Celebrating the Third Sunday After the Epiphany and the Feast of St. Polycarp

Charles Coulombe with the Sanfedisti
Photos by New York Scugnizzo

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, infirmitátem nostram propítius réspice: atque ad protegéndum nos, déxteram tuæ majestátis exténde. Per Dóminum. 1

Sunday morning members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (Brothers of the Holy Faith) gathered at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 West 37th St.) in Manhattan for both the 9:00 am Tridentine Low Mass and the 10:30 am Tridentine High Mass for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany and the Feast of St. Polycarp. Our Pastor Fr. James Miara was the celebrant at both.

Instead of saying our customary prayers, between the Masses we browsed through a wide selection of olive wood religious products handcrafted in Bethlehem being sold in the narthex. Rotating from church to church, the money raised from selling these beautiful woodcarvings help support some 800 struggling Christian families living in the Holy Land.

A representative of Bethlehem Crafts selling his wares

Hand carved olive wood statues were on display

After Mass, we joined our fellow parishioners downstairs in Holy Innocents Hall for some fellowship and refreshments. While mingling with friends and discussing the logistics of our upcoming homeless walk, we were more than a little surprised to see the percipient author and “Off the Menu” podcaster Charles A. Coulombe stroll in off the street.

Joining us for coffee, Mr. Coulombe regaled us with a flurry of interesting factoids and anecdotes, with special emphasis on the Italian Risorgimento and Unification. Bypassing his Tumblr House taskmaster colleague Vincent Frankini’s stringent screening process, Charles happily answered all our questions free of charge. A quintessential gentleman, Charles was every bit as charming and personable as we imagined he would be.

Returning to Brooklyn, our celebratory luncheon at Joe’s of Avenue U (287 Avenue U) was a little more animated than usual. Warmly welcomed, our party was treated to another bountiful repast replete with Sicilian specialties, including patate e salsiccia, mista polpo e calamari, and sarde a beccafico, Sicilian sardines stuffed with raisins, pine nuts and breadcrumbs.

The Tumblr House mackerel has nothing on Joe’s sarde a beccafico

An all-around great day, the icing on the cake was getting to watch our beloved Napoli beat Juventus 2-1 at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples. Even though the Partenopei are already out of contention for the Scudetto, the hard-fought victory against our bitter rivals was a small reprieve in an otherwise forgettable season.

As an aside, there was a humorous moment before the match, when a young Neapolitan player escort (or child mascot) showed his displeasure at having to wear a Juventus jersey during the National Anthem. Clearly upset, the boy’s expression was priceless. Forza Napoli sempre!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, January 27th, Feast of St. John Chrysostom

Notes:
(1) O almighty and everlasting God, look mercifully upon our weakness: and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty to protect us. Through our Lord. ~ Collect