July 31, 2025

A Bridge Across the Sea: Congratulations to John Viola on the “Children of the Sea” Award

L-R: Silvana Mangione, John Viola, Germana Valentini, and Patrick O'Boyle
I would like to take a moment to offer my heartfelt congratulations to my dear friend John Viola, who was honored on Wednesday afternoon with the Children of the Sea Award—an accolade as meaningful as it is beautiful.

The award was presented during 
Figli del Mare award by Dante Mortet
"Children of the Sea: The Legacy," a moving event broadcast live from
 Red Sauce Studio in Little Italy, New York, and Naples, Italy. More than just a ceremony, it was a celebration of identity, belonging, and the enduring legacy of Italian migration and its living descendants. With moving testimonies from Italian Americans across generations, and the participation of Don Luigi from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the evening traced a powerful arc from the shores of departure to the streets of new beginnings.


The Children of the Sea AwardFigli del Mare—is a tribute to the millions of Italian emigrants who, sailing from the port of Naples, traced the route toward a new life in America. It is a recognition not only of individual merit, but of a collective journey—a bridge between two cities.

The award, crafted by internationally renowned sculptor Dante Mortet, was born from an idea by TV author and writer Germana Valentini and Laura Valente, artistic director of the Naples 2500 celebrations. The event was part of the "Al Faro" Festival, a livestream staged directly from Molo San Vincenzo, the historic dock in the port of Naples from which countless ships once departed for the United States.
Painting of a ship ticket superimposed over
the Bay of Naples by Lorenzo Mortet
At that very port, a powerful ritual once unfolded: as migrants departed, a loved one would hold one end of a ball of yarn while the ship slowly pulled away, the thread unspooling across the widening water. The thread would remain taut until it snapped—marking the painful severance of physical ties, while preserving the invisible bond of the heart. As the ship faded into the distance, the last images were often of San Gennaro and Mount Vesuvius, guardians of a beloved land left behind.

This tradition of the thread was movingly commemorated during the “Al Faro” Festival through a choreography conceived by Germana Valentini and performed in front of Castel Clinton in New York by dancer Elodie Fraga. The golden thread, used in the performance, was specially crafted by Dante Mortet. And it was with this very symbolic thread that, following the presentation of the Figli del Mare award, John Viola and Patrick O'Boyle stitched together two paintings by Lorenzo Mortet—one representing Naples, the other New York.
Painting of a ship ticket superimposed over the
New York City skyline by Lorenzo Mortet

Crafted with artistry and deep emotion, the award itself takes the form of an ancient ship ticket, rolled and shaped like a cartoccio—a paper cone from Italian culinary tradition. But instead of food, it holds something far more enduring: ideals, dreams, and sacrifices. It is the poetic embodiment of a journey that is not only geographical, but also spiritual.

The sculpture rests on a sea-blue base, representing that vast ocean threshold between old world and new—not as a divide, but as a connection. At its peak, a dove takes flight: a symbol of peace, purity, and the Holy Spirit, watching over those who once crossed, and those who inherit their courage.

That John received this honor is no surprise to anyone who knows him. His story, his work, his quiet strength—he embodies what it means to honor one’s roots while planting new ones.

John, your journey inspires. You remind us that heritage is not just something we inherit—it’s something we live, cherish, and pass on.

Bravo, my friend. This honor is richly deserved.

Feast of Sant’Ignazio di Loyola

Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, ora pro nobis

July 31 is the Feast of Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, priest, knight, mystic, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and great protagonist of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. One of the 52 co-patrons of Naples, he is also the patron saint of soldiers and spiritual retreats.

 

In celebration we’re posting a prayer to St. Ignatius Loyola. Pictured is Sant’Ignazio di Loyola in Gloria by Mattia Preti. Evviva Sant’Ignazio di Loyola!


Prayer to St. Ignatius Loyola


O Glorious Patriarch, St. Ignatius, we humbly beseech you to obtain for us from God above all things, freedom from sin, the greatest of evils. May your example inflame our hearts with an efficacious glory to God and the good of our neighbor; and obtain from the loving Heart of Jesus, our Lord, the crown of all other graces, the gift of final perseverance, and eternal beatitude. Amen.

Portiuncula Indulgence for the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels

Our Lady of Angels, ora pro nobis
From noon of August 1st until midnight of August 2nd, the faithful can gain a plenary indulgence applicable to themselves or the Souls in Purgatory under the usual conditions:

1. Be in the state of grace.
2. Confession (8 days before or after).
3. Holy Communion.
4. Prayers for the intention of the Pope (Our Father, Hail Mary & Glory be.)
5. And by visiting a cathedral, any parish church, or a Franciscan church, and there praying one Our Father and the Creed.

The Portiuncula is a small church located in a little town situated about three-quarters of a mile from Assisi and is officially known as Santa Maria degli Angeli.

The accompanying photo of Our Lady of the Angels was taken at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, before the 2017 renovation.

July 30, 2025

Our Blood Sold: A Blistering Indictment Based on Documentation, Not Nostalgia

“The problem we must solve is this: to help the revolution, but make it appear before Europe as a spontaneous act.” ~ Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour [1]

Enrico Fagnano’s Il nostro sangue venduto (Our Blood Sold) is a thorough and relentless exposé of betrayal, built not on speculation but on diaries, letters, and government records, including many authored by the very men who orchestrated the dismantling of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Unearthing uncomfortable truths from both Neapolitan and Piedmontese archives, Fagnano names names and cites sources. Admirals, generals, and even royal advisors emerge as compromised figures, not through sweeping claims but through their own words and their own accounts. The weight of evidence is both sobering and devastating.

“No one esteems and appreciates Garibaldi’s character and certain qualities more than I do; but when an army of 60,000 men is defeated, a kingdom of six million conquered, with the loss of eight men [the figures are obviously and intentionally fanciful], one should think that something unusual is going on—something not found everywhere—and not believe oneself therefore master of the globe.”[2]

Having done his homework, Fagnano does not call for blind loyalty to the Southern cause; he insists that history stop ignoring what actually happened. He presents a pattern of military betrayal, political bribery, and calculated surrender that extends beyond the battlefield and deep into the bureaucratic machinery of the new Italian state. “Numerous are the traces of the money that literally flowed in rivers,” he writes, “to buy over the subjects of the Bourbons and bring them to the side of the invaders.” This financial corruption (and moral bankruptcy), meticulously documented through archival evidence, becomes one of the central pillars of Fagnano’s indictment.

“Garibaldi’s exploits in the Two Sicilies have seemed so strange that his admirers have called them prodigious. A handful of young men led by a daring man defeats armies, takes cities by storm in a matter of weeks, seizes a kingdom of nine million inhabitants—and all this without ships and without weapons: never mind veni, vidi, vici! No Caesar compares to Garibaldi. And yet the miracles weren’t performed by him, but by the great General Nunziante and the other army officers who, to the eternal shame of the Neapolitan army, deserted their flag to rally under the enemy’s.” [3]

Despite the provocative title, the work does not wallow in self-pity or regional victimhood. It is a call for historical accountability, directed just as much at the South itself as at those who wronged it.

“If in the events of Sicily and Calabria Garibaldi at times saw the Neapolitan phalanx retreat before him, he never imagined this was due to any magical force attributed to him, nor the much-celebrated valor of the Thousand of Marsala. He saw and knew full well that it was the effect of the gold he lavished on a few army chiefs—shame of humanity—who, like modern Iscariots, for a handful of gold, sold the lives, blood, and honor of thousands of soldiers blindly entrusted to them.” [4]

Garibaldi, the so-called “Hero of Two Worlds,” knew he didn’t need military brilliance when betrayal had already cleared his path.

"He knew perfectly well that a thousand cannot defeat a hundred thousand, just as one cannot defeat a hundred.” [5]

For readers unfamiliar with what some have called the “other Risorgimento,” this text is an honest and unflinching introduction. For those already involved in these debates, it is a significant contribution. And for anyone who believes history should be faced honestly, with all its ugly facts included, Fagnano’s work is not just valuable—it is essential.


~ By Giovanni di Napoli, July 29th, Feast of San Lupo di Troyes


* Translations are my own.


Notes

[1] Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, in a letter sent on August 9, 1860 to Admiral Persano, recorded in the Private Diary.

[2] Massimo D’Azeglio, in a letter written to jurist Michelangelo Castelli (September 17th), later published in his Political Correspondence, edited by Luigi Chiaia, Roux, 1891).

[3] The Believed Miracle of Garibaldi, published anonymously on September 13, 1860, in the Turin newspaper Piemonte.

[4] Luigi Gaeta, in his military memoir, Nine Months in Messina (Luongo Press, 1862).

[5] Ibid.


The books by Enrico Fagnano, Gli Anni Impossibili, Il piemontesismo e la burocrazia in Italia dopo l’Unità, and La storia dell’Unità d’Italia are available at the Bottega2Sicilie website.

Novena to San Ciriaco di Roma

San Ciriaco di Roma, ora pro nobis

Pray novena to San Ciriaco di Roma for nine consecutive days, July 30th – August 7th, in preparation for the Feast celebrated on August 8th.

O glorious St. Cyriacus, mighty exorcist and intercessor, powerful in the struggle against rebel spirits, servant of God, deliver us from all evil and danger, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day.


Pray for us, O glorious St. Cyriacus, Martyr of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.

Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has glorified the most glorious Martyr and deacon St. Cyriacus, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him and your angels into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.


* The accompanying photo, courtesy of Anthony Scillia, was taken at St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish in Boston, Massachusetts. Evviva San Ciriaco di Roma!

Novena to the Fourteen Holy Helpers

Fourteen Holy Helpers, orate pro nobis
For private devotion, I'm posting the Litany of the Fourteen Holy Helpers to be recited for nine consecutive days, July 30th – August 7th, in preparation for the Feast celebrated on August 8th.*


Preparatory Prayer by St. Alphonsus Liguori

Great princes of heaven, Holy Helpers, who sacrificed to God all your earthly possessions, wealth, preferment, and even life, and who now are crowned in heaven in the secure enjoyment of eternal bliss and glory; have compassion on me, a poor sinner in this vale of tears, and obtain for me from God, for whom you gave up all things and who loves you as His servants, the strength to bear patiently all the trials of this life, to overcome all temptations, and to persevere in God's service to the end, that one day I too may be received into your company, to praise and glorify Him, the supreme Lord, whose beatific vision you enjoy, and whom you praise and glorify for ever. Amen.


Litany of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, queen of martyrs, pray for us.
St. Joseph, helper in all needs, pray for us.
Fourteen Holy Helpers, pray for us.
St. George, valiant martyr of Christ, pray for us.
St. Blase, zealous bishop and benefactor of the poor, pray for us.
St. Erasmus, mighty protector of the oppressed, pray for us.
St. Pantaleon, miraculous exemplar of charity, pray for us.
St. Vitus, special protector of chastity, pray for us.
St. Christophorus, mighty intercessor in dangers, pray for us.
St. Dionysius, shining mirror of faith and confidence, pray for us.
St. Cyriacus, terror of hell, pray for us.
St. Achatius, helpful advocate in death, pray for us.
St. Eustachius, exemplar of patience in adversity, pray for us.
St. Giles, despiser of the world, pray for us.
St. Margaret, valiant champion of the Faith, pray for us.
St. Catherine, victorious defender of the Faith and of purity, pray for us.
St. Barbara, mighty patroness of the dying, pray for us.
All ye Holy Helpers, pray for us.
All ye saints of God, pray for us.
In temptations against faith, pray for us.
In adversity and trials, pray for us.
In anxiety and want, pray for us.
In every combat, pray for us.
In every temptation, pray for us.
In sickness, pray for us.
In all needs, pray for us.
In fear and terror, pray for us.
In dangers of salvation, pray for us.
In dangers of honor, pray for us.
In dangers of reputation, pray for us.
In dangers of property, pray for us.
In dangers by fire and water, pray for us.
Be merciful, spare us, O Lord!
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord!
From all sin, deliver us, O Lord.
From Thy wrath, deliver us, O Lord.
From the scourge of earthquake, deliver us, O Lord.
From plague, famine, and war, deliver us, O Lord.
From lightning and storms, deliver us, O Lord.
From a sudden and unprovided death, deliver us, O Lord.
From eternal damnation, deliver us, O Lord.
Through the mystery of Thy holy incarnation, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy birth and Thy life, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy cross and passion, deliver us, O Lord.
Through Thy death and burial, deliver us, O Lord.
Through the merits of Thy blessed Mother Mary, deliver us, O Lord.
Through the merits of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, deliver us, O Lord.
On the Day of Judgment, deliver us, O Lord!
We sinners, beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou spare us, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou pardon us, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou convert us to true penance, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou give and preserve the fruits of the earth, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou protect and propagate Thy holy Church, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou preserve peace and concord among the nations, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou give eternal rest to the souls of the departed, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou come to our aid through the intercession of the Holy Helpers, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. George Thou preserve us in the Faith, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Blase Thou confirm us in hope, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Erasmus Thou enkindle in us Thy holy love, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Pantaleon Thou give us charity for our neighbor, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Vitus Thou teach us the value of our soul, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Christophorus Thou preserve us from sin, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Dionysius Thou give us tranquillity of conscience, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Cyriacus Thou grant us resignation to Thy holy will, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Eustachius Thou give us patience in adversity, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Achatius Thou grant us a happy death, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Giles Thou grant us a merciful judgment, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Margaret Thou preserve us from hell, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Catherine Thou shorten our purgatory, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of St. Barbara Thou receive us in heaven, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That through the intercession of all the Holy Helpers Thou wilt grant our prayers, we beseech Thee, hear us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord.

V. Pray for us, ye Fourteen Holy Helpers.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promise of Christ.

Let us Pray

Almighty and eternal God, who hast bestowed extraordinary graces and gifts on Thy saints George, Blase, Erasmus, Pantaleon, Vitus, Christophorus, Dionysius, Cyriacus, Eustachius, Achatius, Giles, Margaret, Catherine, and Barbara, and hast illustrated them by miracles; we beseech Thee to graciously hear the petitions of all who invoke their intercession. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, who didst miraculously fortify the Fourteen Holy Helpers in the confession of the Faith; grant us, we beseech Thee, to imitate their fortitude in overcoming all temptations against it, and protect us through their intercession in all dangers of soul and body, so that we may serve Thee in purity of heart and chastity of body. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Invocation of the Holy Helpers

Fourteen Holy Helpers, who served God in humility and confidence on earth and are now in the enjoyment of His beatific vision in heaven; because you persevered till death you gained the crown of eternal life. Remember the dangers that surround us in this vale of tears, and intercede for us in all our needs and adversities. Amen.

Fourteen Holy Helpers, select friends of God, I honor you as mighty intercessors, and come with filial confidence to you in my needs, for the relief of which I have undertaken to make this novena. Help me by your intercession to placate God's wrath, which I have provoked by my sins, and aid me in amending my life and doing penance. Obtain for me the grace to serve God with a willing heart, to be resigned to His holy will, to be patient in adversity and to persevere unto the end, so that, having finished my earthly course, I may join you in heaven, there to praise for ever God, who is wonderful in His saints. Amen.

* For more on the Fourteen Holy Helpers, Project Gutenberg offers a free ebook, Mary, Help of Christians and the Fourteen Saints Invoked as Holy Helpers, compiled by Rev. Bonaventure, O.F.M. It has instructions, legends, novenas and prayers, with thoughts of the saints for every day of the year.

July 29, 2025

Feast of San Lupo di Troyes

San Lupo di Troyes, ora pro nobis
July 29th is the Feast of San Lupo di Troyes (c.383-c.478), monk, wonderworker and Bishop of Troyes. He is renowned for combating Pelagianism in Britain and saving Troyes from Attila the Hun. San Lupo di Troyes is the patron saint of San Lupo in Benevento. 

In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to San Lupo. The accompanying photo of the bust of San Lupo, courtesy of Anthony Scillia, was taken at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in the Marion section of Jersey City, New Jersey. Evviva San Lupo di Troyes!


Prayer to St. Lupus of Troyes


O Glorious St. Lupus of Troyes, Bishop and Confessor, 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

Photo of the Week: Ivory Writing Box

Ivory Writing Box, South Italian, Amalfi, carved about 1100,
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by New York Scugnizzo

July 28, 2025

Feast of Santi Martiri Nazario and Celso

Santi Nazario e Celso, orate pro nobis
July 28th is the Feast of the Martyrs San Nazario and San Celso (Nazarius and Celsus), patron saints of Trivento (CB) in Molise and Frignano (CE) in Campania.

According to tradition, San Nazario was born in Rome to a well-to-do family; his father was a pagan (or Jewish) legionnaire and his mother was none other than St. Perpetua. Baptized by the future Pope St. Linus, he was a devout disciple of St. Peter.

Determined to spread the faith and save souls, San Nazario left the Eternal City and visited northern Italy and Gaul. Along his travels, young Celso was entrusted to Nazario and faithfully served as his assistant during his evangelizing mission.

Repeatedly running afoul with the pagan authorities, the companions were subjected to several tortures. Most famously, the two were to be drowned and cast overboard along the Ligurian coast. Instead of sinking, they miraculously stood up and walked on water. Suddenly a great storm whipped-up and the sailors begged Nazario and Celso to save them. Showing mercy to the would-be executioners, they safely sailed back to Genoa and continued their missionary work.

Nazario and Celso eventually went to their reward in Heaven during the reign of Emperor Nero. Around the year 56 they were beheaded for preaching in Milan. Centuries later, their uncorrupted bodies, including a vial of San Nazario’s blood, were discovered in a garden by St. Ambrose. Interred in the Basilica Apostolorum (eventually renamed San Nazaro in Brolo), St. Ambrose would later send relics of the saints to St. Paulinus in Nola, who greatly revered them.

In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to San Nazario and San Celso in Italian. The accompanying photo of St. Nazarius was taken at Saint Lucy’s Church in Newark, New Jersey. Evviva Santi Nazario e Celso!

Preghiera

A Santi Nazario e Celso

Gloriosissimi Martiri ed Apostoli di Gesù. Santi Nazario e Celso, che con animo invitto e singolare carità ci avete illuminato a conoscere il vero Dio e ci avete ammaestrato nella fede e nella religione di N. S. Gesù Cristo, fonte di vera civiltà e salvezza, venite in nostro aiuto e degnatevi di intercedere per noi. Ottenete ai pusillanimi vigoria di cristiana virtù e vivezza di fede, ai peccatori una vera contrizione delle loro colpe, ai giusti la finale perseveranza. Ascoltate le preghiere di chi ricorre al vostro valevole patrocinio e siate voi gli Angeli tutelari delle nostre famiglie. Deh fate, o invitti Martiri del Signore, che non venga meno nei nostri cuori la fede e l'amore a Gesù Cristo; che fermi ci manteniamo nel divino servizio e possiamo un giorno essere coronati con Voi nel S. Paradiso. Così sia.

Novena in Honor of the Transfiguration of Our Lord

Santissimo Salvatore, have mercy on us
Pray the novena in honor of the Transfiguration of Our Lord for nine consecutive days, July 28th to August 5th, in preparation for the Feast on August 6th.

First Day (July 28)

In the Transfiguration, heaven and earth meet, humanity and divinity, time and eternity. Give me the grace to see how powerful you are. You are master of the universe. If my prayer is not answered, it is not because you cannot do what I want but that you have a different and better plan for me. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Second Day (July 29)

The prophet Malachi promised that Elijah would return as a sign the Messiah had arrived. Elijah and Moses appeared with Christ in his Transfiguration. Open our eyes to see how you speak to us in history and throughout our lives. You always keep your promises. Help us learn to read the signs of the times. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Third Day (July 30)

Peter blurted out the first thing that came into his head, as we often do. Help me to keep a guard on my mouth: not to gossip or criticise, not to be hurtful or rude. Help me also to be careful if I tell other people how they should be living their lives. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Fourth Day (July 31)

Finally, Peter said, “Lord, it is good to be here”. Give me the grace to be with you and to be glad to be with you, trusting you with my life; to know I am not alone in life; that you love me and have a wonderful plan for me if I trust you. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Fifth Day (August 1)

At the Transfiguration, Jesus tried to prepare his disciples for the crucifixion. You tell us that if we want to follow you we should take up our cross; but we always hope that the cross will go away. Give me the courage to believe that you carry my cross with me and that it will not crush me. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Sixth Day (August 2)

In the Transfiguration there is a glimpse of your glory, a glimpse of your divine nature. Give me this grace: to see your power in my life and have a desire for holiness. Help me to believe I will not lose myself if I follow your teachings. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Seventh Day (August 3)

The disciples who saw your Transfiguration were terrified, but you told them to stand up and not to be afraid. Help me remember this. When life knocks me down and when I am afraid, help me to stand up and walk onward with you. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Eighth Day (August 4)

Moses and Elijah are living in the presence of Christ in the Transfiguration. All who face death with faith in you will live in your presence for ever. Help us not to fear death. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


Ninth Day (August 5)

As in eternal life I will see your glory, so at the resurrection of the dead I, too, will be glorified. This life is only a small part of my life in you. Help me to look forward in hope to heaven and to the resurrection of the dead. I ask you especially for [here name your intention]. Our Father – Hail Mary – Glory Be


* The accompanying photo of Santissimo Salvatore della Transfigurazione (Most Holy Savior of the Transfiguration), courtesy of Stephen La Rocca, was taken at St. Mary Magdalene dei Pazzi Church (712 Montrose St.) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

July 27, 2025

Feast of San Leucio d’Alessandria

San Leucio d'Alessandria, ora pro nobis
In San Salvatore Telesino (BN), the last Sunday in July is the Feast of San Leucio d’Alessandria, First Bishop of Brindisi, Missionary and Wonderworker. It commemorates the Saint's miraculous intercession during the 1656 plague epidemic in the Kingdom of Naples. San Leucio's liturgical memorial is celebrated on January 11.

Highly revered throughout Southern Italy, San Leucio is the patron saint of Atessa (CH), Rocca di Mezzo (AQ), Villavallelonga (AQ), San Leucio del Sannio (BN), Pietracamela (TE), and San Salvatore Telesino (BN). He is invoked against plague, drought and demonic possession.


In 1773 the utopian colony of San Leucio in Caserta was founded and named after the great Saint by King Ferdinando IV of Bourbon.


In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Leucius courtesy of the San Leucio Society of Paterson, New Jersey. Pictured is the Saint’s statue in San Salvatore Telesino. Evviva San Leucio d’Alessandria!


Prayer to St. Leucius


Eternal Father, I wish to honor St. Leucius, and I give You thanks for all the graces You have bestowed upon him. I ask You to please increase grace in my soul through the merits of this saint, and I commit the end of my life to him by this special prayer, so that by virtue of Your goodness and promise, St. Leucius might be my advocate and provide whatever is needed at that hour. Amen.

Feast of San Pantaleone

San Pantaleone, ora pro nobis
July 27th is the Feast of San Pantaleone, Doctor, Miracle Worker and Martyr. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, he is the principal patron of Ravello (SA), Vallo della Lucania (SA), Serrata (RC), Papanice (KR), and Montauro (CZ), among others. According to tradition, the Christian physician was beheaded during the Diocletian persecutions in Nicomedia (c. 305), and that a woman collected his spilled blood. The ampulla containing the saint's coagulated blood reached Ravello in the eleventh-century after a storm at sea miraculously transported the Basilian monks safeguarding the phial from the East to the Amalfi Coast. It is believed the relic chose the town for shelter. In Celebration, I’m posting an ancient prayer to San Pantaleone. The accompanying photo of the Martyrdom of San Pantaleone (1638) by Gerolamo Imperiali was taken during my 2010 pilgrimage to beautiful Ravello and its fabulous Duomo. Evviva San Pantaleone!
Prayer to San Pantaleone 
O San Pantaleone di Ravello, protector and advocate, pray to our God that frees us from sins, hunger, plague, wars and great chastisements in this world; save us out of pity! Our fate be blessed to have you as a protector. Let us have a good death our always defender. Amen.

July 26, 2025

Review of “La strage di Fagnano Castello (la Pontelandolfo Calabrese)”

Colonel Pietro Fumel
This powerful and impassioned article, posted earlier this month at altaterradilavoro.com (originally published at unpopolodistrutto.com in 2019), is a striking example of revisionist narrative that challenges the sanitized and selective accounts of Italian unification often taught in official histories.

Graphically recounting the story of the forgotten victims of the 1863 massacre at Fagnano Castello in Calabria, the author (in an unbroken block of text) presents the tragedy as representative of the repression, humiliation, and cultural erasure inflicted on the Duosiciliano people during and after the Risorgimento.

The invading Savoyard or neo-Italian army, in its attempt to suppress anyone who did not willingly accept the invasion and Italian oppression, decided to quell the uprisings of entire cities whose populations had dared to rebel against the abuse and arrogance of the conquering soldiers, and the fiscal oppression of the newly installed Italian politicians, already thoroughly scoundrels. Thus, they gave free rein to their basest instincts against defenseless populations with decapitations, torture, human burnings, and everything else that the imagination of these "heroes" could devise was turned into reality, giving rise to one of the countless inglorious chapters of the Italian army, incapable of defeating the strong and arrogant and brutal toward the weak. A chapter that historians stubbornly call the "Risorgimento," in hopeful expectation of a day when Italy, "defenseless, divided, humiliated, unfree, and powerless," would be reborn "virtuous, magnanimous, free, and united,"—but which, to this day, it still is not. The true history was censored not out of shame, but out of fear that Europe would discover that what was called a "war against brigandage" was nothing more than a dirty war of conquest, fought not against an equally armed army, but against an army of ragged peasants who only wished to defend what was theirs. Let us remember that even today, the army prohibits public access to its historical archives. It was a true and proper genocide, carried out under precise orders and committed against the peoples of southern Italy.

Refusing to pull punches or obscure the brutality, the article describes in horrifying detail the violent methods (executions, beheadings, and public terror) used by the invading Piedmontese forces, with special attention given to the bloodthirsty Swiss-born Colonel Pietro Fumel (1821–1886).

Following the disastrous unification of Italy, there arose a violent response from the people to the military occupation of the Kingdom, as everyone realized that the situation had drastically worsened. The invading army responded with its worst men, "the butchers," such as Col. Pietro Fumel, who was sent to Calabria (in the province of Cosenza) to suppress "brigandage." The repression carried out by Fumel was merciless, for he employed the most extreme methods to eliminate the partisans of the Two Sicilies, resorting to torture and terror without distinguishing between "brigands" and their supposed ‘supporters,’ and with complete disregard for even the most minimal legal or human guarantees. He decimated the bands of Palma, Schipani, Ferrigno, Morrone, Franzese, Rosacozza, Molinari, Bellusci, and Pinnolo. The executions ordered by Fumel took place in public squares and along roadsides. The victims were decapitated, and their heads impaled as warnings to those who supported or joined the “brigand bands.” Other corpses were thrown into rivers. In Cirò, on February 12, 1862, Fumel issued a proclamation on the resolution of the brigandage problem: “I, the undersigned, having been tasked with destroying brigandage, promise a reward of one hundred lire for every brigand, dead or alive, brought to me. This reward will be given to any brigand who kills a comrade; his life will also be spared. Those who, in defiance of orders, offer refuge or any other means of subsistence or aid to the brigands, or who, having seen them or knowing their hiding place, do not inform the troops and the civil and military authorities, will be immediately executed by firing squad. All uninhabited rural huts must be unroofed and their entrances bricked up within three days. It is forbidden to transport bread or other provisions beyond municipal residences, and anyone disobeying this order will be considered a brigand accomplice.”

The article also denounces the public honors later bestowed on Fumel despite international outrage:

Fumel’s brutal methods aroused the indignation of European public opinion, and, pushed mainly by protests from both the Italian and British parliaments, the government eventually decided to remove him from office. Victor Emmanuel II, another coarse butcher, defended Fumel’s actions and awarded him the silver medal for military valor. But far more serious was the gratitude of the turncoat southern liberals, who granted him honorary citizenship in three Calabrian towns: Roseto Capo Spulico and Amendolara in 1862, and San Marco Argentano in 1863. Fumel later stayed in Rome, hoping to be appointed senator for life by the Savoyard sovereign, but the devil, three years after the massacre, summoned him to join his most loyal collaborators, and he died before he could hope to receive the appointment.

The pairing of Fagnano with Pontelandolfo (as noted in the title) is particularly impactful because the latter is a more universally recognized site of repression following unification. It also makes clear that these were not isolated incidents. Part of a broader campaign of conquest and colonization, Southern identity, language, and autonomy were systematically dismantled by a new ruling elite often ignorant of or hostile to the South.

And yet, these soldiers, their monarchs, and their politicians—many of whom did not even know the rest of the Peninsula and spoke almost exclusively in French—are still spoken of as liberators of the southern people from oppression, or as Italian patriots concerned with the fate of their southern "brothers" under the foreign yoke of the Bourbons, who were themselves almost all born in Naples and who, in addition to Italian, had always spoken Neapolitan fluently.

More than blind regionalism, the article offers a compelling appeal to historical memory. Not only does it recount the past, it also urges readers to confront and recognize its consequences, from mass emigration to lasting cultural alienation. Evocative, impassioned, and at times raw, it directly challenges the historically biased Northern narrative of Italian unity.

The echo of this edict reached even London, where Member of Parliament Lord Alexander Baillie-Cochrane declared that "a more infamous proclamation had never dishonored the worst days of the Reign of Terror in France." Even his closest collaborator, Officer Auguste de Rivarol, was appalled by Fumel’s actions, to the point of recording his thoughts on the colonel’s atrocities in his memoir Nota storica sulla Calabria. Deputy Giuseppe Ricciardi stated before Parliament on April 18, 1863: "This Colonel Fumel boasts of having had about three hundred people shot—brigands and non-brigands alike." Even the Garibaldian butcher of Bronte, Nino Bixio, admitted: "A system of blood has been inaugurated in Southern Italy," and many other army commanders distanced themselves from Fumel’s decisions. But he came most prominently (and infamously) into the public eye in the winter of 1863 due to the execution of around one hundred citizens of Fagnano Castello deemed brigands by the armed forces. Were they all brigands? Certainly, many were defenseless poor peasants; of the 27 citizens officially recorded as executed, death certificates have been found showing they included respected figures of the Fagnanese community, such as a former mayor and notary, as well as a few landowners. Yet the dreaded Colonel Fumel also served another function, indirect but no less significant: through his fierce and undeniably effective repression of "brigands" and their "supporters," he certainly helped swell the migratory tide from the Two Sicilies—crushed by poverty, occupation, and fear (informants, betrayals, brutal police actions, and general hostility and dread toward that remote yet ever-threatening entity, the new Savoyard government)—to the Americas.

Blending lamentation with fierce indictment, this account will undoubtedly prove jarring for the faint of heart, particularly effete bourgeois academics and ideologues. Seeking to rouse readers from passive indifference, it brings long-suppressed memories and injustice to the fore.

In Fagnano Castello in 1863, one hundred people were massacred in a single day. More than 152 years later, on August 16, 2015, Fagnano commemorated the victims of that absurd Piedmontese barbarity with a plaque in their honor, in the hope that it might at least bring some solace to those poor souls. Now that we know our history, we have a moral and identity-bound duty to fight to restore our connection to our homeland—an identity that was torn, dismembered, and dishonored the moment the Garibaldian and Savoyard invasion occurred.

In sum, La strage di Fagnano Castello is a valuable contribution to the growing body of literature seeking to recover the suppressed stories of Southern Italy. Both a historical reckoning and a moral appeal, it is an urgent call to remember, reflect, and rebuild a sense of identity torn apart by bayonets, lies, and indifference. A must-read for anyone interested in post-unification history, subaltern memory, and the long shadows of state violence.


~ By Giovanni di Napoli, July 25th, Feast of San Giacomo Apostolo


* Translations are my own

Feast of Sant’Anna

Sant’Anna, ora pro nobis
July 26th is the Feast of Sant'Anna, Mother of Mary, patroness of housewives, pregnant women, mothers and grandmothers. Widely venerated across Southern Italy, she is the principal patron of Caserta (CA), Monte San Giacomo (SA), Ischia Ponte (NA), Bacoli (NA), Lettere (NA), Boscotrecase (NA), and Vernole (LE), among others. In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer to Saint Ann. The accompanying photo was taken at Saint Andrew Avellino Roman Catholic Church (35-60 158th Street) in Flushing, Queens, New York. Evviva Sant'Anna!
Prayer to Saint Ann
Good Saint Ann, you were especially favored by God to be the mother of the most holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Savior. By your power with your most pure daughter and with her divine Son, kindly obtain for us the grace and the favor we now seek. Please secure for us also forgiveness of our past sins, the strength to perform faithfully our daily duties and the help we need to persevere in the love of Jesus and Mary. Amen.

A Prayer in Memory of Blessed Fr. Jacques Hamel

Born Nov. 30, 1930 — Martyred July 26, 2016
Blessed be the Martyrs, who through their sacrifice, give glory to the Most High God! Blessed be the blood they shed, uniting them with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! May the Martyrs be welcomed into the Heavenly Kingdom. Blessed be God, who gives courage to all men! May we, too, finish the race and not lose our souls. Blessed be the families of Martyrs, whose hearts have been pierced with sadness. May they be comforted by the Holy Spirit. Blessed be the witness of the Martyrs! May their courage confound the darkness and lead souls to Christ! Blessed be the courage of the Martyrs! May their example embolden and prepare the hearts of others who will soon face their mortality. Blessed be the Martyrs, now and forever! Blessed be God, now and forever! Amen.

July 25, 2025

Feast of San Giacomo il Maggiore

San Giacomo il Maggiore, ora pro nobis
July 25th is the Feast of San Giacomo Apostolo, also called James the Greater, son of Zebedee, to distinguish him from James the Lesser, son of Alphaeus. Widely venerated across Southern Italy, he is the principal patron of Monte San Giacomo (SA), Calvizzano (NA), Casalnuovo di Napoli (NA), Cicala (CZ), Fuscaldo (CS), Pietrapertosa (PZ), Roccamandolfi (IS) and Capizzi (ME), among others. Invoked against rheumatism and bad weather, he is also the patron saint of pilgrims, wayfarers, knights, soldiers, grocers, pharmacists, hatters and hosiers. 

In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer to Saint James the Apostle. The accompanying photo, courtesy of Anthony Scillia, was taken at the Santuario di San Giacomo Apostolo Maggiore in Capizzi, Sicily. Evviva San Giacomo il Maggiore!

Prayer to Saint James the Apostle

O glorious Apostle, St. James, who by reason of thy fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus to be a witness of His glory on Mount Tabor, and of His agony in Gethsemane; thou, whose very name is a symbol of warfare and victory: obtain for us strength and consolation in the unending warfare of this life, that, having constantly and generously followed Jesus, we may be victors in the strife and deserve to receive the victor's crown in heaven. Amen.

Feast of San Cristoforo Martire

San Cristoforo Martire, ora pro nobis
July 25th is the Feast of San Cristoforo Martire, patron saint of pilgrims and travelers. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, San Cristoforo is invoked against storms and the plague. Widely venerated across Southern Italy, he is the principal patron of Ricigliano (SA), San Cristoforo (SA), Moscufo (PE), Valguarnera Caropepe (EN), and Giuggianello (LE), among others. 
In celebration, we're posting a prayer to St. Christopher. Pictured is a statue of the Saint carrying the Christ Child from my private makeshift shrine. Evviva San Cristoforo!

Prayer to St. Christopher
Dear Saint Christopher, protect me today in all my travels along the road's way. Give your warning sign if danger is near so that I may stop while the path is clear. Be at my window and direct me through when the vision blurs from out of the blue. Carry me safely to my destined place, like you carried Christ in your close embrace. Amen.