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Birth of the Virgin (ca. 1690) by Francesco Solimena
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September 8th is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast was introduced to Rome from the Eastern Church in the 7th century by Syro-Sicilian Pope San Sergio I (who, coincidentally, died on September 8th in 701). In celebration, I'm posting the prayer Our Lady, Queen of Heaven. The accompanying photo of the Birth of the Virgin by Francesco Solimena was taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Continue reading
Feast of the Madonna del Tindari
September 8th is the Feast of the Madonna del Tindari. Patroness of Patti, Sicily, she is invoked against natural disasters, sickness and invasion. According to tradition, the sacred image of the Black Madonna was smuggled from Constantinople to save it from the iconoclastic controversy troubling the Byzantine Empire in the 8th and 9th centuries. During the journey, a storm forced the ship carrying the statue to seek shelter at Tindari in Northeastern Sicily, where she was entrusted to the local monks. In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to Our Lady of Tindari. The accompanying photo of the Madonna del Tindari was taken at the Santa Febronia Chapel in Hoboken, New Jersey. Continue readingFeast of the Madonna di Piedigrotta
September 8th is the Feast of the Madonna di Piedigrotta, patroness of Neapolitan seafarers, particularly the fishermen and sailors of the Mergellina quarter of Naples. In celebration, I’m posting the daily prayer of the Santuario di Piedigrotta in Italian. The accompanying photo of the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Piedigrotta, located at the foot of the grotto in Mergellina, was taken during my 2007 pilgrimage to southern Italy. Originally dedicated to the Annunciation, the sanctuary was destroyed by a tsunami on November 25, 1343. It was rebuilt in 1353 and reconsecrated to the Nativity of Mary. In 1571 Don Giovanni d’Austria, the commander of the fleet of the Holy League, visited the church before the Battle of Lepanto. After defeating the Ottoman armada he returned to give thanks. Continue reading
Feast of the Madonna di Ripalta
September 8th, is the Feast of the Madonna di Ripalta, Patroness of Cerignola, Foggia in Puglia. In celebration, I'm posting a prayer to the Madonna di Ripalta. The accompanying photo of the Byzantine icon in the style of the Hodegitria, She who shows us the way, was taken at the Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood (113 Baxter Street) in New York City's historic Little Italy. Continue reading
Feast of the Madonna dei Martiri
September 8th, is the Feast of the Madonna dei Martiri (Our Lady of Martyrs), Patroness of Molfetta, Puglia. According to tradition, Crusaders returning from the Holy Land in 1188 discovered a Byzantine icon of the Blessed Mother floating in the Adriatic Sea. Fishing it out of the water, the knights enshrined the image in the hospice at Molfetta, where many of their wounded brethren died as Martyrs of the Faith. In celebration, I'm posting a prayer to the Madonna dei Martiri in Italian. The accompanying photo was taken at Saint Ann’s Church in Hoboken, New Jersey. Continue reading
Feast of the Madonna della Stella
September 8th is the Feast of the Madonna della Stella (Our Lady of the Star), Patroness of Craco (MT), Adelfia (BA), Pazzano (RC), Pedagaggi (SR), Barrafranca (EN) and Militello in Val di Catania (CT), among others. She is also celebrated on August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. In celebration, I'm posting "The Patron of Craco," a poem by Vincenzo Montemurro.* The accompanying photo of Maria SS. della Stella was taken at now-closed Saint Joseph's Church (5 Monroe Street) in Manhattan. Continue reading
