Feast of San Ferdinando III, King of Castile and León

San Ferdinando III, ora pro nobis

May 30 is the Feast of San Ferdinando III (c.1200-1252), King of Castile and León. During the Reconquest of Spain, the “invincible champion of Christ” conquered the cities of Córdoba, Jaén, Sevilla and Murcia. A wise and virtuous monarch, with a great devotion to Our Lady, he was a model Christian ruler. The holy sovereign’s sword, Lobera, or "wolf-slayer,” is kept in the Capilla Real in the Cathedral of Seville. He is the patron saint of engineers, prisoners, the poor and rulers. In celebration, we’re posting a prayer to St. Ferdinand of Castile. Evviva San Ferdinando III!

Prayer to St. Ferdinand of Castile

O God, who was pleased that blessed Ferdinand should fight thy battles and overcome the enemies of faith: grant that, protected by his intercession, we may be delivered from the enemies of mind and body. Amen.

Photo of the Week: Allegory of Charity, Vatican

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

A Look at the Unveiling of the Monument Dedicated to King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon in San Leucio, Caserta

A bronze statue dedicated to King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, sculpted by Don Battista Marello, was officially unveiled this afternoon in the Borgo di San Leucio, Caserta. Viva 'o Rre!

Photos by Angela Cuccillato and Gennaro Conte were liberally gleaned from Facebook.

This Morning Caserta Shines for the Bourbons Again

Photo courtesy of Movimento Neoborbonico

Statue of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies being installed this morning in San Leucio, Caserta. It will officially be unveiled on Sunday 29 May. Viva 'o Rre!

Ponderable Quote from ‘The Diary of a Writer’ by F.M. Dostoevsky

Portrait of Dostoevsky in 1872 by Vasily Perov

“Take the instance of Count Cavour,—wasn’t his a great mind? Wasn’t he a diplomat?—I am citing him because his genius is generally recognized and also because he is dead. Yet what did he do, look: Oh, he did achieve his aim, he did unite Italy, but what was the result?—For 2,000 years Italy bore in herself a universal unifying idea—not some abstract idea, not a speculation of some theoretical mind, but a realistic, organic idea; the fruit of the national and universal life. This was the unification of the whole world—first, the ancient Roman and later—the papal unification. The peoples who have been growing and disappearing in Italy in the course of these two and one-half millennia, understood that they were the bearers of a universal idea, while those who did not understand it felt and divined it. Science, art—everything was invested and permeated with this universal significance. Oh, let us admit that, at length, this universal idea became worn out and wasted there (although hardly so!). But what—in the long run—has come in its stead? Upon what can Italy be congratulated? What advantage has she achieved after Count Cavour’s diplomacy? —There rose a united second-rate little kingdom which had lost every kind of a universal aspiration; which exchanged it for the most worn-out, bourgeois principle—the thirtieth repetition of this principle since the French revolution a kingdom fully content with its unity which means nothing, a mechanical, and not a spiritual unity (i.e., not the former universal unity), and on top of that—a kingdom burdened with insolvent indebtedness, and, in addition,—one specifically content with its own second-rateness. This is what came of it; such was Count Cavour’s creation!” 

Reprinted from The Diary of a Writer (1877, May-June, Chapter II: Former Agriculturists—Future Diplomats) by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, translated and annotated by Boris Brasol, George Braziller, Inc., 1954, P.718-719

A Look at the Fourteenth Annual Battle of Bitonto Commemoration in New York City

Battle of Bitonto (c.1750) by Giovanni Luigi Rocco

Members of our little neobriganti community in New York City gathered at Amunì Ristorante (7217 3rd Avenue) in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn last Saturday for our Fourteenth Annual Battle of Bitonto Commemoration in memory of King Carlo di Borbone’s decisive victory over the Austrians in Apulia on 25 May 1734 and the subsequent founding of the Bourbon Dynasty of Naples and Sicily (later the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies).

Moved forward on account of the Minor Rogation Days, Ascension Thursday and Memorial Day Weekend, revelers exchanged Bourbon-themed gifts, won raffle prizes and, as always, enjoyed a bountiful Sicilian repast.

We honored the fallen on both sides with prayers and toasts. Viva 'o Rre!

Carciofi fritti

Arancini

Milinciani fritta (breaded eggplant, roasted peppers and mozzarella)

Pizza

Cavatelli with sausage, broccoli and pignoli

Braciola di maiale al forno

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Raffle prizes included artisanal soaps from Casa Amalfi and
a tie with the coat-of-arms of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

Artisanal soaps, fleur-de-lis placemats and repurposed Argenio watch boxes with King Carlo di Borbone filled with various Kingdom of the Two Sicilies lapel pins

A Prayer for Uvalde, Texas

Ven. Antonio Margil de Jesús, ora pro nobis

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the horrific May 24 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas and their families. Taking place just ten days after the deadly attack in Buffalo, New York, our society clearly suffers from a grave spiritual malady. May Venerable Antonio Margil de Jesús, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Joseph and the Holy Innocents watch over the Great State of Texas.

Prayer for the victims

Loving God, welcome into your arms the victims of violence and terrorism. Comfort their families and all who grieve for them. Help us in our fear and uncertainty, and bless us with the knowledge that we are secure in your love. Strengthen all those who work for peace, and may the peace the world cannot give reign in our hearts. Amen.

Feast of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice

Santa Maria Ausiliatrice, ora pro nobis

May 24th is the Feast of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice (Our Lady, Help of Christians). Instituted in 1815 by Pope Pius VII in fulfillment of a vow he made to God during his captivity (1809-1814) in Savona and Fontainebleau by Napoleon, the invocation Auxilium Christianorum (Help of Christians) actually dates back to 1571 when Pope St. Pius V included it in the Litany of Loreto in gratitude of the Holy League’s great victory against the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7th. Our Lady, Help of Christians famously came to the aid of Christendom again in the 17th century when Emperor Leopold I of Austria invoked the Blessed Virgin's help against the Turks during the Battle of Vienna. The siege was broken on the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary when Poland's heroic King Jan Sobieski and his winged hussars rescued the Imperial City from the Ottoman invaders. In celebration I’m posting a prayer to Our Lady, Help of Christians by San Giovanni Bosco. The accompanying photo of votive wall shrine dedicated to Our Lady, Help of Christians was taken in 2019 in Piazza Bellini in Naples. Evviva Santa Maria Ausiliatrice!

Prayer to Our Lady, Help of Christians

Most holy and Immaculate Virgin, Help of Christians, we place ourselves under your motherly protection. Throughout the Church’s history you have helped Christians in times of trial, temptation and danger. Time and time again, you have proven to be the Refuge of sinners, the Hope of the hopeless, the Consoler of the afflicted, and the Comforter of the dying. We promise to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, your Son, to proclaim His Good News of God’s love for all people, and to work for peace and justice in our world. With faith in your intercession, we pray for the Church, for our family and friends, for the poor and abandoned, and all the dying. Grant, O Mary, Help of Christians, the graces of which we stand in need. (Mention your intentions.) May we serve Jesus with fidelity and love until death. Help us and our loved ones to attain the boundless joy of being forever with our Father in heaven. Amen.

Photo of the Week: San Raffaele Arcangelo and Tobia by Renato Rossi

San Raffaele Arcangelo e Tobia by Renato Rossi, 1931, hand painted ceramic tiles on the facade of the Confraternity of Annunziata and Rosario (next door to the Chiesa San Giovanni) in Vietri sul Mare. Photo by New york Scugnizzo

High Mass for the Feast of Santa Rita da Cascia at Our Lady of Peace Church in Brooklyn, New York

Santa Rita da Cascia, ora pro nobis

After the traditional Latin Mass at Our Lady of Peace Church in Brooklyn, New York on Sunday, I visited the statues of a few familial and personal patrons, and prayed for our Prior, His Grace Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone. Evviva Santa Rita da Cascia!

San Giovanni Battista, ora pro nobis

San Rocco di Montpellier, ora pro nobis

Santa Lucia, ora pro nobis

Remembering King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies

January 12, 1810 - May 22, 1859

In memory of King Ferdinando II of the Two Sicilies, we pray for the happy repose of his soul. Viva ‘o Rre!

Eternal rest grant unto His Majesty, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Feast of San Costantino il Grande

The Arch of Constantine in Rome. Situated between the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, the triumphal arch was dedicated in 315 to commemorate the Emperor's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milivian Bridge

In the Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, May 21 is the Feast of St. Constantine the Great, Equal to the Apostles and Emperor. Once widely venerated across Southern Italy, the Emperor's cult has sadly diminished and become more localized. Patron saint of converts, he is also the patron of San Costantino Albanese in Provincia di Potenza in Basilicata and Capri Leone in Provincia di Messina in Sicily.

According to tradition, the night before his great victory over the usurper Maxentius at the Battle of the Milivian Bridge on October 12, 312 AD, Constantine dreamt of the Chi and the Rho (XP), the first two letters of Christ’s name in Greek, and heard a voice proclaim In Hoc Signo Vinces, which means “By this sign you will conquer.”

That morning the Emperor had a vision of the cross emanating from the light of the rising sun and commanded his men to paint the Chi and the Rho on their shields and his golden standard (labarum). As proclaimed in his dream, adopting the insignia of Christ he routed his enemy on the field of battle.

Soon after his great victory, the Emperor legalized Christianity with his famous Edict of Milan, thus ending 300 years of Christian persecution by the Romans. A great benefactor of the Faith, he granted privileges, built churches and convened the First Council of Nicaea. In 324 AD Constantine moved the Empire's capital from Rome to Byzantium, which was rechristened Constantinople. He was baptized on his deathbed in 337 AD.

In celebration, I’m posting the prayer to St. Constantine. The accompanying photo of the Arch of Constantine was taken during my 2007 pilgrimage to Rome. San Costantino il Grande, ora pro nobis.

Prayer to St. Constantine

O God, You who work in mysterious ways, we thank you for St. Constantine and the important role he played in the flourishing of the early Church. The proverb holds that You O Lord direct the heart of a good king and guide all his ways. Truly it was you, working through Constantine, that freed your Church from the unjust oppression it had lived under for centuries. May you direct the heart of world leaders still today, so that your Church may be free and kept safe from all harm. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Meridiunalata XXX: Abbrúsciala by Cav. Charles Sant'Elia

Reprinted from Cav. Charles Sant'Elia's Meridiunalata/Southernade, an evocative bilingual (Neapolitan/ English) collection of poetry written between 1989 and 2010.*

Abbrúsciala 

Abbrúsciala
Sta lettera ca te sto screvenno, 

Mo ca stammo luntane, 

Manco 'o suonno
Nci'ha da aunì. 

Abbrúsciala
Int'a nu fuoco ardente, 

Miéttela llà mmiezo 

Int' 'o core d' 'e sciamme 

Ca nun fujesse. 

Abbrúsciala
E nun te ne ncarrecà chiù 

'E stu penziero
Ca nun maje nce avev' 'a stà 

Ma ca nc'è caduto. 

Abbrúsciala, 

Abbrúsciala...

Tu pe me. 

Burn It 

Burn it
This letter that I’m writing you, 

Now that we’re far apart,
Not even dreams
Can unite us. 

Burn it
In an ardent fire,
Put it there in the middle 

In the heart of the flames 

So that it not escape. 

Burn it
And don’t bother any more about 

This thought
Which shouldn’t have been
But which fell upon us. 

Burn it, 

Burn it... 

You for me. 

* 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.

Photos of the Week: Details of the Pulpit at Our Lady of Peace Church in Brooklyn, New York

After High Mass Sunday morning I took a few pics of the
marble Franciscan Saints adorning the hexagonal pulpit

New Book — Pierre-François Hugues d'Hancarville: The Complete Collection of Antiquities from the Cabinet of Sir William Hamilton

Forthcoming title that may be of interest to our readers. Available at Amazon.com

• Pierre-François Hugues d'Hancarville: The Complete Collection of Antiquities from the Cabinet of Sir William Hamilton by Madeleine Howler and Sebastian Schütze

Publisher: Taschen

Publication Date: Aug. 16, 2022

Hardcover: $80.00

Language: English

Pages: 514

Read description

Click here to see more books

Listing does not imply endorsement

High Mass for the Feast of the Apparition of San Michele Arcangelo on Monte Gargano and Supplica at Our Lady of Peace Church in Brooklyn, New York

After the traditional Latin Mass we prayed the Supplica
beneath the statue of the Madonna del Rosario di Pompei

Madonna della Pace, ora pro nobis

Beautifully decorated high altar

San Michele Arcangelo, ora pro nobis

Photo of the Week: Street Shrine Dedicated to Our Lady in Naples

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Congratulations U.S. Lecce! I Lupi Returns to Serie A

After a short but harrowing spell in Serie B, U.S. Lecce won promotion back to Serie A with their 1-0 victory over Pordenone yesterday at the Stadio Via Del Mare in Puglia. Zan Majer’s goal in the 46’ secured the Giallorossi victory and their most welcome return to Italy’s top flight football. We wish them all the best and much success. Forza Lecce!

* * *

Benevento Calcio finished in seventh and go into the play-offs. We’re rooting for Le Streghe’s triumphal return to Serie A next campaign. Forza Benevento!