Feast of Sant'Elena della Croce, Madre di Costantino

Sant'Elena della Croce, ora pro nobis

August 18th is the Feast of Sant'Elena della Croce, Equal to the Apostles, Discoverer of the True Cross, great benefactress of the Church, Empress dowager and mother of Saint Constantine the Great. She is the patroness of Casapesenna in the Province of Caserta.

According to tradition, in 326 A.D. she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem after a dream revealed the site of Our Savior's tomb at Golgotha. There she discovered the remains of the True Cross and the nails used to crucify Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As maintained by St. Gregory of Tours, on a treacherous voyage across the Adriatic, St. Helen cast one of the nails into the sea, thus calming its rage and making passage across its tempestuous depths less hazardous for seafarers.

The Feast should not be confused with that of Sant’Elena di Laurino, which is also celebrated on August 18th.

In celebration, I'm posting a Prayer to St. Helen. Pictured is my makeshift shrine dedicated to la Madre di Costantino. Evviva Sant'Elena della Croce!

Prayer to St. Helen

Holy and blessed Saint Helen, With the anguish and devotion with which You sought the Cross of Christ, I plead that You give me God’s grace To suffer in patience and labors of this life, So that through them and through Your intercession and protection, I will be able to seek and carry the Cross, Which God has placed upon me, So that I can serve Him in this life and enjoy His Glory ever after. Amen.

Photo of the Week: Wayside Shrine to San Rocco in Pisticci, Matera in Basilicata

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Feast of San Gioacchino

San Gioacchino, ora pro nobis

August 16th is the Feast of San Gioacchino (St. Joachim), father of the Blessed Virgin Mary and husband of Sant’Anna. Patron saint of spouses, parents and grandparents, he is co-patron of Vernole, Lecce with his wife Sant'Anna. The great Patriarch is also one of the 52 co-patrons of Naples. In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. Joachim. The accompanying photo was taken at the now-closed Saint Joseph's Church (5 Monroe Street) in New York City. Evviva San Gioacchino!

Prayer to Saint Joachim

O great and glorious Patriarch, Saint Joachim, what joy is mine when I consider that thou wast chosen among all God's holy ones to assist in the fulfillment of the mysteries of God, and to enrich our earth with the great Mother of God, Mary most holy! By this singular privilege, thou hast become most powerful with both the Mother and her Son, so as to be able to obtain for us the graces that are needful to us; with great confidence I have recourse to thy mighty protection and I commend to thee all my needs and those of my family, both spiritual and temporal; and especially do I entrust to thy keeping the particular favor that I desire and look for from thy fatherly intercession.

And since thou wast a perfect pattern of the interior life, obtain for me the grace of interior recollection and a spirit of detachment from the transitory goods of this life, together with a lively and enduring love for Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me in like manner a sincere devotion and obedience to Holy Church and the sovereign pontiff who rules over her: to the end that I may live and die in faith and hope and perfect charity, ever invoking the holy names of Jesus and Mary, and may I thus be saved. Amen.

Novena to Santa Patrizia di Costantinopoli

Santa Patrizia di Constantinopoli, ora pro nobis

Pray Novena to Santa Patrizia di Costantinopoli for nine consecutive days, August 16th — August 24th, in preparation for the Feast on August 25th. Evviva Santa Patrizia!

O glorious Santa Patrizia, per quella tenerezza e compassione cosi grande che aveste del Prossimo, di cui tutte le tribolazioni e pene privaste a sentire come proprie nel vostro cuore, potendo ripetere con l’apostolo San Paolo: “chi è infermo ed io non mi ammalo con lui?” e quindi foste pronta ad aiutarlo e soccorrerlo degnatevi di ottenermi da Dio la grazia che tanto desidero.

Gloria al Padre

Santa Patrizia, prega per noi

O potente Vergine Santa Patrizia, mia Protettrice, che negli ultimi momenti della vostra vita chiedeste a Gesù, vostro Sposo, che ovunque fosse collocato il vostro corpo si degnasse infondere la divina grazia su tutti i fedeli, i quali vi si accostassero a pregare con fede, ottenetemi l’abbondante frutto di questa vostra preghiera e la grazia che ardentemente vi chiedo.

Gloria al Padre

Santa Patrizia, prega per noi

O prodigiosa Vergine Santa Patrizia, mia Avvocata e Protettrice, che negli ultimi momenti della vostra vita otteneste da Gesù consiglio e divina protezione a tutti coloro che a voi si rivolgessero per aiuto, ottenetemi da Dio la salute dell’anima e del corpo, la vittoria sul demonio e sulle passioni, allontanate le avversità che tanto mi circondano, consolatemi nelle presenti tribolazioni. Ottenetemi il perdono dei peccati e l’ingresso nel regno del cielo. Siate porto di salute ai naviganti e tutela all nostra città. Diffondete speciale patrocinio sopra di me e su tutti i vostri devoti, affinché il santo Nome di Dio sia benedetto, glorificato, esaltato e lodato da tutti nei secoli dei secoli. Cosi sia.

Gloria al Padre

Santa Patrizia, prega per noi

Novena to St. Louis IX, King of France

St. Louis IX, ora pro nobis

Pray novena for nine consecutive days, August 16th to August 24th, in preparation for the Feast celebrated on August 25th. Vive le roi! 

O holy King St. Louis, worthy son of our Holy Father St. Francis and patron of the Third Order, intercede for me with our Heavenly Father.

Obtain for me the grace to follow in thy footsteps, to be always a dutiful child of St. Francis, and to observe exactly, all the days of my life, that holy rule which thou loved so ardently and kept so faithfully.

Be my guide and protector, so that I may never stray from the path of virtue but increase daily in holiness and perfection, and finally merit to be numbered among the chosen ones of our Seraphic Father in Heaven. Amen

O God, Who didst exalt blessed Louis Thy Confessor from an earthly realm to the glory of Thy Heavenly kingdom: grant, we pray Thee, that by his merits and intercession we may be made heirs of the King of Kings, Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen

(Mention your request here…)

Say 1: Our Father…  Say 1: Hail Mary… Say 1: Glory Be…

* Statue of St. Louis IX, King of France, at the National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania.

Novena to St. Bartholomew

San Bartolomeo, ora pro nobis

Pray novena to St. Bartholomew for nine consecutive days, August 15th to August 23rd, in preparation for the feast on August 24th. Evviva San Bartolomeo!

O Eternal God and loving father, you have given us the glorious Apostle Bartholomew as our beloved Patron Saint and powerful advocate in heaven. We offer you our prayers, animated by a spirit of confidence that through the efficacious intercession of Saint Bartholomew, we shall merit your unfailing help and protection and shall ever remain loyal and devoted to Divine will all the days of our life.

Teach us to cherish, proclaim, and practice the Gospel message of Christ, which Saint Bartholomew so eloquently preached and finally sealed with his heroic martyrdom.

As we prepare devoutly for his solemn feast by this Novena of prayers, we trustingly raise our minds and hearts to you. Refuse not, O Lord God, our humble petition but unite it with that of Apostle Bartholomew and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, so that we may obtain the grace of true repentance for our sins, of divine assistance in our spiritual and temporal wants, and of constant fidelity to all our Christian duties. This we ask through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

[Mention your intentions here...]

O glorious St. Bartholomew the Apostle, our perfect prototype of consuming charity, pray for us.

Our Father…, Hail Mary…, Glory Be…

* The accompanying photo was taken at Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary and Saint Stephen's Church in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Evviva San Bartolomeo! 

Feast of the Madonna del Cardoneto

Madonna del Cardoneto, ora pro nobis

August 15th is the Feast of the Madonna del Cardoneto, Patroness of Ottati in Cilento, Salerno. In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to Our Lady of the Assumption by Pope St. Pius X. The accompanying photo of Our Lady of Cardoneto was taken at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn before the 2017 renovation. Evviva Madonna del Cardoneto!

Prayer to Our Lady of the Assumption

O immaculate virgin, mother of God and mother of humanity, we believe with all the fervour of our faith in your triumphal assumption both in body and in soul into heaven where you are acclaimed as queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord who has exalted you above all other pure creatures and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love.

We know that your gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suffering humanity of Jesus, in heaven is filled with the vision of that humanity glorified and with the vision of uncreated wisdom, and that the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adorable trinity causes your heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness; and we, poor sinners whose body weights down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts so that, while we remain below, we may learn to see God and God alone in the beauties of his creatures.

We trust that your merciful eyes may deign to gaze down upon our miseries and anguish, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories; that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as he once said to you of his beloved disciple:

"Behold you son," and we who call upon you as our mother, we, like John, take you as the guide, strength and consolation of our mortal life.

We are inspired by the certainty that your eyes, which wept over the earth crimsoned by the blood of Jesus, are yet turned toward this world racked by wars and persecutions, the oppression of the just and the weak. From the shadows of this vale of tears, we seek in your heavenly assistance, tender mercy, comfort for our aching hearts, and help in the trials of Church and country.

We believe finally that in the glory where you reign, clothed with the sun and crowned with stars, you are, after Jesus, the joy and gladness of all the angels and the saints, and from this earth, over which we tread as pilgrims, comforted by our faith in the future resurrection, we look to you our life, our sweetness, our hope; draw us onward with the sweetness of your voice, so that one day, after our exile, you may show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb.

O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.

Amen.

Ponderable Quote from ‘In Praise of the New Knighthood’ by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

In addition to the daily novena prayer, I started rereading St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s In Praise of the New Knighthood as part of my novena devotion. A worthwhile read, I want to share a little teaser from Chapter One: A Word of Exhortation for the Knights of the Temple.*

March forth confidently then, you knights, and with a stalwart heart repel the foes of the cross of Christ. Be sure that neither death nor life can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ. In every peril repeat, ‘Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.’ How gloriously victors return from battle! How blessedly martyrs die in battle! Rejoice, brave athlete, if you live and conquer in the Lord; but glory and exult still more if you die and join your Lord. Life is indeed fruitful and victory glorious, but more important than either is a holy death. If they are blessed who die in the Lord, how much more so are those who die for the Lord.

* Reprinted from In Praise of the New Knighthood by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, P.34, Cistercian Publications, 2008

Feast of Santa Chiara d’Assisi

The crypt and tomb of St. Clare inside the Basilica di Santa Chiara, Assisi
Photos by Andrew Giordano

Our labor here is brief, but the reward is eternal. Do not be disturbed by the clamor of the world, which passes like a shadow. Do not let the false delights of a deceptive world deceive you. ~ St. Clare of Assisi

August 12th is the Feast of St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), Virgin, Abbess and Mystic. An early disciple of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare founded the contemplative Order of Poor Ladies now known as the Order of St. Clare, or the Poor Clares. She was the first woman to write a rule for monastic life. 

(L) Santa Chiara drives back the saracens with the Holy Eucharist.
(R) Vision of the Queen of Heaven while on her deathbed

A great miracle worker, in 1240, when a band of Saracen mercenaries attempted to plunder the convent, Santa Chiara held aloft the pyx containing the Holy Eucharist and begged Our Lord to protect His handmaidens from the infidels. "I will protect you always," said a voice from Heaven, striking fear in the hearts of the attackers, who turned and fled. 

Patron saint of embroiderers, goldsmiths and laundry workers, she is also invoked by those suffering from eye diseases. In 1958 Pope Pius XII declared her the patron saint of television because once, while sick in bed, she was able to hear and see morning Mass on the wall of her room. 

(L) Altarpiece with scenes from the life of Santa Chiara.
(R) High relief sculpture outside the monastery 

In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. Clare of Assisi. The accompanying photos were taken in 2017 at the Basilica di Santa Chiara in Assisi.

Prayer to St. Clare of Assisi

O glorious Saint Clare! God has given you the power of working miracles continually, and the favor of answering the prayers of those who invoke your assistance in misfortune, anxiety, and distress; we beseech you, obtain for us from Jesus, through Mary, His Blessed Mother, what we beg of you so fervently and hopefully, if it be for the greater honor and glory of God and for the good of our souls. O Blessed Saint Clare, your life shines like a beacon and cast its light down the ages of the Church to guide the way of Christ. Look with compassion on the poor and humble who call on you for help. As you bow before your Eucharistic Lord in Heaven, speak to Him of my afflicted body and my broken spirit. Ask Him to heal me and to wash away my sins in His precious Blood. Great Servant of Christ, remember the needs of my family and all those I pray for. Defend us from everything that would threaten our Holy Catholic faith. Hear the cry of the poor and make it a song of intercession, rising from your poor heart to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, our Healer, our Savior, and our Lord. Amen.

Monument to Santa Chiara

Novena to St. Jane de Chantal

Pray novena for nine consecutive days, August 12th to August 20th, in preparation for the Feast on August 21st.

O glorious saint, blessed Jane Frances, by fervent prayer, attention to the Divine Presence, and purity of intention, you attained on earth an intimate union with God. Be now our advocate, our mother, our guide in the path of virtue and perfection. Plead our cause near Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to whom you were so tenderly devoted, and whose holy virtues you so closely imitated. Obtain for us, O amiable and compassionate Saint the virtues you deem most necessary for us; an ardent love of Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, a tender and filial confidence in His Blessed Mother, and like you, a constant remembrance of His sacred Passion and death. Obtain also, we pray, that our particular intention in this novena may be granted. 

V. Pray for us, O holy St. Jane Frances,  

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: O almighty and merciful God, who granted to blessed St. Jane Frances, so inflamed with love of You, a wonderful degree of fortitude through all the paths of life, and through her, were pleased to adorn your church with a new religious Order, grant by her merits and prayers that we, who sensible of our weakness confide in Your strength, may overcome all adversity with the help of Your heavenly grace, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

* Reprinted from Spiritual Light from St. Jane de Chantal, edited and arranged by Embraced by God at DeSales Resources and Ministries, Inc. Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. DeSales Resource Center, 2019, p. 39-40

Novena to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Patron Saint of Cistercians, Beekeepers and Candle makers

San Bernardo di Chiaravalle, ora pro nobis

Pray novena for nine consecutive days, August 11th — August 19th, in preparation for the Feast on August 20th. Evviva San Bernardo!

1. Admirable St. Bernard, who, after having been the delight of your parents by the innocence of your manners, became the model of Religious by the austerity of your penances and the fervor of your piety; and who had also the happiness of drawing with you, to a life of holiness, your whole family and an infinite number of distinguished persons: obtain for us, of the Lord, the grace that we may correspond to the divine inspirations, and live up to the perfection of our state.

Glory be, etc.

2. Admirable St. Bernard, who, advancing in sanctity as you progressed in learning, practiced the most severe mortification of your senses, and conceived the deepest hatred for every kind of sin: obtain for us, of the Lord, the grace, by the practice of penance, always to mortify our unruly passions.

Glory be, etc.

3. Admirable St. Bernard, who, after founding many monasteries, and filling them with fervent and holy monks effected the greatest good by your counsel and advice; so that not only kings and princes, but bishops and popes applied to you to heal public discords and distresses: obtain for us, of the Lord, the grace to labor continually for His glory, and to walk so faithfully in the way of His precepts, that we may at all times merit His aid.

Glory be, etc.

4. Admirable St. Bernard, who, passing like an apostle through all the kingdoms of the West, carried to all peace and joy, deciding the most difficult questions, concluding the most complicated affairs, assisting at counsels, confuting errors, converting the most hardened sinners: obtain for us, of the Lord, the grace, that by our lives we may shed the odor of Jesus around, and have, like you, a lively faith and an ardent love for the Most Holy Eucharist, the greatest and the most precious treasure of Christianity.

Glory be, etc.

5. Admirable St. Bernard, who, notwithstanding your numberless occupations, your continual journeys, and your delicate health, never ceased your meditations, your prayers, and your penances; who, not content to announce the word of God by your voice, also composed most valuable works, for which you have merited the glorious titles of Doctor and Father of the Church; and who, by your beautiful writings for her glory, promoted devotion to Mary: obtain for us, of the Lord, the grace of perseverance till death, in all the practices of piety and penance suitable to our state, and always to breathe the most fervent devotion to our Mother Mary.

Glory be, etc.

* The accompanying photo was taken outside St. Bernard Church auditorium in Bergen Beach, Brooklyn.

New Book: The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1734-1861

Forthcoming title that may be of interest to our readers. Available at Amazon.com

• The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, 1734-1861 by Louis Mendola

Publisher: Trinacria Editions LLC
Publication Date: October 26, 2020
Paperback: $42.00
Language: English
Pages: 500

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Meridiunalata XXI: 'Casale' di Cav. Charles Sant'Elia | 'Hamlet' by Cav. Charles Sant'Elia

Reprinted from Cav. Charles Sant'Elia's Meridiunalata / Southernade, an evocative bilingual (Neapolitan / English) collection of poetry written between 1989 and 2010. *

Casale  

‘E perzianelle ‘aústo
Stanno acalate,
Ncopp’’e titte simmo jute
Pe nce piglià ‘o cafè,
Duje cuorpe arvolejanno
Parole spellecchione e overe
Panne spase
Arreventanno bannere ‘e luce
‘A robba vecchia ‘e coccheruno
Ca nun sapimmo
Simbè turnammo a recità.

Hamlet

The little August blinds
Are down,
We went up on the roof
To have our coffee,
Two bodies swaying
True and tattered words
Hanging laundry
Becoming flags of light
The old goods of someone
We don’t know
Even though we continue to recite.

* Self-published in 2010, Meridiunalata/Southernade is a treasury of poems gleaned from Cav. Sant'Elia's previous collections (Nchiuso dint''o presente, 'A cuntrora, and 'O pino e l'éllera), which were circulated among friends in New York City and Naples. Special thanks to Cav. Sant'Elia for allowing us to reprint his poetry and translations.

Photo of the Week: Madonna and Child with Angels and Devotees by Domenico Gagini

Madonna and Child by Domenico Gagini (Bissone 1425-30 ca. — Palermo 1492). Niche inside the Cappella Palatina in the Castel Nuovo in Naples.
Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Novena to San Rocco di Montpellier

San Rocco di Montpellier, ora pro nobis

Pray novena for nine consecutive days, August 7th to August 15th, in preparation for the Feast on August 16th.

O Blessed Saint Rocco, patron of the sick, have pity on those who lie upon a bed of suffering. Your power was so great when you were in this world, that by the sign of the Cross, many were healed of their diseases. Now that you are in heaven, your power is not less. Offer, then, to God our sighs and tears, and obtain for us that health we seek through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Saint Rocco, pray for us, that we may be preserved from all diseases of body and soul. (say thrice)

* The accompanying photo was taken at St. Francis Church (308 Jefferson St.) in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Novena to San Gioacchino

San Gioacchino, ora pro nobis

Pray novena to St. Joachim for nine consecutive days, August 7th to August 15th, in preparation for the Feast on August 16th.

O Great patriarch St. Joachim, by that singular privilege by which thou wast chosen by Divine Providence to present to the world that Immaculate Queen in whom all nations should be blessed, and who should bear in her virginal bosom the salvation of the human race; we thy devout clients rejoice with thee over this beautiful privilege, and we implore thy special protection for ourselves and our families. Do not allow, O dear Saint, the devil or sin to have any place in our souls, nor the perverse maxims of the world to seduce us, nor permit us to live unmindful of that eternity for which we have been created. Obtain for us from God a firm faith, unshaken by the impieties and errors which are scattered abroad by sects hostile to the Church and to the Apostolic See, a sincere and constant affection for the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the True Valid Roman Pontiff, a generous and indomitable courage in refuting the calumnies uttered against everything that is most sacred and revered in our holy religion. Thou who art powerful through the love which thy holy daughter, Mary, bears thee, help on the cause of the Church, obtain for her the long-desired triumph, scatter the powers of darkness, humble their pride, and cause the light of truth and of the Faith to outshine every falsehood. Grant us, above everything, a tender and filial devotion to most holy Mary, thy dear daughter and our Mother, so that daily honoring her with devout homage we may deserve to be counted by her among the happy company of her children, and after the miseries of this exile to be brought by her to Paradise, there to praise the mercies of God for ever. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, Gloria, 3 x each

* The accompanying photo was taken at the now-closed Saint Joseph’s Church (5 Monroe Street) in New York City. The fate of the statue is unknown.

Ponderable Quote from “The Great Heresies” by Hilaire Belloc

There was no united Italy, and such effort as was being made to create one was being made by anti-Catholics. Indeed, it is one of the most amusing ironies of history that the great power which Italy has now become was largely called into being by the sympathy Protestant Europe felt for the original Italian rebellions against the Catholic King of Naples and the authority of the Papal States.

Reprinted from “What was the Reformation?,” chapter 6 of The Great Heresies by Hilaire Belloc. TAN Books, 2012, p. 133. Originally published in 1938 by Sheed & Ward, London.

Photo of the Week: La Guglia di San Domenico, Napoli

The Spire of San Domenico di Guzman, San Domenico Maggiore Square, Napoli. Begun in 1656 by Cosimo Fanzango, to commemorate the city's deliverance from the plague, the ornate obelisk was eventually completed by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro in 1737. Photo by of Andrew Giordano

Feast of Sant'Alfonso Maria de Liguori

Sant'Alfonso de Liguori, ora pro nobis

August 2nd is the Feast of Sant'Alfonso de Liguori, Doctor of the Church and patron saint of those suffering from arthritis.

The oldest of eight children, Sant'Alfonso was born on September 26, 1696 in Marianella, a small village on the outskirts of Naples. His mother, Donna Anna Caterina Cavalieri, was a loving and pious homemaker; his father, Don Giuseppe de Liguori, was Captain Commander of the Flagship of the Royal Squadron. 

Alfonso studied canon and civil law and earned his doctorate at the age of seventeen. In 1723, against his father's wishes, he abandoned his legal career to become a priest. 

A devout and zealous preacher, he later founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a missionary society dedicated to the spiritual needs of the poor people of Naples. In 1762 he was consecrated Bishop of Sant'Agata dei Goti, a commune in the Province of Benevento. 

Sadly, his later years were racked with acute arthritic suffering. Sant'Alfonso died August 1, 1787 in Nocera die Pagani in the Province of Salerno. He was canonized in 1839 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1871.

In celebration, I'm posting a Prayer to Saint Alphonsus. The accompanying photo was taken at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Evviva Sant'Alfonso de Liguori!

Prayer to Saint Alphonsus

Heavenly Father, You continually build up Your Church by the lives of Your Saints. Give us grace to follow Saint Alphonsus in his loving concern for the salvation of people and so come to share his reward in heaven. Walking in the footsteps of this devoted servant of Yours, may we be consumed with zeal for souls and attain the reward he enjoys in Your Kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Madonna del Monserrato in Craco

A prayer card with a photograph of the Madonna del Monserrato statue in Craco Vecchio. It followed the tradition of being a Black Madonna.

Reprinted from the July 2020 Craco Society Bulletin

Among the veneration of saints in Craco Vecchio was a following dedicated to the Madonna del Monserrato. Domenico Montemuro, who provided the Society with many images from “Craco Ieri” (Craco Yesterday) included several related to this Madonna that are shown here.

The Madonna del Monserrato, has its roots from a Catalan Madonna called Madonna of Triumph, named after the victory of Christians over Muslims; when they took the statue from Saracen destruction, hid it on the top of Montserrat, hence the new name. It is one of the most famous of the Black Madonna statues in the world and is enshrined in a Basilica in Monserrat, Spain.

How the veneration of this Madonna started in Craco is not known but Note Storiche sul Comune di Craco, the town’s history book, tells us the private chapel dedicated to Santa Maria di Monserrato was founded in the sixteenth century. It was described as, “Santa Maria di Monserrato (with a small cemetery adjoining), which was subsidized by the DeSimeone family. In the eighteenth century the family gave the church four carlini per year. It held many religious antiquities and Mass was said every Sunday. At the beginning of this century, it was restored with donations made by Crachesi who immigrated to America. Many Crachesi are still devoted to this Madonna.”

A scene from the feast day celebration for the Madonna with a devotee carrying a cirio in the foreground with the chapel in Craco Vecchio dedicated to the Madonna del Monserrato in the background. 

The undated woodcut image titled S. Maria di Monserrato indicates the feast day was celebrated in Craco on the third Sunday in September.

Photos courtesy of the Craco Society

New Music — La Ville Joyeuse: The City Of Naples In French Piano Music

New music that may be of interest to our readers.

• La Ville Joyeuse: The City Of Naples In French Piano Music performed by Daniele Adornetto

Label: Da Vinci Classics
Release Date: July 10, 2020
Audio CD: $NA
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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Meridiunalata XX: 'Ncuorp’’o Caudo D’’A Notte' di Cav. Charles Sant'Elia | 'Inside The Warmth of the Night' by Cav. Charles Sant'Elia

Reprinted from Cav. Charles Sant'Elia's Meridiunalata / Southernade, an evocative bilingual (Neapolitan / English) collection of poetry written between 1989 and 2010. *

Ncuorp’’o Caudo D’’A Notte

Ncuorp’’o caudo d’’a notte
Se ne traseva ‘o friddo
‘E sta luna nova.
Niente s’è smuóppeto.
‘O graro de l’autare
Nce aspettava,
Nu puojo sulagno
Mmiez’’e parole
Ca sagliéveno a cefrone
Addò ghiéveno jéveno.
Ammarrávemo ‘e feneste
Int’’o sbacante,
Ogne lagnanza d’ammore
Scordata e passata
Se steva zitta.
Era ‘o tiempo d’’e canzone nove,
‘O dimane c’’a’ fine
Era venuta mbracci’a nuje.

Inside The Warmth of the Night

Inside the warmth of the night
The cold of this new moon
Was entering.
Nothing moved.
The step of the altar
Was awaiting us,
A solitary ledge
Between the words
That were rising up like chevrons
Wherever they went.
We shuttered the windows
In the void,
Every complaint of love
Forgotten and passed
It was quiet.
It was the time of new songs,
The tomorrow that in the end
Had come into our arms.

* Self-published in 2010, Meridiunalata/Southernade is a treasury of poems gleaned from Cav. Sant'Elia's previous collections (Nchiuso dint''o presente, 'A cuntrora, and 'O pino e l'éllera), which were circulated among friends in New York City and Naples. Special thanks to Cav. Sant'Elia for allowing us to reprint his poetry and translations.

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.

Celebrating the Eighth Sunday After Pentecost and the Feast of St. Anne

Sant'Anna, ora pro nobis

Remember, Saint Anne, never was it said that anyone who sought your assistance was left unaided. For you are indeed a most merciful mother, who tends to all our needs. Since you are the mother of the Queen of Heaven and our Savior’s grandmother, I implore you to obtain from Jesus, through your Immaculate Daughter, the favors I stand in need of. Amen.  ~ Memorare to St. Anne

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 Eighth Sunday After Pentecost and the Feast of St. Anne. Our Pastor Fr. James Miara was the Celebrant at both.

Following imposed social distancing guidelines, we were able to get our regular seats on St. Joseph's side of the altar (i.e. the right side) for the early Mass, but as more people arrived for the second one we moved up to the balcony to make room for the elderly, handicapped, and families with children. To be clear (since someone inquired), whenever we attend multiple Masses in a day we never receive Communion twice. Personally, I prefer to receive during the Low Mass because I don't want to wait, the lines are shorter and, you never know, I may not make it to the second Mass.

Speaking of Communion, during the Low Mass we had the great joy of witnessing a young girl make her First Holy Communion. Seven or eight years-old, holding a lit candle and dressed in white with a veil, she kneeled at the altar rail and received on the tongue. Congratulations to her and her family, we wish and pray you continue to grow in the grace of God.

After the High Mass the congregation finished the novena devotions with the Memorare to St. Anne, An Act of Consecration to St. Anne, and Invocations. This was followed by a solemn Candlelight Procession around the nave with a statue, ombrellino and the Blessed Sacrament. The celebration concluded with a Benediction with the relic of the True Cross.

Normally we would meet up with our friends at the Monte San Giacomo Society and attend the Feast of St. Ann in Hoboken, New Jersey, but since the procession and other festivities were cancelled, thanks to Covid-19's uncanny ability to target only peaceful gatherings, we had a low-key luncheon with family and friends instead.

Evviva Sant’Anna!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, July 27th, Feast of San Pantaleone Martire

Photo of the Week: The Cappella di San Pantaleone, Duomo di Ravello

The Cappella di San Pantaleone, Duomo di Ravello, Salerno
Photo by New York Scugnizzo