Photo of the Week: Outdoor Shrine to San Francesco da Paola in Matera, Basilicata

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Passion Sunday

Santa Veronica, Vatican

The fifth Sunday of Lent is Passion Sunday and marks the beginning of Passiontide, the last two weeks of Lent. The first of the two weeks is known as Passion Week, and the second as Holy Week. During this period all sacred images (statues, icons, etc.), except for the Stations of the Cross, are veiled with violet cloth, signifying Christ’s hiding from the Jews (John 8:59) until he entered Jerusalem (commemorated on Palm Sunday). The Júdica Me psalm and Glória Patri doxology are omitted from the Masses for the same reason. The images will remain covered until the Glória is sung on Holy Saturday, which signals the ending of Lent and the beginning of Eastertide. During this solemn stretch, meditation on the Passion of Christ (the suffering and death of our Lord) is to be our principal point of focus.

In celebration, I’m posting the anthem and prayer for Passiontide from Blessed Be God: A Complete Catholic Prayer Book by Very Rev. Charles J. Callan, OP., S.T.M. and Very Rev. John A. McHugh, OP., S.T.M (Preserving Christian Publications, 2010). The accompanying photo of Santa Veronica by Francesco Mochi was taken during my 2007 pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica. On this day in Rome, the Sudarium, or Veil of Veronica, used to wipe the Volto Santo (Holy Face) of Jesus while He marched the Via Dolorossa (Sorrowful Path) to Golgotha is briefly revealed for veneration.

A Prayer for Passiontide

Ant. It behooves us to glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection, by Whom we are saved and delivered.
V. Spare, O Lord, spare Thy people.
R. Whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood.

Let us pray
O God, Whom to love above all is righteousness, multiply in us the gifts of Thy ineffable grace; and since Thou hast given us, in the death of Thy Son, to hope for those things which we believe grant us in the Resurrection of the same to attain the end to which we aspire. Who liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen.

Please Help Support the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George's Italian Hospital Relief Fund

Dear Confratelli and Consorelle, Friends and Supporters,

First and foremost, I pray that all of you, and your loved ones, are safe and well.

During these difficult times for the United States, Italy and the world, it is important that we remember our calling as Knights and Dames of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George is to serve those in need to the best of our abilities. Every nation, and surely every family, is dealing with this crisis every day, and Italy, the home of our Most Sacred Order for centuries, has suffered immensely.

To that end, our Grand Master, HRH Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, has called on the Knights and Dames of the Constantinian Order around the world, and our friends and families, to help gather support for Italy’s hospitals and those working on the front lines in this global health emergency.

Many great efforts, and worthy fundraisers, have already been launched to support Italy’s most affected hospitals, but we are concerned about institutions and areas where the spread of this epidemic and a lack of intensive care equipment might have even more dramatic consequences, particularly in the South of Italy and Sicily, the spiritual homeland of our Constantinian Order.

Therefore, the Constantinian Order Charity Onlus, our Italian charitable arm, has launched fundraising initiative in which donations will be distributed equally among those under-supported hospitals so in need of additional equipment and intensive care capacity.

The Order's Headquarters in Rome, Italy has contributed a “Leadership Gift” of 50.000 euros to launch this initiative, and has called on Delegations like ours, around the world, to initiate their own efforts to help grow this important source of critical aid.

I am personally asking that those of you who can consider making a donation of ANY amount to this cause, and of equal importance, help us to spread the word through emails, social media postings, and any means by which you might engage a wider circle in our work.

Please consider making even a donation of even a few dollars, not only to help us raise as much as possible, but to send a message of solidarity from our American Delegation to our Confratelli and Consorelle leading this valuable initiative in Italy. As much as we seek to raise the greatest amount possible, is as much as we would love to see all off the Knights and Dames of the US Delegation participating with us.

The US Delegation has created the GoFundMe Charitable Campaign below. All gifts to the United States Delegation are fully tax-deductible, and every donation represents a significant contribution to our global effort to create hope in a time of hopelessness.

I sincerely thank you all for taking the time to read this, for helping our cause, for spreading this message, and for your continued support and confraternity.

I look forward to seeing you at the lighter end of this dark tunnel.

In This Sign, surely, We Will Conquer!

IHSV,

John M. Viola,
United States Delegate

 https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/constantinian-order-us-delegation-italian-hospital-relief-fund 

The American Delegation Of The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization located in New York, New York.

Meridiunalata XV: A Bilingual Offering of Duosiciliano Poetry

Inspired by Cav. Charles Sant'Elia's Meridiunalata/Southernade,* an evocative bilingual (Neapolitan / English) collection of poetry written between 1989 and 2010, we offer the reader an accessible introduction to vernacular (Neapolitan, Sicilian, et al.) verse with the aim of awakening enthusiasm for contemporary and historical poesia Duosiciliano.

In this installment, we're featuring the poetry of Giuseppantonio Cristofaro, native of Ripabottoni, Campobasso province, Molise.

Iè u tèmp' d' kièndà u rèndini(e)
Di Giuseppantonio Cristofaro

I ch'rash' r'sh'lé:(je)n'
'mmè:z' di frònn' l'ch'cu(e)jènt'
è 'll'uokki(e) m' z' kiud'n'.
A l'p'nèll' a méss' u p'nnakki(e)…
Pok' d'kkuà da fratt',
'mmèz' da kakkiètór'
d' nu p'd'léll' d' sèmmuk(e)
i kèrdill' z'ann' fatt' u nid',
tutt'i vò:t' k' pass'
i véd' eccu(e)zzè:t'.
M' tèmend'n' kindè v'léss'n' dich':
- Lass'ch' 'n pach'…
'Nnu vid' k' fèchém' a mamm'?
Nu str'ppa:r' Sp'rtéll'
K'mènz' è kèntà:
- Cucù.
- Cucù.
- Cucù!
Rispnn' u cucùl' du shtr'ppa:r' Nètièll',
du shtr'ppa:r' d' Jak'vèntuóni(e),
du shtr'ppà:r du Mèglian'…

Sott' a massèri(je) nn'ré(je) a mèjés'.

- M'k'lì, kant' u cucù.
- Tuòll' u p'zzuk' è jèm' a métt' u rèndin'(je)
- Oh, Mèdònnè mi(je)!
- N'ach'n a vòt', N'ach'n a vòt'…
Mò vè k' f'nim'.
- Cucù.
- Cucù.
- Cucù!
Z' sonn' sv'glièt' tutt' k' na vot', a d'spiètt'.
E M'k'li:n':
- Visht' mò tù!
- Nu chièll' sfat'ièt' m'à:dè mènnà a kièntà u rèndin'(je).


It is time to plant the corn
By Giuseppantonio Cristofaro

The cherries redden
between shiny leaves
and my eyes close.
The sainfoin has grown its plume.
A little beyond the hedge,
in the middle of the fork
of a little elderberry tree
the goldfinches have made a nest.
Each time I pass
I see them crouching.
They look at me as if they want to say:
Leave us in peace… Don’t you see that we’re being mothers?
In the "Sportella" brush begins the singing:
- Cuckoo.
- Cuckoo.
- Cuckoo!
The cuckoo from the Nètièll'’s brush responds,
the one from Giacovantonio’s brush,
the one from the Magliana brush…

Down by the farmhouse the fallow land is blackening.

- Michelino, the cuckoo is singing.
- Grab the dibble and let’s go plant the corn.
- Oh, Madonna mia!
- a grain at a time, a grain at a time…
- Now it is coming that we’ve finished…
- Cuckoo.
- Cuckoo.
- Cuckoo!
They’ve all woken up at once, for spite.
And Michelino:
Now you see!
A lazy bird must send me off to plant the corn.

Translated by Cav. Charles Sant’Elia

* 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.

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George Fundraiser COVID-19 Emergency

HRH Prince Charles of Bourbon
Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro

Dear Knights and Dames,

we have to personally commit to support Italy during this hard moment for all of us and to especially help hospitals and those working on the front lines in the daily fight against this health emergency.

Several fundraisers have already been launched to support Italy’s most affected hospitals, but I am concerned about establishments where the spread of this epidemic and a lack of intensive care equipment might have even more dramatic consequences.

Our Order, which has always been engaged to help hospitals, through the Constantinian Order Charity Onlus has launched a fundraising initiative whose donations will be distributed equally among those healthcare structures with fewer resources which need to increase their equipment and intensive care capacity.

Each euro that you will donate will represent a glimmer of hope and a small drop of life that will help us overcome this adversity!

We do not want to set goals, let’s try to raise as much as we can. The first 50.000 euros have already been allocated.

Solidarity is an immense force. Let's join all together to help and support each other!

I sincerely thank you for your generosity and for the dissemination and sharing of this collection.

Charles of Bourbon Two Sicilies

 Donate Now 

Photo of the Week: Votive Spire of the Immaculate Virgin, Napoli

Obelisco o Guglia dell’Immacolata, Piazza Gesu Nuovo, Napoli.
One of three "plague columns" erected after the plague of 1656
Photo by Andrew Giordano

Acts of Spiritual Communion

Monstrance with consecrated Host

When you do not receive communion and you do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion, which is a most beneficial practice; by it the love of God will be greatly impressed on you. ~ St. Teresa of Ávila, The Way of Perfection

For those of us unable to attend the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or communicate sacramentally, may I suggest making an Act of Spiritual Communion, which, as San Tommaso d'Aquino told us, was "an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and in lovingly embracing Him as if we had actually received Him." Under normal circumstances the faithful are encouraged to practice Spiritual Communion as often as they desire; however, during these difficult times, when public Masses have been suspended and people are practicing "social distancing" due to the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, it may be our best course of action to attain union with Our Lord. Thankfully, this can be done anywhere, anytime. To make an Act of Spiritual Communion, one must make the sign of the Cross, read the Mass Readings (if possible), and receive Jesus in your heart while reciting a Prayer of Spiritual Communion. The prayer can be your own or, if you prefer something more traditional, you can say the one composed by Sant'Alfonso Maria de' Liguori:

My Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above all things and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as being already there, and unite myself wholly to Thee; never, never permit me to be separated from Thee. Jesus, my sweet love, wound, inflame this heart of mine, so that it may be always and all on fire for Thee. Amen.

Photo of the Week: Statue of St. Rocco Outside the Chiesa di San Rocco in Potenza, Basilicata

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Ponderable Quote: Francesc Tristany in a Letter to His Brother Rafael (From Byron to Bin Laden)

General Rafael Tristany
(March 16, 1814-June 17, 1899),
the hero of Monte Cataldo, Campo de Melle,
and Castello Nuovo in the Abruzzo, while
fighting in the service of King Francis II 
of the Two Sicilies against Garibaldi

We have no aspirations other than to continue to make those sacrifices, to the day we give our lives, if necessary, to defend the cause of our King. The sword that we brandished in Spain, we shall draw again to fight in favor of legitimacy wherever it becomes necessary: the revolutionaries are the same everywhere, and their plans are always iniquitous. The usurpation that has been committed to the detriment of the King of Naples cries out for deserved vengeance, and we consider it a great honor to lend a hand.*

* Francesc Tristany in a letter to his brother Rafael Tristany (pictured right), February 1861. Quoted in From Byron to Bin Laden: A History of Foreign War Volunteers by Nir Arielli, 2018, Harvard University Press, p. 115

A Prayer for the Wuhan Coronavirus Victims

Shrine with Santa Rosalia, San Rocco
and the Infant of Prague

In light of the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, I decided to scrap the post I originally had scheduled for our upcoming 11th Year Anniversary and instead, simply offer my prayers and condolences to the victims and all those who are suffering through these difficult times. May San Rocco, Santa Rosalia and Our Blessed Mother watch over you.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,
have mercy on us
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
pray for us
San Rocco, pray for us
Santa Rosalia, pray for us
San Pantaleone, pray for us
San Gregorio Magno, pray for us
San Carlo Borromeo, pray for us
San Giuseppe Moscati, pray for us
San Cristoforo, pray for us
San Valentino, pray for us

Prayer to San Rocco

O Great St. Rocco, deliver us, we beseech thee, from the scourges of God; through thy intercession, preserve our bodies from contagious diseases, and our souls from the contagion of sin. Obtain for us salubrious air; but, above all, purity of heart. Assist us to make good use of health, to bear suffering with patience; and, after thy example, to live in the practice of penance and charity, that we may one day enjoy the happiness which thou has merited by thy virtues. St. Rocco, pray for us (say three times)

Distributing Alms to the Homeless on the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

The Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents,
a bastion of traditional Catholicism

In a concerted effort to increase our corporal works of mercy, the Fratteli della Santa Fede (Brothers of the Holy Faith), in conjunction with the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George and the St. Rocco Society of Potenza in New York City, have launched a new homeless food walk at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 W 37th St.) in Midtown Manhattan. Scheduled to take place every first Saturday of the month, volunteers will gather in the parish hall (after the 1PM Tridentine Latin Mass and Devotions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary) and prepare food to be distributed to the needy around the church.

With generous support from friends and parishioners, this past Saturday, on the Feast Day of St. Thomas Aquinas, volunteers filled some twenty care packages replete with ready-to-eat food (sandwiches, fruit, etc.), toiletries (deodorant, mouthwash, etc.) and winter clothing (hats, scarves, etc.). Packed and raring to go, we prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for good measure, then grabbed our bags and traversed the teeming Garment District to hand out the alms.

I heartily thank everyone who contributed, your much-needed generosity is greatly appreciated. Special thanks to our Pastor Fr. James Miara for your support and blessings. It is an honor to serve with such an outstanding group of people. God bless you all.

Anyone interested in supporting this initiative can contact us at ilregno2s@yahoo.com.

Photo of the Week: Detail of the Porta San Gennaro

Detail of the Porta San Gennaro in Naples showing the ex voto painted by Mattia Pretti (1613-1699) in 1656 during the plague. The fresco depicts San Gennaro, Santa Rosalia and St. Francis Xavier praying for the end of the pestilence.
Photo by Andrew Giordano

Byzantine Heritage Trip

Icon of San Nicola,
Basilica di San Nicola, Bari
Photo by Andrew Giordano

May 18—June 1, 2020 
14 Land Days 

A pilgrimage of the Byzantine Traditions in Italy with visits to the tomb of Saint Nicholas, Italo-Albanian villages in both Calabria and Sicily. While in Rome we will visit the Byzantine Abbey in Gottaferrata. Conducted by Alfredo and Monsignor Romanos Russo of the Melkite Catholic Church. 

Cost per person

double occupancy: $3,795 
Per diem cost: $237 

Trip includes: 
• 14 Land days touring in Italo-Byzantine sites in Rome, Calabria and Sicily in our private a/c bus 
• Stay at 3* or 4* hotels 
• 13 buffet breakfast in the hotels 
• 3 lunches 
• 8 dinners (set menu with choice) 
• Visit to various religious sites in Rome, Calabria and Sicily to attend Liturgy 
• Visit to the abbey of San Nilo in Grottaferrata with a porches lunch after in Ariccia 
• Flights from Rome to Bari and Palermo to Rome 

For itinerary and other details visit: alfredotoursitaly.com/byzantine-trip

New Book — Kale Akte, the Fair Promontory: Settlement, Trade and Production on the Nebrodi Coast of Sicily 500 BC-AD 500

Forthcoming title that may be of interest to our readers. All are available at Amazon.com

• Kale Akte, the Fair Promontory: Settlement, Trade and Production on the Nebrodi Coast of Sicily 500 BC-AD 500 by Adam Lindhagen

Publisher: Oxbow Book
Publication date: September 20, 2020
Hardcover: $95.00
Language: English
Pages: 464

Read description

Click here to see more books

Listing does not imply any endorsement

Photo of the Week: The Little King (Il Reuccio)

Statue of Charles II, King of Spain, in Naples, by Francesco D'Angelo
Photo by Andrew Giordano

Constantinian Food Walk

This Thursday, March 5th at 7:00PM join the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George Auxiliary Corps for their monthly food walk. Volunteers will meet at the Church of the Transfiguration cafeteria (29 Mott Street—entrance on Mosco St.) in Chinatown, New York to prepare and distribute food to the homeless.

Anyone interested in supporting this charitable endeavor can contact Cav. John Napoli at jnapoli@smocsg.org or Anna Mavrianos-Cesare at MsAnnaNY@aol.com. For additional information, the Order can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or at The Constantinian Chronicle. IHSV