Celebrating the Feast of St. Veronica and the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Marco, Andrew, John, Mary and Carmella with the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Photos by Caterina Nessùno

After nearly four months of Church lockdowns, members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (Brothers of the Holy Faith) finally resumed group worship again by celebrating the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost and the Feast of Saint Veronica at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 W 37th St.) in Midtown Manhattan. Attending both the 9:00 am Tridentine Low Mass and the 10:30 am Tridentine High Mass, we observed social distancing rules and sat in the balcony, leaving the diminished seating in the nave for the elderly, handicapped and families with children. Our Pastor Fr. James Miara was the celebrant at both Masses and offered the first for the parishioners and the second for the poor and forgotten Souls in Purgatory registered in the Holy Innocents’ Purgatorial Society.

Still unable to congregate in the church hall, after Mass we caught up with some old friends outside and discussed a myriad of topics, both happy and sad. It was only a reunion of sorts, since most of us have remained in close contact with video conferencing and the telephone. Naturally, with limited places for traditional minded people to go and worship, it was only a matter of time before we met other legitimists, in this case Carlists, and proudly flew the glorious Saltire of Burgundy.

Tito, Andrew and Daniel with the Cross of Burgundy

Parting ways, a few Sanfedisti returned to Gravesend, Brooklyn for our customary Sunday luncheon at Joe’s of Avenue U (287 Ave. U). For those who don’t know, Joe’s is one of few remaining old-school Sicilian trattorias left in Brooklyn specializing in traditional Palermo-style cuisine. Except for the outdoor dinning, we’re happy to say nothing has really changed since the Wuhan pandemic shut down the city back in March. As always, the food was delicious and the service was great; so please go and support them, you won’t be disappointed.

Engrossed in our meal, lively conversation, and the disappointing Napoli game against Milan, which finished in 2-2 draw, we nearly missed our new friend Marco who was sporting Ernie Rossi’s popular Due Sicilie coat-of-arms T-shirt. Finishing a meal with his family only a few tables away from us, we introduced ourselves and ended up having a nice conversation with them about Sicilian history, the old neighborhood and, unavoidably, the current state of the country. Marco’s mother, Carmella, gave me a much needed lesson in the Sicilian language and some good advice on how to learn it: find a good Sicilian woman.

An overall great day, I look forward to continuing our group activities (spiritual warfare, charity, etc.) and celebrating our faith and culture together. We need this now more than ever, especially after the spate of violent anti-Catholic attacks occurring around the country.

God bless you all and stay safe during these difficult times. Evviva Santa Trofimena!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, July 13th, Feast of Santa Trofimena di Minori

Bucatini con cavolfiore alla palermitana

Salsiccia e patate

Vitello alla Milanese