Feast of Sant’Atanasio il Grande

Sant'Atanasio il Grande, ora pro nobis

May 2nd is the Feast of Saint Athanasius the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Widely venerated across Southern Italy, he is the principal protector of Santa Sofia D’Epiro (CS), Firmo (CS), Bellante (TE), and Cellino Attanasio (TE), among others. 

In celebration, we're posting a prayer to St. Athanasius. The accompanying photo of reliquary was taken at Saint Athanasius Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Evviva Sant'Atanasio il Grande!

Prayer to St. Athanasius

Father, you raised up Saint Athanasius to be an outstanding defender of the truth of Christ’s divinity. By his teaching and protection may we grow in your knowledge and love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Remembering the Dos de Mayo Uprising in Madrid

The Charge of the Mamelukes or The Second of May 1808 by Francisco de Goya

In remembrance of the May 2nd Uprising of Madrid against Napoleon in 1808, we offer a prayer to the brave and loyal people of Spain who fought and died for Dios, Patria, Fueros y Rey. ¡Viva la Contrarrevolución!

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Rogation Day at St. Mary of Mt. Virgin Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey

Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker

San Giuseppe, ora pro nobis

May 1st is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, spouse of the Blessed Mother and foster father of the Infant Jesus. He is also honored on March 19th. In addition to being the protector of the family and Universal Church, St. Joseph is invoked against Communism and for the grace of a happy death. As his title indicates, he is also the patron saint of workers, and it is his patronage of working men and women that is celebrated today. 

In celebration, I'm posting St. Pius X's prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker. The accompanying photo was taken at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Belleville, New Jersey. Evviva San Giuseppe!

Prayer to Saint Joseph the Worker

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my many sins; to work with thankfulness and joy, considering it an honor to employ and develop, by means of labour, the gifts received from God; to work with order, peace, prudence and patience, never surrendering to weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having always death before my eyes and the account which I must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch Joseph. Such shall be my motto in life and death. Amen.

Festa dei Serpari — Feast of the Snake Handlers

San Domenico Abate, ora pro nobis

Every year on May 1st (formerly the first Thursday in May), the Serpari, or snake-handlers of Cocullo, a small mountain village in the Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, dress a wooden statue of San Domenico Abate with snakes outside his shrine. After mass, the statue, with its reptilian shroud, is paraded through the village by a throng of euphoric pilgrims and the curious. In less squeamish times the reptiles were killed, but today they are released back into the wild. His feast day is celebrated on January 22nd. 

Stemma di Cocullo

San Domenico, the abbot of Foligno, was a renowned healer, especially of toothaches. He is also credited with building several monasteries in the region and protecting the people from wolves and snakes, a common motif symbolizing Christianity's triumph over paganism. He is also invoked against hail storms and fever.

Some believe the snake ritual dates back to pre-Christian times when the local Marsi tribes worshiped the telluric snake-goddess Angitia, daughter of Aeëtes, who taught the art of medicine to her devotees. The snake, among other things, is an ancient symbol of healing. Consider the serpent entwined Rod of Asclepius, the staff of the ancient Greek god of medicine and healing still used today by medical institutions.

In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to San Domenico Abate. The accompanying photo of the saint comes courtesy of Made in South Italy Today. Evviva San Domenico Abate!

Prayer to San Domenico Abate

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the examples of San Domenico Abate may effectually move us to reform our lives; that while we celebrate his festival, we may also imitate his actions. Look upon our weakness, almighty God, and since the burden of our own deeds weighs heavily upon us, may the glorious intercession of San Domenico protect us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Next Enrollment Window to Help Convert Your Loved Ones

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Feast of Santa Caterina da Siena

Santa Caterina da Siena, ora pro nobis

April 30th is the Feast of Santa Caterina da Siena (1347-1380), Virgin, Mystic, Stigmatic, Dominican tertiary, and Doctor of the Church. Invoked against fire, sickness, sexual temptation, and miscarriages, she is also the patron saint of nurses, firefighters and those who are derided for their faith. In 1999, along with St. Gertrude of Sweden and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St. Edith Stein), she was proclaimed co-patroness of Europe by St. Pope John Paul II, thus joining St. Benedict of Nursia, and Saints Cyril and Methodius as the continent's special protectors. In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. Catherine of Siena for expectant mothers. The accompanying photo was taken at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Franklin Square, Long Island. Evviva Santa Caterina da Siena!

Prayer to St. Catherine of Siena for expectant mothers

Humble virgin and Doctor of the Church, in thirty-three years you achieved great perfection and became the counselor of Popes. You know the temptations of mothers today as well as the dangers that await unborn infants. Intercede for me that I may avoid miscarriage and bring forth a healthy baby who will become a true child of God. Also pray for all mothers, that they may not resort to abortion but help bring a new life into the world. Amen.

Feast of Beato Benedetto da Urbino

Beato Benedetto da Urbino, ora pro nobis

April 30th is the Feast of Bl. Benedict of Urbino, Capuchin Priest. In celebration, we’re posting a prayer and petition from a Papal Zouave on February 10th, 1867, asking for the intercession of Bl. Benedict of Urbino, who had just been beatified by Bl. Pope Pius IX on January 15, 1867.

O thou who art now so glorious in Heaven, be not selfish in the midst of thy felicity! I expect a miracle at thy hands, for thy power is only equalled by thy compassion. Look down on a poor Zouave who has to fight and struggle, as thou didst during thy life on earth; make me a chaste and worthy soldier of Christ, detach me from this world, in order that I may be united to God. I desire to love the cross now, that I may win Heaven hereafter.

Bl. Benedict of Urbino, Pray for us!

By Brendan Cassell (Papal Zouave History @PapalZouaveUS)

John Rao's Latest Lecture, "Let the Spirit of the Times Be Damned!," is now Available on Soundcloud

The most recent lectures are available for free via Soundcloud.

A Look at the 1° Reggimento Re at the Real Sito di Carditello in Caserta

Photos courtesy of Angela Cuccillato (28 April)

Review: Briganti

Spoiler alert! I repeat, spoiler alert! If you haven’t already seen Netflix's Brigands: The Quest for Gold, this review will definitely spoil it for you. Do not read beyond this point.

Io sono un principe italiano illegalmente spogliato del suo potere, è qui l'unica casa che mi è rimasta, qui è un lembo della mia patria, qui sono vicino al mio Regno ed ai sudditi miei… vengono chiamati assassini e briganti quegli infelici che difendono in una lotta diseguale l'indipendenza della loro patria e i diritti della loro legittima dinastia. In questo senso anche io tengo per un grand'onor di essere un brigante! ~ Re Francesco II delle Due Sicilie (durante la permanenza in esilio nello Stato Pontificio) [1]

Not surprisingly, I have little good to say about Netflix’s new Italian ahistorical drama Briganti. Released on St. George’s Day (Tuesday, 23 April 2024), the six-episode miniseries tells the fanciful tale of the struggle between bands of brigands and occupying Piedmontese soldiers in Southern Italy looking for pilfered Bourbon gold. Buried somewhere in the “Badlands” of Basilicata two years after Garibaldi’s invasion of Sicily, the fabled treasure map unexplainably ends up in the possession of Don Clemente Degli Orti (Gianni Vastarella), a wealthy (and exceedingly violent) collaborator with the nascent Italian state.

As someone who enjoys period pieces, I thought the sets, scenery, and costumes were fantastic, though I’m not sure how authentic some of the firearms were. The one main exception to this is the cheering townspeople in the final episode. Dressed with heavy eye makeup, dyed beards, and braids, the menfolk looked a little too much like Captain Jack Sparrow from The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2017) for my taste.

(L-R) Giuseppe Schiavone (1838-1864), Carmine Crocco (1830-1905),
and Filomena Pennacchio (left) with two other female freedom fighters

To their credit, the filmmakers mostly steered clear of the current darkened cinema trend (e.g. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (2023)) and the bright sunny colors of the Southern Italian countryside and picturesque traditional folk costumes shine through beautifully.

Perhaps, at times, a little too much in the case of Michelina Di Cesare (Matilda Lutz). While eye-catching, the crimson dress and warpaint she wore in the season’s penultimate episode was more than a little over the top. Standing on the “altar” of a ruined church with ciborium and bucranium she looked like a savage Amazon more suitable for Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto (2006) or George Miller’s upcoming Furiosa (2024) than the famed Brigantessa her character was supposedly based off of.

Top: Matilda Lutz as Michelina Di Cesare. Bottom: (L-R) Anya Taylor-Joy (Furiosa, 2024) and Charlize Theron (Fury Road, 2015) as Imperator Furiosa 

Replete with sex and violence, the storyline was very formulaic and predictable, not to mention vulgar and obscene. For example, Pietro (Orlando Cinque) voicing his plans for the Monaco Gang in mid-coitus with his wife Ciccilia (Ivana Lotito) was silly and unnecessary. The same goes for the gratuitous “outing” of the artist used to paint the propaganda posters for the "Council of Terra di Lavoro." It was irrelevant and detracting. 

Even more ludicrous was the sex scene with Filomena (Michela De Rosa) and Giuseppe Schiavone (Marlon Joubert), aka Sparrowhawk (Sparviero). After protecting her from being raped by their cellmates, the battered and bloody “Murderess” and “Curse,” as she is often called, seduces him in the cage next to the sleeping prisoners and guards.

Since they aren't following the true story of Filomena and Giuseppe, I don’t understand why he didn’t just kill her when they were forced to fight each other to the death by the bloodthirsty Stonebreaker Gang (Spaccapietre). It was totally out of character for the self-serving double-dealing cad to sacrifice himself for her, especially when, as it turned out, he was really in love with another woman the whole time.

Alas, we already know the reason why. Predictably, in season two, Giuseppe's girlfriend will betray him and he will end up with Filomena.

(L) Michelina posing with guns. (R) "Aiming higher," Briganti's Michelina
posing for a portrait dressed as the Blessed Mother with a rifle

Dressing and painting the tattooed brigand chieftess as the Blessed Mother to capitalize on the fervent religiosity of the people also seemed unnecessarily irreverent and unwarranted. As far as I am aware, there were only photos of the real-life Michelina bearing arms to help incite rebellion. Later, the Piedmontese took pictures of her naked and battered corpse to dishonor her memory and strike fear in the hearts of the people they were "selflessly liberating." The pictures also showed that she dressed more modestly and was not covered with tattoos like some common trollop.

(L) Michelina with a bouquet of flowers. (R) The Piedmontese's handiwork

While I think it is always good to shine a negative light on the Risorgimento and Italian Unification, the show romanticizes the scummiest aspects of brigantaggio, which truly had nothing to do with the loyalist uprisings that took place in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies after the Northern conquest. Briganti was a derogatory term meant to demean and delegitimize the cause of the Bourbon die-hards. The two phenomena were purposely conflated at the time to undermine support for the resistance. Unlike today, where it was reappropriated as a badge of honor, the legitimists back then never referred to themselves as “Briganti.” Nor for that matter did they refer to themselves as “Southerners.” They were proud Duosiciliani (Neapolitans, Sicilians, Calabrians, etc.).

The more I think about the show, the more confusing and inane I find it. The storyline is dumb and the writing is terrible. Why would Don Clemente marry lowly Filomena, an orphaned peasant girl beneath his station and whom he has nothing but contempt for? Why would he murder Filomena’s friend over a cup of water and then throw his wife into a well? If the water was so valuable, why would he risk contaminating the cistern with his wife’s body? None of it makes any sense.

I know I focus a lot on Michelina, but Filomena De Marco is the story's main protagonist. Her character is based on Filomena Pennacchio (1841-1915)

Considering the relative ease Murillo (Federico Ielapi) secretly met with General Fumel’s (Pietro Micci) daughter Lissandra (Alida Baldari Calabria) and enter their domicile, why didn’t the brigands kidnap and ransom them? Why would the general risk bringing his daughter south in the first place? Why didn’t they just sneak into his home and assassinate him? If the real resistance was this inept, it is no wonder they lost the war.

During the big battle scene outside the church, why didn’t Michelina retreat with everybody else when they made off with the gold? Declaring, “We want victory,” she foolhardily advances toward the general and gets shot and captured. I get her wanting to kill Fumel, but while lying on the ground wounded her very next line was, “We have already won.” [!?!] If that was the case, then why didn’t she flee?

Even crazier, is why the briganti didn’t just open fire on the soldiers standing guard. Not only did they allow them to get into position, they let them shoot first. [!?!] A barbarous occupational force, the Piedmontese had no qualms about murdering innocent civilians or burning whole villages to the ground. For heaven’s sake, they collected severed human heads for Lombrosian experiments, so the hesitancy to obey their general’s command to shoot the populace was one of the most historically inaccurate parts of a series glutted with inaccuracies.

(L-R) The corpses of Nicola Napolitano, executed "Briganti," and Ninco Nanco

I could go on and on [I cut about a third of the review], but let me wrap this diatribe up with the most glaring problem with the show. This, of course, is the omission of all the socio-political aspects of the popular resistance to the Piedmontese invaders. The “Briganti” were legitimists fighting for their true King, SG Francesco II (1836-1894). They fought tooth and nail for their native land, traditional way of life, and faith. They were not, as portrayed by the show, revolutionaries or feminists, and they certainly weren’t motivated solely by greed and lust for gold.

Mindful of their poor track record and today’s progressive climate, I never really expected Netflix to air a good show. We also saw the way Pasquale Squitieri’s far superior and much more accurate Li Chiamarono…Briganti (They called them Brigands) was received and suppressed in 1999. Other than affording us the opportunity to discuss the lawless period, there is little value in the show. In fact, Briganti's one saving grace is the rendition of Brigante Se More by Gennaro “Raiz” Della Volpe, which serves as the series theme song. Maybe I’m being overly critical, but not since Amazon’s abhorrent Rings of Power (2022) have I sat through something this awful.

~ Giovanni di Napoli, April 28, Feasts of St. Vitalis of Milan and St. Paul of the Cross

Notes:

[1] I am an Italian prince illegally stripped of his power, here is the only home I have left, here is a corner of my homeland, here I am close to my Kingdom and my subjects...those unfortunates who defend in an unequal struggle the independence of their homeland and the rights of their legitimate dynasty. In this sense, I also consider it a great honor to be a brigand! ~ King Francesco II of the Two Sicilies (during his stay in exile in the Papal States)

Feast of San Severo di Napoli

San Severo di Napoli, ora pro nobis

April 29th is the Feast of San Severo di Napoli, Bishop (363-409), Confessor and Miracle worker. Credited with founding several churches in Naples, including the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore, San Severo also built the monumental Battistero di San Giovanni in Fonte, the oldest baptistery in Western Christendom. It is often alleged he had San Genaro’s relics translated from Pozzuoli to the catacombs of Naples, but that honor actually belongs to Giovanni I, the city’s fourteenth Bishop.

According to an eleventh century account of the saint’s life, San Severo brought a dead man back to life to save his wife from an unscrupulous creditor. Threatening a poor widow and her young children with slavery, the man claimed her deceased husband put them up as collateral for a loan. Unable to convince the man to reconsider, San Severo brought him and several witnesses to the late husband’s sepulcher, and raised him from the dead. Confronted by the husband, the fraudster was forced to admit he lied about the debt and quickly made himself scarce.

Together with the Madonna del Soccorso and San Severino Abate, he is the patron saint of San Severo in Provincia di Foggia, Apulia. 

In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. Severus of Naples. The accompanying photo, courtesy of Andrew Giordano, was taken at the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta in Napoli. Evviva San Severo di Napoli!

Prayer to St. Severus of Naples

O Glorious St. Severus of Naples you served God in humility and confidence on earth, now you enjoy His beatific vision in Heaven. Help me to strengthen my faith and protect me in conflict. Obtain for me the grace to live a holy life, so that one day I may join you in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen

Novena & Consecration to San Michele Arcangelo

The Archangel Michael smiting Lucifer, 16th century painting by Giovanni Angelo d'Amato da Maiori, Duomo di Ravello, Campania. Photos by New York Scugnizzo

Pray Novena to San Michele Arcangelo for nine consecutive days, April 29th to May 7th, in preparation for the Feast of the Apparition on May 8th.

Consecration to St. Michael

St. Michael the Archangel, invincible prince of the angelic hosts and glorious protector of the Universal Church, I greet thee and praise thee for that splendor with which God has adorned thee, especially to remain faithful when Lucifer and his followers rebelled, and to battle victoriously for the honor of God and the divinity of the Son of Man.

St. Michael, I consecrate to thee my soul and body. I choose thee as my patron and protector and entrust the salvation of my soul to thy care. Be the Guardian of my obligation as a child of God and of the Catholic Church as again I renounce Satan, his works and pomps. Assist me by thy powerful intercession in the fulfillment of these sacred promises, so that imitating thy courage and loyalty to God, and trusting in thy kind help and protection, I may be victorious over the enemies of my soul and be united with God in Heaven forever. Amen.

San Michele Arcangelo by Renato Rossi,
1931, Vietri sul Mare, Salerno

Novena Prayer

St. Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His people, I turn to thee with confidence and seek thy powerful intercession. For the love of God, Who made thee so glorious in grace and power, and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to hear my prayer. Thou dost know the value of my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts me. I desire to imitate thy loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and thy great love for God and men. And since thou art God's messenger for the care of His people, I entrust to thee this special request: (Here mention your request).

St. Michael, since thou art, by the will of the Creator, the powerful intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in thy prayers. I earnestly trust that if it is God's holy will, my petition will be granted.

Pray for me, St. Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs. Through thy powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy death and reach Heaven where we may praise and love God with thee forever. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

A Look at the Napoli Ottocento Exhibit On View at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome

Reclining Woman Reading, Gioacchino Toma, c.1880
Photos courtesy of Cav. Danny Toma

A small sampling of the fantastic exhibit, "Napoli Ottocento" taking place at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome until mid-summer. If you are anywhere around Rome before July, take the time to see this! There is much, much more!

Rosina, John Singer Sargent, 1878

Country Road - A Hot Day in Sicily!, Francesco LoJacono, 1877

The Iconoclasts, Domenico Morelli, 1855

A Wall in Naples, Thomas Jones, c.1782

A View of Naples through a Window, Franz Ludwig Catel, 1824

View of Naples from Sant'Antonio a Posillipo, Ercole Gigante, 1840

The Painter's Studio in Naples, Massimo D'Azeglio, c.1827

View of Mergellina, Silvestr Feodosievich Shchedrin, 1826

Capri, Karl Theodor Boehme, 1896

Aurora Borealis Effect, Salvatore Fergola, 1848

Riviera di Chiaia from Mergellina, Anton Smink van Pitloo, 1829

Eruption of Vesuvius from the Maddalena Bridge, Pierre-Jacques Volaire, 1782

Photo of the Week: Neck-Amphora of the Aphrodite Painter, 340-330 B.C., Archaelogical Museum of Paestum

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

May Crowning at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Shrine in East Harlem, New York

28 aprile 2024, IV Domenica dopo Pasqua: S. Messa cantata nel Santuario di San Gaetano, ore 11.30

www.messatridentinanapoli.com

Feast of the Madonna Incoronata

Madonna Incoronata, ora pro nobis

The last Saturday of April is the Feast of the Madonna Incoronata (Our Lady Crowned), an ancient tradition dating back to the beginning of the 11th Century A.D. In celebration, I'm posting Praise to the Queen of Heaven (Salvi Rigina), a traditional Marian prayer from Prayers and Devotional Songs of Sicily, edited and translated by Peppino Ruggeri.(1) The accompanying photo was taken at St. Rocco's Church in Glen Cove, New York.

According to tradition, the Count of Ariano got lost while hunting in the forest near the River Cervaro in Foggia, Puglia. He took refuge in a nearby cottage when the woods turned unusually dark. At dawn the Count noticed a bright light shining through the trees. Drawn to the mysterious radiance, the Madonna appeared before him wearing a magnificent crown and levitating above a large oak tree. She revealed a statue of the Black Madonna perched in the branches. Awestricken, the Count promised to build a chapel to house her miraculous image.

Soon after, a shepherd named Strazzacappa, who was grazing his oxen close by, was also drawn to the light. Immediately recognizing the vision as the Blessed Mother, the humble herdsman set up a makeshift votive lamp with his caldarella in her honor beneath the tree. It is said that the oil was not consumed by the flame.

The Count fulfilled his vow and news of the miracle spread far and wide. The shrine quickly became a popular destination for devotees and those making the pilgrimage to the nearby Sanctuary of the Archangel Michael at Monte Sant'Angelo in the Gargano peninsula. Today, after several renovations, the Basilica Santuario Madre di Dio Incoronata is a major religious center visited by thousands annually. The Black Madonna and a branch from the oak are still on display. Ave Maria.

Praise to the Queen of Heaven

Hail to you Mary, Mother of Mercy
Life, sweetness, and spring of joy
In you we trust when in trouble or pain
To you we come when we are in tears
In affliction your comfort we obtain.

Hear our pleas, our sweet defender
Virgin Mother with all sorrow laden
To our God you prayers direct
Because our actions have no effect
The door of paradise open to all
When death for comes to call. Amen. 

(1) Prayers and Devotional Songs of Sicily, edited and translated into English by Peppino Ruggeri, Legas 2009, p.139