MULLICA BLESSING OF THE RIVER

From the Press of Atlantic City, 6/12/2010. Lee Procida, Staff Writer.

More than 100 nearby residents gathered Saturday morning under a tent at one of the most historic burial grounds in the state for the ninth annual blessing of the Mullica River.

In a ceremony filled with song, scripture and some local lore, people honored the region’s heritage and the flowing water that is such a big part of it.

“We just take all of this so much for granted,” said the Rev. Neal Dante as he blessed the wreath that would be later thrown into the creek behind him.

The event was first organized in 2002 by the St. Mary’s in the Pines Cemetery Committee, a loosely organized group of concerned residents in the Sweetwater section of the township who wanted to restore the aged graveyard where Jackson and Pleasant Mills roads meet.

“Nobody was taking care of it and it bothered me,” said Al Kuehner, a member of the committee.

The sign hanging by the entrance dates the place to 1827, and many of the gravestones are too faded to read the names of the people buried there long ago.

In between those graves, lies the foundation of the church that once stood there, what Kuehner said was the first Catholic church south of Trenton.

Members of the N.J. Civil War History Association came dressed in Civil War uniforms, presenting the U.S. and state flags in honor of Flag Day, which is Monday, giving a short lesson on the origins of each and later firing a three-gun salute.

Local historian Budd Wilson then gave a speech about the history of the Pleasant Mills area of the township, tracing the important figures who were instrumental in the area’s founding.

After the St. Martin de Porres Parish Choir sang a traditional hymn honoring the waterway, Dante asked each person there to touch the wreath sitting at the end of the tent, hoping it would both bless them and have their blessings as well.

The wreath itself — assembled of honeysuckle, bittersweet, Weymouth blueberries, prickly pear cactus and other locally grown, organic flora — was designed not to harm the river itself, explained committee member Ron Lischak.

Pastor Raymond Schmeling, of the Pinelands United Methodist Church, took the garland and brought it down to the water, down and vegetated hill that the rest of the crowd had already navigated.

He took it in both hands, gave it a heave and a spin and it hit the current with barely a noise.

“Just like a Frisbee,” he turned and said with a laugh.