A project underway at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel received a special blessing Feb. 10. Father Cristiano Brito, parochial vicar at St. Gregory the Great, Virginia Beach, went to the bridge-tunnel, which links Hampton Roads with the Eastern Shore of Virginia, for the blessing.
The 20-mile bridge-tunnel allows drivers to cross the lower Chesapeake Bay along Route 13. Work is underway on the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project, which will construct a two-lane northbound tunnel under the Thimble Shoal Channel.
Jorge Vasquez, the tunnel construction manager of Dragados USA, the company contracted to build the new tunnel, contacted St. Gregory the Great about the blessing. After the blessing, the workers carried the statue to the cabin of the boring machine, where it will remain during the project. Once the tunnel project is complete, the image of Saint Barbara will be placed permanently inside the tunnel.
Father Cristiano blessed the image of Saint Barbara, then had the honor of turning on the drilling machine before the statue was transferred to the cabin of the machine. Father Cristiano blessed the workers and prayed for their protection. A company spokesperson said approximately 80% of the workers are Hispanic and the blessing is a mostly Spanish tradition. Many of the workers approached Father Cristiano after the group blessing to receive a personal blessing. Father Cristiano also blessed the boring machine and the tunnel.
In addition to being the protector of miners and tunnel workers, Saint Barbara, an early Greek martyr, is also the patroness of artillerymen, architects and sailors, as well as protector against storms, lightning, fire and sudden death.