The "Shrine" rises again in the Fort honoring the St. Peter's Fiesta champs

The “Shrine” rises again in the Fort honoring the St. Peter's Fiesta champs highlights the return of a wall memorial at Felicia Oil celebrating winners of the St. Peter’s Fiesta Greasy Pole contest and seine-boat races. The display includes a tribute banner for the crew of the fishing vessel Lily Jean, which sank on Jan. 30 along with its seven-member team. The captain, Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, kept the boat at the Felicia Oil dock and is described as a beloved member of the Gloucester fishing fleet. The shrine also marks the broader Fiesta tradition, now in its 99th year in the nation’s oldest fishing port. It began in 2003, and was expanded over time with photos collected by Eric Spear, including a smaller version during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.