The emperor has had his trumpets sounded;* Reprinted from The Song of Roland, author unknown, translated and with an introduction by Robert Harrison, A Signet Classic, 2002, p.131-132
then, with his mighty host, the brave lord rides.
The men from Spain have turned their backs to them;
they all ride out together in pursuit.
The king, on seeing dusk begin to fall,
Dismounts upon the green grass in a field,
Prostates himself, and prays Almighty God
that He will make the sun stand still for him,
hold back the night, and let the day go on.
An angel he had spoken with before
came instantly and gave him this command:
“Ride on, Charles, for the light shall not desert you.
God knows that you have lost the flower of France;
you may take vengeance on the guilty race.”
And at these words, the emperor remounts. AOI
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| Photo by New York Scugnizzo |
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| Portrait of King Louis XVI of France with royalist flags |
Domine salvum fac Regem et exaudi nos in die qua invocaverimus te. Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. (1)
My Sanfedisti brethren and I happily returned to Joe’s of Ave U (287 Ave. U) in Gravesend, Brooklyn Thursday evening to commemorate the memory of King Louis XVI of France, the Feast of Sant’Agnese di Roma, and (most appreciatively) my birthday. After the miserable Wednesday we endured, admittedly more so for Napoli’s disappointing loss to Juventus in the Supercoppa than the sham inauguration, a convivial dinner was just what we needed to lift our spirits. While we can never truly forget what great evil we are up against and where our duty lies, its always nice to get together with friends, thumb our noses at our perfidious overlords and enjoy a few of the simple things in life while we still can. Evviva Sant'Agnes and Vive le roi!
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| Centerpiece with flags of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, and the Spanish Cross of Burgundy |
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| Makeshift table shrine with St. Louis IX of France, Servant of God King Francis II of Bourbon Two Sicilies, St. Joan of Arc, St. Agnes of Rome, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a green scapula, and reliquary with stones from the Apparition Grotto at the Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo in Gargano, Puglia |
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| Panelle e crocchè di patate |
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| Vastedda Palermitana |
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| Caponata |
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| Arancini speciali |
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| Vongole al forno |
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| Spaghetti aglio e olio |
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| Pollo alla Milanese |
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| Someone waggishly transposed the numbers on our dessert |
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| Caffe and spirits complete the meal |
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| Raffaele, Andrew, Tony and John with the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
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| Sant'Antuono Abate, ora pro nobis |
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| (L) Fucarazzo di Sant'Antuono, or St. Anthony’s Bonfire. (R) Andrew removes the potatoes from the ashes |
Since we abstain from meat on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays as part of our Brown Scapular devotion and Friday penance, as well as being a vigil to a great feast, the evening was more solemn and contemplative than festive. Meditating in silence most of the night, devotees finally broke the fast at midnight with potatoes baked in the hot ashes and a few shots of amaro in honor of His Majesty and our glorious Wonderworker.
* * *
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| Our gracious host Stephen with image of Sant'Antuono |
Sunday, January 17th — Continuing the observance the next day at sundown, we joined our San Rocco Society brethren in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn for their annual Feast Day celebration. The festivities kicked-off with prayers by our host Stephen La Rocca, which were unintentionally accentuated by the 6pm tolling of church bells.
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| Revelers enjoying the protective flames of the bonfire |
Less austere than the vigil, partygoers ate, drank and mingled around the fire. Since it's customary to eat pig on the feast, most of the dishes had at least some pork in them.
Continuing well into the night, the fire was steadily fed Christmas trees, dried palm fronds from Palm Sunday, and other kindling from the garden. Considering how tough things have been of late and how grim our Nation's prospects look, it was no surprise a few diehards didn't want the time-honored tradition to end.
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| Hot and sweet sausages on the grill |
Heartfelt thanks to The Giordano family in Long Island and the La Rocca family in Brooklyn for your warmth and hospitality. As always, it was a great joy to celebrate our faith and culture together. Evviva Sant'Antuono!
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| (L-R) Servant of God King Francis II di Bourbon, flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and San Felice di Nola |
After a short hiatus, members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (Brothers of the Holy Faith) got back into the swing of things and celebrated the Feast of San Felice di Nola and Sant’Ilario di Poitiers at Joe’s of Avenue U (287 Ave. U), an old-school Sicilian eatery in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Our first get-together in 2021 (outside of Mass, of course), the little shindig was a modest, but good start to the new year. It also served as a nice warm-up for our upcoming Second Annual Feast of St. Agnes and King Louis XVI of France Memorial Dinner Party. [See last year's celebration.]
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| Makeshift table shrine with prayer cards for Sant'Antonio Abate, San Sebastiano, and Servants of God Pauline-Marie Jaricot and HM Francis II di Bourbon |
As is our custom, we concluded grace with a Litany of Saints. In addition to our group’s patrons, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Andrew the Apostle, St. John the Baptist and the Madonna del Soccorso, we included several saints commemorated in mid-January: St. Hyginus, St. Paul the First Hermit, St. Maurus the Abbot, St. Marcellus I, St. Anthony the Abbot, St. Prisca, St. Canute, St. Fabian, St. Marius, St. Martha, St. Audifax, St. Abachum, and St. Sebastian. We also honored the Venerable Servants of God Pauline-Marie Jaricot and HM Francis II di Bourbon, the last King of the Two Sicilies.
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| Mista polpo e calamari |
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| Caponata |
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| Panelle e crocchè di patate |
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| Cavolfiore alla palermitana |
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| Salsiccia e patate |
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| Blessed wine from the Feast of San Giovanni Evangelista |
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| Profiterole |
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| Ricotta cheesecake |
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| John, Andrew and Raffaele with the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies |
The last monarch of an ancient kingdom, which was for 730 years the independent nation of Southern Italy and the Island of Sicily, Francesco II is not well-known to most people, outside of a small circle. Continue reading
Listen to podcast: IAP 171: The King Who Would be a Saint: Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies, with Special Guest Lou Mendola
Reprinted from Calabria: the Other Italy
Awakening of the Fata Morgana by Santina Orrico in Falvo, Palazzo della Cultura
“I have never beheld the enchantment of the Straits of Messina, that Fata Morgana, when, under certain conditions of weather, phantasmagoric palaces of wondrous shape are cast upon the waters – not mirrored, but standing upright; tangible, as it were; yet diaphanous as a veil of gauze.” Thus spake Norman Douglas in his Old Calabria. The extraordinary vision, looking across the Strait of Messina from Reggio Calabria to Sicily has eluded me, as well, in all my time spent in the Città della Fata Morgana.
What is the Fata Morgana?
In Reggio, it is said that the Fata Morgana is best seen on particularly warm, muggy days, at daybreak when the special combination of refraction and reflection create the mirage-like effect over the water. Yet, I remember seeing a photo in a Calabrian newspaper a number of years ago of the phenomenon on a cold winter’s day. Continue reading
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| Photo by Andrew Giordano |
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| The Adoration of the Kings or Adoration of the Magi by Belisario Correnzio Photo by Andrew Giordano |
Happy Birthday Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon Two Sicilies, Duchess of Noto and Capri! We wish you a day filled with happiness and a year filled with joy! Auguri!
HRH was born in Rome in 2005
Photo courtesy of Real Casa di Borbone
