Reprinted from Western Exile @westernexileCarlo di Borbone, Re di Napoli
e di Sicilia (1716-1788)
Born the heir to thrones lost in war, when he became a man he set forth, for duty to his father, lineage and country, to reclaim the kingdoms of his ancestors in Italy, venturing well beyond comfort to do so. Finding and forging his courage across victorious battlefields of the Peninsula, he triumphed over the armies of Austria and entered Naples to popular adulation in 1734 and Palermo thereafter, reuniting the southern crowns once more.
As King, he displayed vision, ever tempered by the humility to consult and to delegate, and in fifty three years never lost sight of his calling to better the lives of his subjects. He found the South an outpost of empires past. He left her a realm proud once more of her ancient roots, yet the enlightened cradle too of the neoclassical world, buoyed by his enthusiastic patronage that would see Pompeii and Herculaneum rediscovered and revealed to the world.
Under his rule, the poor of Naples were fed, clothed, sheltered and educated, medieval dwellings became palaces and painters and musicians found ready patronage. Yet when Providence then bestowed upon him the throne of Spain, he, forgoing personal ambition and desiring peace in Europe, entrusted his beloved Naples and Sicily to his third son Ferdinand as kingdoms independent of his own, asking only that he be kept abreast of new discoveries of archaeology, as he turned then to build a second nation. So fundamental and sweeping would his deeds in Spain be that the very flag and anthem of that nation are still today his own.
To his realms he gave his industry and his honour. Yet above all, he gave them and their subjects dignity, and even three centuries later, he is remembered as one of the greatest of the Bourbons, and the very model of kingship.
March 28, 2024
HM Charles of Bourbon
Giovedì Santo (Holy Thursday)
Remembering Princess Cristina Pia of the Two Sicilies
In memory of Princess Maria Cristina Pia Anna Isabella Natalia Elisa di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, daughter of SG King Francesco II and Queen Maria Sophia of the Two Sicilies, we pray for the happy repose of her soul.24 December 1869 – 28 March 1870
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Feast of San Giovanni da Capestrano
San Giovanni da Capestrano, ora pro nobis |
Charla-coloquio «¿Qué es un círculo tradicionalista?» el 31 de marzo
Círculo Tradicionalista San Rafael Arcángel |
Los interesados pueden llamar al número de teléfono 655 865 257.
March 27, 2024
Feast of the Madonna dei Bagni
Madonna dei Bagni, ora pro nobis |
Remembering Charles III, Duke of Parma
14 January 1823 – 27 March 1854 |
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
March 26, 2024
Celebrating Palm Sunday and Monthly Lecture by Dr. John C. Rao
The High Altar and shrine to the Madonna Addolorata at Our Lady of Peace Church |
Palm Sunday, we celebrated Traditional Latin Mass at Our Lady of Peace Church in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Blessing and distributing the palm before the church procession, Mass was sung by Fr. Christopher Cullen.
I bought a copy of The Complete Works of Alberto Caeiro by Fernando Pessoa and Wlliam Blake at the Huntington by Robert N. Essick |
With some time to kill before Dr. John Rao’s Lecture at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Manhattan, we had our morning cortado at Despaña and croissant at Maman. While in the city, we picked up some much-needed art supplies at the Blick and found a couple of interesting titles at the Strand. Currently going through a renewed interest in the great Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935), I found a copy of The Complete Works of Alberto Caeiro (New Direction Books, 2020), written under one of his three main heteronyms.
A look inside Most Holy Redeemer Church |
Arriving early to the talk, we took the opportunity to explore Most Holy Redeemer’s beautiful nave and crypt and pray before the Reliquary and Our Lady of Perpetual Help chapels.
(L-R) The Reliquary and Our Lady of Perpetual Help chapels |
(L-R) Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and ex-voto |
Altar in the crypt |
A half-hidden stained glass window depicting the Resurrection of Christ in the church crypt |
Joining our friends in the meeting room, we listened to and discussed Dr. Rao’s riveting and revealing talk, “The Grand Coalition of the Status Quo and the Temptation to Obey the Zeitgeist: 1000s-1500s.” Most of Dr. Rao’s writings can be found at For the Whole Christ and his lectures (including this one) can be heard on Soundcloud.
While exploring the church, we ran into Dr. Rao preparing for his lecture |
Ponderable Quote from Iamdudum Cernimus (1861)
Bl. Pope Pius IX, ora pro nobis
Allocution of the Supreme Pontiff Pope Pius IX
For a long time, we have seen, Venerable Brothers, what a miserable conflict civil society is agitated by, especially in these unhappy times of ours, due to the war raging between truth and error, virtue and vice, light and darkness. In fact, some on the one hand support some maxims of, as they call it, modern civilization; and others on the other advocate the rights of justice and our holy Religion. The former ask that the Roman Pontiff reconcile and make peace with Progress, with Liberalism, as they say, and with today's civilization. The latter rightly ask that the immovable and unshakable principles of eternal justice be kept inviolate and intact; and may the healing virtue of our divine Religion be preserved unharmed, which propagates the glory of God, provides an appropriate remedy for the many evils that afflict the human race, and is the sole and true norm by which the children of men, after having been educated in every virtue in this mortal life, they are led to the port of eternal bliss.
But the patrons of today's civilization do not consent to this difference, since they proclaim themselves true and sincere friends of Religion. We would certainly like to believe them, if the very sad facts, which are there for all to see, did not fully demonstrate the opposite. To be sure, there is only one true and holy Religion throughout the earth, founded and instituted by Christ himself, Our Lord; she, fruitful mother and nurturer of every virtue, dispeller of vices, liberator of souls, indicator of true happiness, is called Catholic, Apostolic, Roman. We have already declared another time what should be thought of those who live outside this ark of salvation in Our Consistorial Address of 9 December 1854; here we confirm the same doctrine. Therefore we ask those who invite us to extend a friendly hand to today's civilization, whether the facts are such as to be able to induce the Vicar of Christ on earth, divinely established by Christ Himself to defend the purity of His celestial doctrine and feed the lambs and sheep, confirming both in it; we ask whether the facts can induce him, without the gravest fault of conscience and without the greatest scandal for all good people, to associate himself with the aforementioned modern civilization, through whose work such great and never sufficiently deplored evils occur, so many horrible opinions are promulgated and many errors and false principles completely opposed to the Catholic religion and its doctrine. Nor is anyone unaware that among these deeds is the total destruction of the same solemn concordats, formally made between this Apostolic See and the royal Sovereigns, as recently happened in Naples. Of which We, in this very large Assembly of yours, with all the strength of Our spirit We lament, Venerable Brothers, and above all we protest in the same way in which on other occasions we have cry out against similar attacks and violations.
Translated from the Italian at www.vatican.va
Photo of the Week: Terracotta Hydria Depicting the Abduction of Persephone by Hades
March 25, 2024
Feast of the Madonna di Picciano
Madonna di Picciano, ora pro nobis |
Prayer for the Feast of the Annunciation
O God, Who wast pleased that the eternal Word, according to the declaration of the angel, should take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Give to our humble petitions; and grant that we, who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her prayers. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
Novena to Santa Fara (Burgundofara)
Santa Fara, Ora pro nobis |
Glorious Saint St. Fara, beloved Patron, you served God in humility and confidence on earth. Now you enjoy His beatific vision in heaven. You persevered till death and gained the crown of eternal life. Remember now the dangers, confusion and anguish that surround me and intercede for me in my needs and troubles, especially...* The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts.
(Mention your need here...).
Amen.
Saint Fara, pray for us.
Our Father…, Hail Mary… and Glory be…
Infant Jesus of Prague Chaplet
O Infant Jesus, Whose truth enlightens the darkness of our heart, have mercy on us |
Infant Jesus of Prague Chaplet* www.sistersofcarmel.com
Divine Infant Jesus, I adore Thy Cross and I accept all the crosses Thou wilt be pleased to send me. Adorable Trinity, I offer Thee for the glory of Thy Holy Name of God, all the adorations of the Sacred Heart of the Holy Infant Jesus.
(3x) “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” and pray The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)
(12x) “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us” and pray The Angelical Salutation (Hail Mary)
Holy Infant Jesus, bless and protect us. Amen.
March 24, 2024
Feast of the Pupazze
Photos of the Pupazze courtesy of Made in South Italy Today
|
On Palm Sunday, as the name suggests, it is traditional for devotees to weave palm leaves into religious symbols. However, in southern Italy palm was hard to come by, so during the feast celebrants used olive branches instead. In Bova, this art form was taken to new heights. Townspeople skillfully weave ornate female figures out of the branches and adorn them with flowers and local produce. The verdure effigies are carried through the town in a colorful procession to the shrine of St. Leo, Bova’s beloved patron, where they are blessed. Continue reading
Feast of San Gabriele Arcangelo
San Gabriele Arcangelo, ora pro nobis |
Feast of Sant’Aldemaro da Capua
The Abbey of Monte Cassino |
In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. Aldemar the Wise. The accompanying photo was taken during my 2007 pilgrimage to the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Southern Italy. Sant'Aldemaro da Capua, ora pro nobis.
Prayer to St. Aldemar the Wise
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the examples of St. Aldemar the Wise 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 St. Aldemar protect us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
March 23, 2024
The Handwriting of a Saint
Some Thoughts on Cabrini
“We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend upon material success, but on Jesus alone.” ~ The real St. Frances Xavier CabriniI have mixed feelings about Alejandro Gómez Monteverde’s Cabrini (2024), a dramatic depiction of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini’s (1850–1917) early travails in these United States. Considering I genuinely dislike most movies these days, I guess the fact that I like some things about it can be considered an endorsement of sorts.
“Men can never do what we do.” ~ Cabrini’s cringe girlboss
Let’s begin with what was good. I thought the acting, cinematography, film score, and costumes were all top-notch. It was visually and aurally up to scratch. I thought Cristiana Dell’Anna was fantastic as Mother Cabrini and her supporting cast all put in good performances. Little details, like her pectoral cross and childhood fondness for making paper boats filled with violets, were nice touches. The tableaux vivants recreating the portraits of Mother Cabrini and dramatic photos from Jacob A. Riis’s How the Other Half Lives (1890), specifically his “Street Arabs at Night on Mulberry Street,” were especially impressive.
Street Arabs at Night on Mulberry Street by Jacob A. Riis, How the Other Half Lives (1890) |
Often forgotten today, Cabrini is a much-needed reminder of the great hardships our ancestors endured and overcame during the mass exodus from Southern Italy throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, the choice to have Mother Cabrini save young Vittoria (Romana Maggiora Vergano) from a brothel in Five Points, Lower Manhattan, seemed fanciful and expedient, especially if renowned historian Thomas Sowell’s Migrations and Cultures: A World View (1997) can be believed. Our problems were many, but according to Sowell, “Prostitution was virtually unknown among Italian American women.”
Mother Cabrini, 1880 |
This seemed like an odd creative choice for a movie allegedly “based on the true story” of a Catholic saint. There can be no doubt that they faced many hardships, but Mother Cabrini and her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were no feminists. Urged by Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903), the indomitable sisters obediently, dutifully and lovingly helped the orphans, foundlings, and struggling Italian immigrants in America. They were too busy founding missionary institutions to serve the sick and poor to be corrupted by the pernicious cancer of feminism.
As someone who often attends and participates in many Italian religious feasts and celebrations, I enjoyed the scene where she was arrested for organizing an outdoor festival featuring the fictitious Sicilian tenor Enrico DiSalvo. As of this writing, I found no evidence of her ever actually being arrested and would not be surprised if it, like other parts of the movie, was fabricated for dramatic effect, but I had a chuckle when the Deputy Mayor confidently told her, “There will never be another Italian feast in New York City again.”
The Feast of St. Rocco, Bandits' Roost by Jacob A. Riis, How the Other Half Lives (1890) |
The DiSalvo character, played by Rolando Villazón, was probably based on the great Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921). If so, the decision to portray him as anticlerical and tightfisted was grossly inaccurate and unfortunate. While not particularly religious, Enrico Caruso was born and baptized Roman Catholic in Naples and was famously generous and did extensive charity with great largesse.
Also unlikely, yet a grim reminder of what actually came to pass, was her closing exchange with the fictional Mayor Gould, played by John Lithgow. Reminding His Honor that Italian immigrants are fast becoming U.S. citizens, she portentously foretells a day when they will vote themselves into power. Sadly, as predicted, we are well on our way to being completely assimilated and our so-called political leaders, like all politicians, leave a lot to be desired.
Let’s be honest, the godless (if interested at all) will soon move on to some other flashy distraction. If her cult was genuinely adopted by lukewarm, misguided, or questionable Catholics, she can only help strengthen their devotion and bring them closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ. And finally, like it has for me and my circle of friends, the biopic's shortcomings have inspired us to do better, pray more, and work harder to emulate her God-fearing example. Santa Francesca Saverio Cabrini, ora pro nobis.
~ Giovanni di Napoli, March 22nd, Feast of Sant'Isidorio
Notes
[1] Mother Cabrini became United States Citizen in 1909.
Feast of San Giuseppe Oriol
San Giuseppe Oriol, ora pro nobis |
One day while sitting for a sumptuous dinner, an invisible force stayed his hand and kept him from partaking in the meal. Seeing this as a divine warning to fast and abstain from creature comforts, St. Joseph Oriol engaged in a lifetime of rigid asceticism and mortifications.
Seized suddenly with an ardent desire to one day be able to die a martyr, he left for Rome to offer himself as a missionary to evangelize the infidels. However, while on the pilgrimage, he fell ill, and only a vision of the Blessed Mother convinced him to return to Barcelona and strengthen the Faith back home.
Dedicating himself to helping the poor and sick, he led a very active apostolate, ministering successfully to soldiers and children. Renowned for his many miracles, St. Joseph Oriol cured the sick, blind, deaf, and lame.
Realizing his death was near, he received extreme unction and Viaticum. During his last three days, he subsisted solely on the Eucharist. Announcing the end had arrived, on March 23, 1702 he requested the Stabat Mater to be recited and exhaled his last breath.
In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Joseph Oriol. The accompanying photo comes courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card is part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva San Giuseppe Oriol!
Prayer to St. Joseph Oriol
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the examples of St. Joseph Oriol may effectually move us to reform our lives; that while we celebrate his feast, 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 St. Joseph Oriol protect us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.