Special mission in the Gulf: memorial honors those lost at sea

A watermark ceremony has deep meaning for one Coast man, the Christian Deepwater Mafia and a group that builds inshore and offshore fishing reefs off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. News 25’s Caroline Eaker explains the significance of Friday’s events and how it is expected to draw worldwide attention.
Glenn Camplejohn and fellow members of the Christian Deepwater Mafia spearfishing group launched out on a mission Friday morning. They didn’t walk on water, but glided instead to meet Jesus, a statue of Christ, arms outstretched aboard a barge near Horn Island. “My mom passed away and I kept looking at that statue ever since she had and I wanted to put it maybe at the cemetery, but it was too big to be put out there. you know, so I had the idea to put a statue here for Mississippi. So, we are going to call it the Christ of Mississippi,” said Camplejohn.
The crew lowered the seven foot statue of Christ along with a weathered fishing vessel, all in memory of Camplejohn’s late mother and to honor the memory of those lost at sea.
This idea is modeled after the Christ of the Abyss statue that sits in a coral reef in Key Largo, Florida. “Christ of the Abyss is a great place to dive. People come from all over America and the country actually to go down there and see that statue and dive with it. People have been married down there at the statue and it’s all over the place. It’s a really great thing down there so this is going to be great for tourism here for divers that want to come down and see our Christ of Mississippi,” said Camplejohn.
The Christian Deepwater Mafia has also teamed up with the Mississippi Gulf Fishing Banks, or MGFB, hoping this will turn into a popular attraction and tourist spot, reeling in donations and sponsorships for the MGFB after the group lost its public funding.
While Jesus rose again on the third day in the Bible, this group says you can count on this Jesus to stay put. “If somebody wants to come out here and take down our Jesus statue, they are going to have to deal with the mafia.”
The statue broke to pieces before they could drop it, but organizers say they plan to try it again with another statue in the near future.