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Original society statue of Sant'Agrippina inside St. Leonard's Church
Photos by New York Scugnizzo |
By Giovanni di Napoli
Waking early, I jumped on the T and made my way to Mike’s Pastry shop in the North End for an espresso and croissant. Normally I wouldn’t eat before Mass, but I was warned the day before it would be a long day and I didn’t know when I would get another chance.
Joining members of the Sant'Agrippina Society by the outdoor chapel on Hanover Street, we walked to Saint Leonard’s Church for High Mass. Father Santo, who was visiting from Mineo, Sicily, held the service in Italian. Afterward we returned to the chapel to begin the Grand Procession. Thankfully, the expected rain in the forecast never materialized.
The festivities began with a benediction by Father Santo. After the prayer, he kindly presented the society with a painting from Sicily depicting the spiritual link between Boston and Mineo.
Next came the ritual unveiling of the statue. Symbolizing her martyrdom, a red veil is placed over Sant'Agrippina’s head (she was beheaded). The shroud is lifted, much to the crowd's delight, signifying her ascent to heaven.
After a rousing rendition of the National Anthem by a talented young lady there was a short burst of fireworks. With all the formalities out of the way, the marching bands (there were three!) started playing and with much fanfare the Procession began.
For nearly nine hours we marched and danced our way through the streets of the North End. No small feat, I’m told the statue with its steel poles and stand weighs almost a ton. If carrying the litter-borne statue wasn't hard enough, the men occasionally bounce, run and dance with the saint. To my amazement, they even lifted the statue over their heads three reps at a time!
Periodically stopping for donations outside devotee's homes and local businesses, we also visited several other Italian American benefit societies. In a show of solidarity and friendship, at each stop the lifters would enter the club's chapel and pay their respects to the other saints with three cheers, finishing with their patroness (for example: Viva San Giuseppe! Viva San Giuseppe! Viva San Giuseppe! Viva Sant'Agrippina!).
Warmly received by all the societies, the Madonna Del Soccorso Di Sciacca Society (host of the famous Fisherman's Feast, Boston's oldest continuous Italian festival) had a nice spread prepared for the marchers. However, instead of resting the Meneni brought the party inside with them. Revelers ate and drank, while dancing and singing. I took this opportunity to visit the shrines of San Calogero and Madonna Del Soccorso.
The other societies also offered refreshments, but if they stopped to eat at each one the Procession would never have had enough time to make it back to the clubhouse before their permits expired. Needless to say, I met many friendly people from each society and was lucky enough to visit the shrines of Sant’Antonio, Santa Lucia, Santa Rosalia and San Giuseppe.
Energized, the lifters showed their appreciation by performing the phenomenal "Dance of 20 Men." Arms waving, they lift Santa Agrippina and, exhibiting great physical prowess, dance clockwise in an elliptical fashion.
As we neared the fairgrounds, giant wooden signs reading "100th" and "Viva" were set ablaze with flares. This was followed with some more fireworks. A large crowd gathered outside the chapel to watch the traditional tug of war between the front and back half of the litter. After two hard-fought contests, the back half was victorious.
Seemingly tireless, the men lifted the statue over their heads three more times. Society members then danced around the statue singing the Sant'Agrippina theme song (sung to tune of the Yellow Rose of Texas), to the cheers of the crowd.
Welcomed back to the clubhouse for a bite to eat, I mingled and shared a few laughs with the partygoers before returning to my guesthouse exhausted but happy.
I would like to thank all the members of the Sant'Agrippina Society for their hard work and dedication. What an honor it was to celebrate their centennial with them. Evviva Sant'Agrippina!
Waking early, I jumped on the T and made my way to Mike’s Pastry shop in the North End for an espresso and croissant. Normally I wouldn’t eat before Mass, but I was warned the day before it would be a long day and I didn’t know when I would get another chance.
Joining members of the Sant'Agrippina Society by the outdoor chapel on Hanover Street, we walked to Saint Leonard’s Church for High Mass. Father Santo, who was visiting from Mineo, Sicily, held the service in Italian. Afterward we returned to the chapel to begin the Grand Procession. Thankfully, the expected rain in the forecast never materialized.The festivities began with a benediction by Father Santo. After the prayer, he kindly presented the society with a painting from Sicily depicting the spiritual link between Boston and Mineo.
Next came the ritual unveiling of the statue. Symbolizing her martyrdom, a red veil is placed over Sant'Agrippina’s head (she was beheaded). The shroud is lifted, much to the crowd's delight, signifying her ascent to heaven.
After a rousing rendition of the National Anthem by a talented young lady there was a short burst of fireworks. With all the formalities out of the way, the marching bands (there were three!) started playing and with much fanfare the Procession began.
For nearly nine hours we marched and danced our way through the streets of the North End. No small feat, I’m told the statue with its steel poles and stand weighs almost a ton. If carrying the litter-borne statue wasn't hard enough, the men occasionally bounce, run and dance with the saint. To my amazement, they even lifted the statue over their heads three reps at a time!
Periodically stopping for donations outside devotee's homes and local businesses, we also visited several other Italian American benefit societies. In a show of solidarity and friendship, at each stop the lifters would enter the club's chapel and pay their respects to the other saints with three cheers, finishing with their patroness (for example: Viva San Giuseppe! Viva San Giuseppe! Viva San Giuseppe! Viva Sant'Agrippina!).
Warmly received by all the societies, the Madonna Del Soccorso Di Sciacca Society (host of the famous Fisherman's Feast, Boston's oldest continuous Italian festival) had a nice spread prepared for the marchers. However, instead of resting the Meneni brought the party inside with them. Revelers ate and drank, while dancing and singing. I took this opportunity to visit the shrines of San Calogero and Madonna Del Soccorso.
The other societies also offered refreshments, but if they stopped to eat at each one the Procession would never have had enough time to make it back to the clubhouse before their permits expired. Needless to say, I met many friendly people from each society and was lucky enough to visit the shrines of Sant’Antonio, Santa Lucia, Santa Rosalia and San Giuseppe.
Energized, the lifters showed their appreciation by performing the phenomenal "Dance of 20 Men." Arms waving, they lift Santa Agrippina and, exhibiting great physical prowess, dance clockwise in an elliptical fashion.
As we neared the fairgrounds, giant wooden signs reading "100th" and "Viva" were set ablaze with flares. This was followed with some more fireworks. A large crowd gathered outside the chapel to watch the traditional tug of war between the front and back half of the litter. After two hard-fought contests, the back half was victorious.
Seemingly tireless, the men lifted the statue over their heads three more times. Society members then danced around the statue singing the Sant'Agrippina theme song (sung to tune of the Yellow Rose of Texas), to the cheers of the crowd.
Welcomed back to the clubhouse for a bite to eat, I mingled and shared a few laughs with the partygoers before returning to my guesthouse exhausted but happy.
I would like to thank all the members of the Sant'Agrippina Society for their hard work and dedication. What an honor it was to celebrate their centennial with them. Evviva Sant'Agrippina!
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Father Santo presents the society with a painting
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The unveiling of Sant'Agrippina
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The Procession makes its way through the neighborhood
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Greater Boston Firefighters Pipes and Drums
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| Rose and Vincenzo show their support |
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| Italian American Band from Lawrence, Massachusetts |
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Guests of honor from Mineo, Sicily
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The North End Marching Band
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Sonny and Kelsi made votive "capes" to drape around the saint
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Devotees lower donations attached to ribbons from apartment windows
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Some devotees made votive "blankets"
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The Mazzaro family show their devotion
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Stacey wraps her family's votive offering around the saint
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| Some people are very creative with their donations |
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The ribbon girls were all smiles
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A new memorial wreath was placed for Edward Marino
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Members of the Santa Rosalia and Saint Joseph Societies brought out the statue of Santa Rosalia to greet Sant'Agrippina
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A close-up of Santa'Agrippina's relic
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They made it look easy
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Spirits were definitely high during the Procession
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Sonny and the gang imitate the adults
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The celebration carried on into the night
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The men give one final lift before returning the statue to the chapel
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