Terra, Sangue, Mare Announce April Tour Dates

michelamusolino.com/shows

John T. La Barbera and Villa Palagonia at Classic Quiche Cafè in Teaneck, New Jersey

Music Inspired by Sicily and Southern Italy

Classic Quiche Cafè
330 Queen Anne Road
Teaneck, NJ 07666

Cover: $10

Food & Drink Minimum: $10 (BYOB)

Doors open at 7:00 PM, Music at 7:30 PM

Set One: John T. La Barbera (Mandolin, Guitar, Chitarra Battente, and More!) with Jennifer Stigliani Bowen, vocals

Set Two: Villa Palagonia (Joe Ravo, Guitar & Allison Scola, Vocals & more)

Please call for reservations to secure your table: 201-692-0150

For more info visit http://villa-palagonia.com/

Via Crucis – The Way of the Cross 2016

Bensonhurst’s Good Friday Procession of the Dead Christ

A few early birds gather outside St. Bernadette's
Photos by New York Scugnizzo

Thousands marched through the streets of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, this Good Friday (March 25th) in the annual Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, candlelight procession commemorating the Passion of Christ. Led by The Most Reverend Bishop Paul Sanchez, members of several Italian American societies and congregations participated, including Saint Athanasius, Saint Dominic, Regina Pacis, Saints Simon and Jude, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Finbar, Saint Mary Mother of Jesus, Saint Bernadette and Saint Frances Cabrini.

Carrying banners, crosses, and statues of the Madonna Addolorata and the Dead Christ, devotees recited prayers and sang hymns during the nearly two-hour-long procession. Fortunately, we were blessed with terrific weather.

Rotating between the churches, this year Saint Mary Mother of Jesus had the honor of hosting the Benediction and prayer service. Bishop Sanchez concluded the outdoor ceremony in English and Italian with a solemn blessing with the Relic of the True Cross.

Before leaving, flowers from the statues were distributed among the women and children. We said our goodbyes and boarded our charted bus back to our parish.

I offer my heartfelt thanks to the organizers for a job well done. Special thanks to John Cordi and the Holy Name Society of Saint Bernadette for their hard work and dedication. As always, it was an honor to march with them.

Christ the Redeemer adorned with flowers

The Madonna Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows)

The Knights of Columbus served as Honor Guard

Devotees carry the statue of the Dead Christ through the neighborhood

Not far behind the Dead Christ, participants carry Our Lady of Sorrows

Members of the Italian-American Apostolate of St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Parish

Members of the Holy Name Society of Saint Bernadette

Members of St. Dominic's Church

Members of the St. Frances Cabrini Society of Brooklyn

Members of Gruppo Italiano Sant'Atanasio (G.I.S.A.)

Members of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Members of Santa Rosalia Regina Pacis

Red Mike Festival Band

Thousands gather outside St. Mary Mother of Jesus Church for the prayer service

Teaching the young our faith and traditions

Venerating our Lord and Savior

Also see: 
• Via Crucis – The Way of the Cross 2015
• Via Crucis – The Way of the Cross 2014

Grazie Easter Bunny!

The Easter Bunny must love me, he brought me Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke, the debut CD Rhythms & Roots by Villa Palagonia (featuring Joe Ravo & Allison Scola), a Napoli fridge magnet, & Strega torrone!

Pasquetta – Little Easter 2016

In commemoration of the risen Christ's meeting (and subsequent dinner) with his disciples on the road to Emmaus, a small town outside Jerusalem, southern Italians celebrate Pasquetta, or Little Easter. Traditionally, family and friends would pack a lunch and take a short trip to the shore or countryside in remembrance of Christ’s journey. Because Easter Monday is not a national holiday here in the States and people have to work, its not always easy to organize a group outing. Nonetheless, I still try to keep the tradition whenever possible, even if it is by myself. Not letting the dreary weather deter me, I filled my picnic basket with a few Easter leftovers, some light reading material, and my sketchpad (in case inspiration strikes), and headed off to a dry, peaceful location to reflect on my many, many blessings. Buona Pasquetta!

Also see:
• Pasquetta – Little Easter 2015
• Pasquetta – Little Easter 2014

Photo of the Week: Cristo Redentore di Maratea

Christ the Redeemer of Maratea on top of Monte San Biagio, Potenza, Basilicata. Standing 72 feet high, the Redeemer is one of the largest statues in Europe. Designed by Bruno Innocenti (1906-1996), it was completed in 1965.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Giordano

Holy Thursday Church Visitation and The Altar of Repose

The Altar of Repose inside the Shrine Church of St. Bernadette
Photos by New York Scugnizzo

By Giovanni di Napoli

After Holy Thursday’s evening Mass at the Shrine Church of Saint Bernadette in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, I joined some friends on their annual pilgrimage to venerate the Blessed Sacrament at Saint Francis Cabrini Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and Saint Finbar Church in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. 

Growing up, Church Visitation was not part of my family’s Holy Thursday tradition, but it remains a fairly common custom among practicing Italian Catholics. Needless to say, I was honored to be invited and jumped at the opportunity to partake in the edifying ritual.

Each church had its own beautifully decorated Altar of Repose, which in southern Italy represents the Holy Sepulcher, or Christ’s tomb. At each one, we made a donation, lit a few candles and said our prayers. In keeping with tradition, my friends also made offerings of potted wheat sprouts grown in the dark. Called sepulcru, the pallid plants symbolize life born in darkness and the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.

I’m extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate and experience something new. I look forward to doing it again next year and making the rite part of my own tradition.

The Altar of Repose inside St. Francis Cabrini Church

Pietà inside St. Francis Cabrini Church

The Altar of Repose inside St. Finbar

Feast of Saint Nikon of Sicily

March 23rd is the Feast Day of Saint Nikon (d. ca. 250) and the 199 disciples who suffered martyrdom under Quintilian, the governor of Sicily

Book Presentation and Signing with Karen Haid, Author of “Calabria: The Other Italy”

Sunday, April 3 at 2 PM

Italian Cultural Society, Sacramento
6821 Fair Oaks Blvd.
Carmichael, California 95608

Calabria attracts today’s visitors with stunning landscapes, spectacular ancient art and mouthwatering culinary traditions. International award winning author Karen Haid spent four years living, working and traveling in Calabria. Join us at the Italian Cultural Center for her illustrated presentation introducing the beauties and wonders of this fascinating region at the heart of the Mediterranean.

Karen Haid's book Calabria: The Other Italy captures the essence of contemporary Calabria and Southern Italy, exploring daily life, culture, history, the arts, food, society and tourism. “An intoxicating blend of humor, joy, and reverence” (Publisher’s Weekly), the nonfiction narrative is “part history, part travel guide, part memoir—and as informed and informative as it is engaging and entertaining, making it very highly recommended for general readers.” (Midwest Book Review)

Calabria: The Other Italy will be available for purchase and signing. Admission $10 - refreshments included. More information about the event: http://www.italiancenter.net/

More information about the book on the author's website and blog: http://www.calabriatheotheritaly.com/

A Prayer for Brussels

St. Gudula, Patroness of Brussels, pray for us

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of the March 22nd Islamic State terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium. May Saint Joseph, Saint Michael, Saint Hubert, and Saint Gudula protect and watch over you.

A Prayer to St. Joseph, patron Saint of Belgium

Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. Amen.

Also see: Solidarité

Celebrating Our Seventh Anniversary

Highlights include (top) becoming a board member of the St. Rocco Society of Potenza in NYC; meeting the Royal Family of the Two Sicilies during the Investiture Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral; venerating the first class relic of St. George at Holy Innocents Church in NYC; (bottom) translating the statue and first class relic of San Vincenzo Martire di Craco to Most Precious Blood Church in Little Italy, NYC; organizing our annual commemoration of the Battle of Bitonto; and carrying the statue of San Gennaro on his Feast Day in Little Italy, NYC 

Seven years ago today we launched our group blog, a collaborative effort between like-minded individuals passionate about the history, heritage, and culture of southern Italy and her diaspora communities. Warmly received, our readership continues to increase, as does our ambition to grow and improve. Over these years I’ve learned a lot, met so many interesting people (e.g. the Royal Family of the Two Sicilies), and made several new friends along the way. The experience has been very rewarding, much better than I could have ever imagined! Thank you to everyone who had a hand in this grand adventure of ours.

Name Change

To our readers who have inquired about the recent changes to our website, I would like to take this opportunity to assure you that our mission has stayed the same. We remain an information and opinion blog devoted to our ethnos. The reasons for the change were simple. The old name caused some confusion and unintentionally suggested we were affiliated with the Grécistes in France, which we are not. We also felt the new name was a little more apropos in respect of our target audience. As sticklers for accuracy have repeatedly told me, not all southern Italians are descended from Magna Greacia, but all are descended from il Regno. Obviously, no disrespect was meant to our Greek and Grécistes friends, who remain an important and valued source of inspiration to us and our cause.

Technical difficulties

Unfortunately, it seems after seven years I’m still not as web savvy as I would like to be. An unforeseen downside to changing names meant all our internal links were broken due to the new URL. We are painstakingly working on fixing this problem, but it’s taking longer than expected. We appreciate your patience during this process and apologize for any inconvenience.

Pray Pal

On a different note, we are now accepting donations in the form of prayers. If you like what we do and want us to continue doing it, please say a prayer for us. Your generosity and thoughtfulness are greatly appreciated.

Have a Blessed Holy Week and joyous Easter. Buona Pasqua!

Sicilian Music Night With Michela Musolino at Mercy College

Wednesday, March 23, 2016 6:30pm

Mercy College

555 Broadway
Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

Maher Hall Conference Room,
1st Floor For Sicilian Music Night with singer and folklorist Michela Musolino

For further information please contact Dr. Alan G. Hartman, Program Head of Modern Foreign Languages, at AHartman@Mercy.edu or 914-674-7229

Free and Open to the Public

Photo of the Week: Portal of the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo

Grazie mille Andrew Giordano for sharing your wonderful photo of the Portal of the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo, Napoli

Brief Excerpts From “Scholia To An Implicit Text” by Nicolás Gómez-Dávila

Rereading Nicolás Gómez-Dávila's (1913-1994) Scholia To An Implicit Text,* I felt compelled to share a few of his aphorisms, which he simply called sentences. Since I cannot reprint the entire book here, I settled on a few select quotes to give our readers a small taste of the profound thought and originality of this great reactionary thinker and writer. I highly recommend this book.

The reformers of society persist today in decorating the cabins of a sinking ship. (p. 83) 

Modern education yields intact minds into the hands of propaganda. (p. 87) 

Modern artists are so eager to be different from one another that such eagerness groups them into a single species. (p. 101) 

A leftist Catholic is right when he discovers in the bourgeois the rich of the parables, but lapses into error when he identifies the militant proletariat with the poor of the Gospel. (p. 113) 

To distract people while exploiting them, foolish despotisms choose circus fights, whereas sly despotisms prefer electoral contests. (p. 119) 

Progress is ultimately reduced to taking away from man what ennobles him in order to sell him cheap what debases him. (p. 137) 

Liberalism has not fought for the freedom of the press but for its irresponsibility. (p. 161) 

The illiterate were eliminated, only to multiply the ignorant. (p, 179) 

A reactionary does not long for the vain restoration of the past but for the unlikely breach between the future and this sordid present. (p. 183) 

The modern world shall not be punished. It is the punishment. (p. 195) 

Hierarchies are heavenly. In hell, all are equal. (p. 203)

Even though we are forced to yield to the stream of collective nonsense sweeping us along, let us not allow it to melt us into its mire. (p. 213) 

I do not belong to a perishing world. I prolong and transmit a deathless truth. (p. 223) 

Freedom is the right to be different—equality is its forbiddance (p. 263) 

The true reactionary is not a dreamer of bygone times but a hunter of sacred shadows upon the eternal hills. (p. 265)

And finally, just to poke a little fun at myself:

Who quotes an author shows that he was unable to assimilate him (p. 105)

* Scholia To An Implicit Text by Nicolás Gómez-Dávila, Bilingual Selected Edition, Villegas Editores, 2013 

Terra Sangue Mare’s NYC Debut CD Release Party

Michael Delia, Michela Musolino and Fabio Turchetti

Tuesday, April 5 (7 PM–10 PM)

The Music Room by Clara Aich
218 East 25th Street
New York, NY 10010

Terra Sangue Mare invites you to join them in celebrating the release of their eponymous debut CD at their favorite spot in New York City, The Music Room by Clara Aich. The band will play selections from their new CD and invite you to stay after the show for a tasting of Sicilian dishes they've prepared for you themselves!

Terra Sangue Mare is pleased to announce they'll be joined by Special Guest Artist from Prague, Petr Nikl.

CDs will be available for purchase that evening.

Tickets $25.00

Available at eventbrite.com

For more information visit Terra Sangue Mare’s NYC Debut CD Release Party on Facebook

A Look at the 2016 Festa di San Giuseppe in Paterson, New Jersey

Evviva San Giuseppe! 
Photos courtesy of Anthony Scillia

Thank you Tony for sharing your wonderful pictures of la Festa di San Giuseppe at St. Gerard Majella RC Church with us. It looked like a terrific day and everyone had a great time. 

Congratulations to our friends at the San Giuseppe Santa Croce Camerina Society for another successful feast. They do a great job preserving our cultural and religious traditions. Special thanks to the Knights of Columbus from the Joseph F. Lamb Council for their much appreciated support. Evviva San Giuseppe!

Check out the latest Tweets from Anthony Scillia at Tony Mangia (@TonyMangia) | Twitter or visit his personal blog At the Table with Tony or follow him on Instagram

The Joseph F. Lamb Assembly 4th Degree Color Corp

The Tony Neglia Band getting ready for the procession

The Santa Croce Camerina Society's Tavola di San Giuseppe

Our pal Tony looking sharp in his full
Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Color Corp Regalia

(Above and below) The auction of the Sicilian delicacies
on La Tavola di San Giuseppe was a huge success 

Delicious macaroni & meatballs for lunch

(Above and below) Zeppole di San Giuseppe

Also see:
• A Look at the 2015 Feast of San Mauro Abate in Hazleton, Pennsylvania
• A Look at the 2015 Festa della Madonna del Sacro Monte at Holy Face Monastery, Clifton, New Jersey