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| Stephen LaRocca at the San Rocco Feast in New York City |
By Giovanni di Napoli
Stephen LaRocca is an attorney and senior partner at the New York law firm of Stephen LaRocca, PLLC. He is very active within New York City’s Italian American community; giving lectures, participating in cultural events and supporting many charities. Stephen is the president of the Saint Rocco Society of Potenza, Inc., a mutual aid society, which performs important charitable services as well as organizes several cultural and religious functions, including the annual Feast of San Rocco at Saint Joseph’s Church (5 Monroe Street) in Manhattan. He was generous enough to share some of his thoughts about the Feast and his work with the readers of Il Regno.
What does the San Rocco Feast mean to you?
The San Rocco Feast means everything to me. Firstly, it allows me to demonstrate my love and devotion to my beloved patron, St. Rocco and secondly, to preserve and reaffirm the beauty and dignity of our Southern Italian way of honoring Saints. St. Rocco and his feast are central to my definition of myself.
The San Rocco Feast has the reputation of being one of the more traditional Feasts in New York City, what makes this so?
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| Keeping tradition |
We have tried to preserve the traditional customs prevalent in all Southern Italian feasts and processions at the time of the great Italian immigration. I can be a bit difficult and unwavering because I firmly believe that there is only one way to conduct a feast; the original way.
We still carry the statue on our shoulders for the entire procession; money is pinned to the statue and stops are made for anyone wishing to approach the statue and venerate St. Rocco. A live band leads the procession as well as “u cinte” or candle house built by my dad, Sal LaRocca. “Vows of Wax”, voti di cera, images of various human body parts representing St. Rocco’s healing are still carried through the streets, as well as oversized candles by various devotees.
Sadly, some of these customs have even disappeared in Italy; yet, they are “going strong” in New York City.
Obviously with the gradual disappearance of Southern Italian neighborhoods, the Feasts have dwindled in size and in many cases completely disappeared; to what do you attribute the persistence of certain Feasts, especially in areas that are no longer predominately Italian?
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| Voti di cera |
I believe that certain feasts survive where others don’t due to a number of factors. Feasts that celebrate Saints widely venerated throughout Southern Italy have a better chance of surviving because they draw devotees from the entire Southern Italian community. Saints particular to one or two towns often lose their hold due to intermarriage with people who do not share that particular town of origin and the passage of time.
In addition, organizing a feast, however small, is a challenging and time consuming effort which in today’s hectic world, is often impossible for those individuals who in the past, were able to perform the necessary tasks.
Why not move the celebrations to areas where Italian Americans now live?
I am usually against moving. The feasts are often the only memory of our dynamic presence in an area. Moving erases all traces of our history in that area.
In addition, our traditional neighborhoods are usually more accessible by public transportation and can draw wide areas of our “recent” diaspora to the suburbs.
Have you seen a renewed interest in the Feast in recent years? If so, what do you think are the reasons for this?
Our people yearn for the lived Mediterranean spirituality, the peasant religion of our ancestors. Often, through Americanization and the passage of time, we have lost this. But once reintroduced or “reminded”, our people will once again flock to our feasts.
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| Devotees carry the u cinte |
What are your biggest obstacles in keeping the tradition alive?
The biggest obstacle is ignorance and complacency. If you don’t understand the meaning of the Saint and how his/her feast should be celebrated, you won’t have an interest. Sausage and peppers, although lots of fun, cannot be your reason for attending a true feast.
Secondly, people are no longer accustomed to sacrifice — it’s easier to go to the beach than to dedicate time to a Saint.
A common complaint I hear from the various societies is the lack of youth in their ranks. How do you think this problem should be approached?
Youth need to be educated and taught that the Saints are very real and will help you in every day life. I have seen many a lukewarm person fall passionately in love with a Saint after experiencing a miracle.
What can we look forward to at future San Rocco Feasts?
You can look forward to bigger and better processions with even greater participation. St. Rocco loves his children and will keep drawing them to Lower Manhattan each year for many years to come. Viva San Rocco!!!
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You can contact Stephen S. LaRocca - Society President at Stephen@Stroccosociety.com
