popular devotion. The Church of Our Lady of the Lake, consecrated on August 15, 1977, at the initiative of Pope Paul VI, remains one of the area’s most striking spiritual landmarks.
