Another productive year under our belt, Il Regno reached one more modest milestone by surpassing a million visitors. We couldn’t have done it without the help of our friends and contributors who generously volunteer their time and energy to our little enterprise. Thank you one and all, we greatly appreciate your support and (as always) will continue our efforts to the best of our abilities.
Presenting Meridiunalata
We are very excited about our new bilingual Poesia Duosiciliano (Two Sicilies poetry) initiative. As expected, the first installment of Meridiunalata, featuring the Neapolitan poetry of Pino Rispo and the Calabrian of Ciardullo, was well received. In time, the project will grow in scope and, I'm confident, in popularity. In addition to translating poems into English, we thought it would be fun to render some American classics into Neapolitan. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe will be our first undertaking.
Upcoming Events
In addition to the many wonderful cultural and religious functions we support and participate in, we have several of our own planned for the upcoming year. Preparations are already underway for our 10th Annual Battle of Bitonto Commemoration in May and our 3rd Annual Traditional Latin Mass for the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel on September 29th. We are also thinking about organizing our 1st Annual Two Sicilies Poetry Reading, featuring the Neapolitan verse of Cav. Charles Sant’Elia and others. We will keep you posted on these and other exciting events as they develop.
Friday of Sorrows
Tomorrow night (Friday, March 23rd), in conjunction with the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, we are sponsoring the Second Annual Solemn High Latin Mass in honor of the Madonna Addolorata at Most Precious Blood Church in Little Italy, New York. The Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be celebrated at 7:15 PM by the Very Rev. Cav. Msgr. Joseph Ambrosio, Fr. Stephen Saffron, and Fr. Edmund Luciano. Confessions will be heard prior to Mass by Fr. Christopher Salvatori. Afterward, the Relic of the True Cross will be exposed for solemn veneration.
In addition to the Constantinian Order, invitations to participate have been extended to other Catholic Orders, including The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta and The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Maintenance Update
In our ongoing efforts to streamline and improve the overall quality of the site, we continue to edit content, delete redundant material and fix or remove broken links. With over three thousand posts to comb through, this exhausting, but necessary, overhaul has been taking much longer than we anticipated. We apologize for any inconvenience.
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| Carrying San Gennaro on Mulberry Street |
On a Personal Note
Once again, I had the great privilege of carrying the statues of San Rocco di Potenza and San Gennaro at their respective feasts in Little Italy, New York. For me, lifting the saint in a procession is an incredible honor and a uniquely exhilarating experience. Any devotee who has done so, understands what I mean. Luckily for me, I won’t have to wait very long to do so again, because I’ve been asked to carry the Madonna Addolorata at this year’s Good Friday procession and Santa Rita at her upcoming feast in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
Meeting HRH Princess Beatrice di Borbone–Two Sicilies at my friends Nicole and John Viola's wedding was definitely one of the more memorable moments of the past year. Her Highness was warm and gracious, and I am absolutely committed to serving her illustrious family.
On a somewhat lighter note, I was unexpectedly recognized by three different associations for my evangelism and cultural activism. In the span of five days last October, I received a certificate of appreciation from the Comitati Due Sicilie USA, an award from the Associazione Amici di Totò from Naples, and a plaque from the Associazione Culturale Pugliese Figli Maria SS. Addolorata. While my endeavors are done out of a sense of duty, not for personal accolades or financial gain, it’s nice to know they are appreciated by members of our community.
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| Crown of thorns and nails at St. Ephrem Church, Brooklyn, NY |
Lent
Intensifying my fast this year, I gave up all meat, pasta, bread and sweats for Lent. Except for missing San Giuseppe’s zeppole and sfingi, I found this to be surprisingly easy to do. I think next year I will also abstain from alcohol.
Trying to focus less on the terrestrial and more on the transcendent, I’ve included the Stations of the Cross and Eucharistic Adoration to my daily prayers and Rosary. This has been exceedingly rewarding.
Admittedly, where I’ve been the least successful has been my goal of making weekly confessions. Other than my own failing, I don’t have a valid excuse. As we approach Holy Week, I plan on correcting this hamartia on Reconciliation Monday, if not sooner. A friend (I hope jokingly) suggested I get a hair shirt, but I don't think I'm ready for that.
Pray Pal
Just a reminder, we are still accepting donations in the form of prayers. So 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.
Forza e onore!
Cav. John Napoli March 21st, the Feast of Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist
