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| Statue of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Habsburg sculpted by Vincenzo Gemito in a niche on the western facade of the Palazzo Reale di Napoli (Royal Palace of Naples) in the Piazza del Plebiscito (formally Largo del Palazzo Reale), Naples. Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
June 30, 2019
Photo of the Week: Statue of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Habsburg
June 25, 2019
Photo of the Week: Statue of Alfonso the Magnanimous
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| Statue of Alfonso the Magnanimous, King of Naples and Sicily sculpted by Achille D’Orsi in a niche on the western facade of the Palazzo Reale di Napoli (Royal Palace of Naples) in the Piazza del Plebiscito (formally Largo del Palazzo Reale), Naples. Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
June 24, 2019
Congratulations Msgr. Donald Sakano on Your Investiture into the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George
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| Photos by New York Scugnizzo |
On Sunday, June 23rd, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Reverend Monsignor Donald Sakano celebrated his last Mass as Pastor of the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and the Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood in New York City. Serving nearly twelve years as pastor and approaching 75 years of age, Monsignor will be retiring as is required by the policy of the Archdiocese of New York. However, he begins the new phase of his ministry as a Knight in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George.
Following Mass at the packed Basilica, Monsignor was proclaimed Ecclesiastical Knight of Grace by virtue of the mandate received from His Royal Highness the Grand Master, Prince Carlo di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Duke of Castro. Representing our Delegate HE Cav. John M. Viola, the rite was executed in the sanctuary by Cav. Charles Sant’Elia. Cavalieri John Napoli and Vincent Gangone were in attendance. IHSV
June 23, 2019
Happy Birthday Princess Maria Carolina!
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HRH was born in Rome, Italy on June 23, 2003
Photo courtesy of Real Casa di Borbone
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June 17, 2019
Photo of the Week: Statue of Ruggiero il Normanno
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| Statue of Roger the Norman sculpted by Emilio Franceschi in a niche on the western facade of the Palazzo Reale di Napoli (Royal Palace of Naples) in the Piazza del Plebiscito (formally Largo del Palazzo Reale), Naples. Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
June 16, 2019
Happy Birthday Princess Beatrice di Borbone!
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| HRH was born in Saint-Raphaël, France on June 16, 1950
Photo courtesy of Real Casa di Borbone
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June 14, 2019
Viva Sant'Antonio! A Look at the 2019 Feast of St. Anthony of Padua in SoHo, New York
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| Thursday evening the Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua (154 Sullivan St.) celebrated its Titular Feast with a solemn Mass and procession |
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| Members of the St. Rocco Society of Potenza in NYC show their support |
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| The beautiful high altar with statue of St. Anthony receiving the apparition of the Infant Jesus |
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| After Mass, devotees had the opportunity to venerate the relics of Sant'Antonio |
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| Religious items and blessed bread were available in the church basement |
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| Donations were pinned to the statue |
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| The Red Mike Festival Band |
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| The procession wends its way through the neighborhood |
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| The procession returns to the church with much fanfare |
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| Salvatore and Konstantinos help carry Steve's giant votive candle back to the church |
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| Afterward, we visited Song' e Napule Pizzeria for our celebratory meal |
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| As always, I enjoyed a delicious plate of Paccheri alla Genovese |
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| Gnocchi alla Sorrentina |
June 11, 2019
Photo of the Week: Statue of Frederick II, Facade of the Palazzo Reale di Napoli
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| Statue of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen sculpted by Emanuele Caggiano in a niche on the western facade of the Palazzo Reale di Napoli (Royal Palace of Naples) in the Piazza del Plebiscito (formally Largo del Palazzo Reale), Naples. Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
June 8, 2019
Distributing Food to the Homeless on the Feast of St. Norbert of Xanten
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| Thank you to this month's volunteers. |
Once again, we want to thank Antonio, Anna and Konstantinos Mavrianos-Cesare of the St. Rocco Society for their hard work and dedication. You are an inspiration to us all. Thank you Louis Fontana of Caffé Napoli; Raymond Guarini of the Italian Enclaves Historical Society; Dama Rosanna Minervini; and Cav. John Napoli for your continued assistance. Your heartfelt generosity and selflessness is greatly appreciated. And as always, special thanks to Pastor Lo for your support and blessings. It is an honor to serve with such an outstanding group of people. God Bless you all. IHSV
The next walk will be on Thursday, September 5th—the Feast of St. Lawrence Justinian—at 7:00 PM. Anyone interested in supporting this charitable endeavor can contact Cav. John Napoli at jnapoli@smocsg.org or Anna Mavrianos-Cesare at MsAnnaNY@aol.com.
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| Fr. Lo led us in prayer and blessed the food |
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| Andrew led our group in praying the Rosary |
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| Our friends at Caffé Napoli donated a tray of penne marinara with chicken |
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| Andrew, Anna and Tony divvy up the pasta |
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| Rosanna helps pack the bags |
June 6, 2019
Novena to San Vito Martire
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| San Vito Martire, ora pro nobis |
Prayers compiled by Reverend Bonaventure, O.F.M. to be recited for nine consecutive days, June 6th — 14th, in preparation for the Feast on June 15th.
Preparatory Prayer
Almighty and eternal God! With lively faith and reverently worshiping Thy divine Majesty, I prostrate myself before Thee and invoke with filial trust Thy supreme bounty and mercy. Illumine the darkness of my intellect with a ray of Thy heavenly light and inflame my heart with the fire of Thy divine love, that I may contemplate the great virtues and merits of the saint in whose honor I make this novena, and following his example imitate, like him, the life of Thy divine Son.
Moreover, I beseech Thee to grant graciously, through the merits and intercession of this powerful Helper, the petition which through him I humbly place before Thee, devoutly saying, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Vouchsafe graciously to hear it, if it redounds to Thy greater glory and to the salvation of my soul. Amen.
Prayer in Honor of St. Vitus
Grant us, O God, through the intercession of St. Vitus, a due estimation of the value of our soul and of its redemption by the precious blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ; so that, for its salvation, we bear all trials with fortitude. Give this Thy youthful servant and heroic martyr as a guide and protector to Christian youths, that following his example they may after a victorious combat receive the crown of justice in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Invocation of St. Vitus
St. Vitus, glorious martyr of Christ; in thy youth thou wast exposed to violent and dangerous temptations, but in the fear of God and for the love of Jesus thou didst victoriously overcome them. O amiable, holy youth, I implore thee by the love of Jesus, assist me with thy powerful intercession to overcome the temptations to evil, to avoid every occasion of sin, and thus to preserve spotless the robe of innocence and sanctifying grace, and to bring it unstained to the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, that I may forever enjoy the beatific vision of God which is promised to the pure of heart. Amen.
Prayer
My Lord and my God! I offer up to Thee my petition in union with the bitter passion and death of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, together with the merits of His immaculate and blessed Mother, Mary ever virgin, and of all the saints, particularly with those of the holy Helper in whose honor I make this novena.
Look down upon me, merciful Lord! Grant me Thy grace and Thy love, and graciously hear my prayer. Amen.
* For more on St. Vitus and the Fourteen Holy Helpers, I highly recommend Project Gutenberg's 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. The accompanying photo was taken at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Montclair, New Jersey.
June 5, 2019
New Book — Sicilian Wisdom: Proverbs, Poems, and History in the Sicilian Language
• Sicilian Wisdom: Proverbs, Poems, and History in the Sicilian Language by Filippo Salamone
Publisher: Independently published
Publication Date: March 1, 2019
Paperback: $12.99
Language: English
Pages: 76
Read description
Click here to see more books
Listing does not imply any endorsement
June 4, 2019
Photo of the Week: Statue of Charles I of Anjou, Facade of the Palazzo Reale di Napoli
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| Statue of Charles I of Anjou, King of Sicily sculpted by Tommaso Solari in a niche on the western facade of the Palazzo Reale di Napoli (Royal Palace of Naples) in the Piazza del Plebiscito (formally Largo del Palazzo Reale), Naples. Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
June 2, 2019
A Beautiful Ending to May
Commemorating the Battle of Bitonto in NYC
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| This year's revelers outside Song' e Napule Photos by New York Scugnizzo |
On Thursday, May 30th, a small, but festive, group of neobriganti broke bread at Song’ e Napule restaurant (146 W HoustonSt.) in Manhattan for the Feast of the Ascension and 11th Annual Battle of Bitonto Commemoration.
A celebration of Duosiciliano faith, history and culture, our jovial party escaped the rain and packed into the cozy eatery for some much-needed fellowship and delicious Neapolitan fare.
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| Calamari alla griglia |
As always, the proximity to Memorial Day Weekend kept our numbers down, but whatever we may have lacked in quantity was more than made up for in quality and enthusiasm.
After grace, we made a series of toasts in memory of our ancestors, the men (on both sides) who fought and died at the battle, and HRM King Carlo di Borbone, whose victory over the Austrians on May 25, 1734 redeemed the Kingdom of Naples.
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| Polpo alla griglia |
For starters, partygoers ate their fill of panzarotti, calamari alla griglia, burrata e prosciutto, and polpo alla griglia. After a few bottles of Falanghina del Sannio and Montepulciano we were singing and swaying along with Chef Ciro’s crack wait staff.
For our entrée we ordered a variety of different pizzas, including the spicy Diavola and Marinara Starita, a culinary masterpiece made with Sicilian confit grape tomatoes and alici di Cetara. All the pies were delicious, but I still love the classic Pizza Margherita the best.
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| Marinara Starita |
Naturally, we capped off our sumptuous repast with some caffé and a few more songs. After our long goodbyes, we closed the joint down and parted ways. Viva 'o Rre!
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Celebrating the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
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| Madonna and Child bye-altar |
Regali ex progenie Maria exorta refulget; cuius precibus nos adiuvari, mente et spiritu devotissime poscimus. Alleluia.*
On Friday, May 31st, the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated at Holy Name of Jesus Church (245 Prospect Park West) in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. Some 40 members of the Traditional Latin Mass community of Brooklyn, including members of the Knights of Malta and The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, we’re in attendance.
Mass was sung by Celebrant and Homilist Rev. John A. Perricone, who was dutifully assisted by servers Paul Pleho, Stephen Pack, Jorge A. Fernandez Vidaro, and William Yap. The motets and Mass setting were composed by choir director David Adam Smith. They were gloriously chanted by Catherine Hedberg, Eric Brenner, Ryland Angel, Art Bryan Manabat, Bruce Rameker, and Peter Walker.
Thank you Rev. Lawrence D. Ryan, Pastor and members of the Holy Name congregation for your continued warmth and hospitality. Special thanks to Cindy Brolsma and organizers for your hard work and dedication. Once again, it was a great joy to celebrate our faith together.
The next Latin Mass at Holy Name of Jesus Church will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 2nd at 7:00PM for the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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| Mass programs |