Requiescat in Pace Papa Benedictus XVI

16 April 1927 — 31 December 2022

Please join us in prayer for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict XVI

Coat of arms of the Holy Father

O God, who in Thy ineffable providence, was pleased to number Thy servant Benedict XVI among the sovereign pontiffs, grant we beseech Thee, that he who reigned as Vicar of Thy Son on earth, may be joined in fellowship with Thy Holy Pontiffs forevermore. Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. (Fr. Leo Joseph Camurati)

O God, faithful rewarder of souls, grant that your departed servant, Pope Benedict XVI, whom you made successor of Peter and shepherd of your Church, may happily enjoy forever in your presence in heaven the mysteries of your grace and compassion, which he faithfully ministered on earth. (From the Roman Missal, Mass for a Deceased Pope)

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei

Top Ten Posts 2022

(Top L-R) Votive High Mass for Emperor Karl in Brooklyn; 134th Annual Feast of San Rocco in NYC; and the Death of Carnevale in Brooklyn. (Center) King Louis XVI memorial dinner in Brooklyn. (Bottom L-R) New portrait of SG Francis II of the Two Sicilies and statue of Blessed Karl of Austria; Celebrating Napoli's glorious 2022 campaign in NYC; and zampognaro David Marker in NYC. 

01 Lucky Thirteen
02 The Francone Princes of Ripabottoni in the Contado di Molise
03 Neapolitan Tradition and “Neapolitanism” According to Francisco Elias de Tejada
04 A Tale of Two Insults
05 Reflections on “Italian American” Identity
06 Praying We Avoid WWIII
07 Sergeant Romano of the Two Sicilies Army
08 The Bronze Doors of the Maschio Angioino
09 The Teachers of the 1st and 2nd Educandato di Napoli 1862
10 Ripabottoni, Molise Honors Native Son Constantinian Knight Grand Cross Cav. Dr. Pietro Ramaglia

Honorable Mention:
11 Review: All Quiet on the Western Front
12 Amazon’s The Rings of Power is an Abomination
13 Nihil Sub Sole Novum
14 Napule (Naples) Lost One of its Better Sons: Dr. Raffaele Bracale

Click here to see last year’s results

A Look at the Suffrage Mass for SG Francesco II at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria in Napoli

Photos courtesy of 1° Reggimento Re

Tuesday evening, over 150 people attended the Annual Holy Mass in Suffrage for Servant of God King Francesco II of the Two Sicilies (b. Jan. 16, 1836—d. Dec. 27, 1894) at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria in Napoli.

The Mass was organized by the Fondazione il Giglio, Movimento Neoborbonico, 1° Reggimento Re, and Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio.

Photo courtesy of 1° Reggimento Re

Photo courtesy of 1° Reggimento Re

Photo courtesy of 1° Reggimento Re

Photos courtesy of Angela Cuccillato

Photos courtesy of 1° Reggimento Re

Photos courtesy of 1° Reggimento Re

Viva 'o Rre! Remembering Servant of God King Francesco II of the Two Sicilies

Servant of God Francesco II, ora pro nobis

Tuesday evening a few close friends and devotees of Servant of God King Francesco II of the Two Sicilies gathered privately around my makeshift shrine dedicated to our revered King and prayed for his beatification as well as the canonization of his mother, our beloved Queen, Blessed Maria Cristina di Savoia.

Photo of King Francesco II lying in state with image of
his mother Blessed Maria Cristina to the right

Following our prayers, we watched with delight as the images of the Mass held in Naples were shared on social media and heartened by the gracious letter from His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Bourbon-Two Sicilies that was read to the attendees:

I extend to all those present my sincere best wishes for these festive days and my thanks for your participation in this evening's ceremony, in memory of our beloved Francesco II, Sovereign of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It fills my heart with joy to be able to bring together so many people, because it is a sign of the still alive affection towards this great Sovereign, who has always loved his subjects and his country by sacrificing himself, leaving so many memories still alive in the heart of his people.

Today more than ever given the times we live in, may the figure of this great King always accompany and protect us.

I send you all my dearest and most affectionate wishes

Charles of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro

Afterward, keeping the Christmas festivities going, we enjoyed some fellowship, lite fare, and wine, which I had blessed earlier at the Mass in honor of San Giovanni Evangelista. Viva 'o Rre!

For more information about the Beatification and Canonization process for Francesco II visit the Fondazione Francesco II delle Due Sicilie

Prayer for the Glorification of King Francis II of the Two Sicilies

[For private use only]

Absolve, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant HM Francis II, King of the Two Sicilies, from every bond of sin, that being raised in the glory of the resurrection, he may be refreshed among the Saints and Elect. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

La Vigilia and Other Christmas Traditions

This year we attended the Traditional Latin Mass at
Our Lady of Peace Church in Brooklyn, New York

Like many Duosiciliano Americans, my family still keeps the tradition of La Vigilia di Natale, the Southern Italian ritual of eating seafood and eschewing meat on Christmas Eve. We don’t do the so-called Festa dei sette pesci, or “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” but we do eat a variety of aquatic delicacies.

The beautifully decorated sanctuary

Despite regular and varied claims to authenticity, I believe the “Seven Fish” custom is a relatively recent fabrication. According to my family’s matriarchs there were never a set number of dishes served, we simply ate what we could afford and what was fresh and available.

Today, we normally have shrimp, calamari, clams, mussels and scungilli (whelk), which all can be prepared in a variety of ways. Capitone fritto alla napoletana (fried eel) use to be the main course, but nowadays, since the passing of my grandparents, the dish has been replaced with aragosta (lobster), ricci di mare (sea urchin), seppia (cuttlefish), or baccalà (salt cod). This year, we enjoyed baccalà in umido (stewed codfish) and mini lobster tails.

Following the fish bonanza, we had three different types of meatless panzerotti, a delicious deep-fried crescent-shaped dough filled with onions and capers; sweet ricotta; and the classic mozzarella and tomato.

Next came fruit, roasted chestnuts, caffè and an assortment of delicious sweets, including homemade cartellate and struffoli, the quintessential Neapolitan Christmas dessert that will satisfy the most stubborn sweet tooth. There is no panettone in my house.

Between courses we played a few games of chess then attended Midnight Mass. Afterward, instead of going straight home, we took our customary passeggiata through Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, to admire the festive Christmas decorations. My family has been doing this for as long as I can remember, though originally it was in East New York, Brooklyn, where my maternal grand- and great-grandparents were from.

Insalata di mare

Fritto misto di mare

Spaghetti alle vongole

Mini lobster tails

Baccalà in umido with tomato, onion and olives

Panzerotti

White and red wines from Campania

Christmas morning we went to Mass, exchanged presents, and visited family and friends until dinnertime. Sadly, this year I did not make the Mass at Dawn commemorating Santa Anastasia. 

Santa really gets me; look what I found under the Christmas tree this year!: (L–R) Edgar Julius Jung, Right -Wing Enemy of the Nazis by Roshan Magub; The Sepent Coiled in Naples by Marius Kociejowski; Ernst Jünger: Between the Gods & the Titans by Alain de Benoist; The Failure of Technology by Friedrich Georg Jünger; The Significance of the German Revolution by Edgar Julius Jung; Early Days of World History by Oswald Spengler; The Philosophy of Marx by Giovanni Gentile; and Liberty: The Last Essays by Georges Bernanos

Aglianico wine from Basilicata named in honor of King Manfred of Sicily and brandy named for the Gran Duque D'Alba Fernando Alvarez de Toledo y Pimentel

No less extravagant than the Eve, Christmas dinner was a culinary tour de force with plenty of hot and cold antipasti, insalata, baked ziti and grilled steak. Fruit, dessert and caffè completed the meal.

Affettati e formaggi

Prosciutto e melone

Insalata di burrata e pomodori

Arancini

Peperoni grigliati e marinati

Melanzane grigliati e marinati

Focaccia Pugliese

Polpette di ricotta, frittata di scarola, and bastoncini di mozzarella

Ziti al forno

Bistecca alla griglia with crocchè di patate Napoletani and friarielli

Struffoli

Not quite finished yet, on December 26, the second day of Christmas, we celebrate St. Stephen's Day (my saintly Confirmation namesake) with leftovers and homemade torrone, a sticky candy made from honey and nuts that dates back to Roman times. I like mine with a glass of Strega or Amaro.

Torrone

Cartellate with fig vincotto

As always, the ladies outdid themselves and treated us to another memorable Christmas. Buon Natale a tutti!

~ Giovanni di Napoli, December 26th, Feast of Santo Stefano primo Martire

Amended for 2022

Photo of the Week: Santo Stefano in the Basilica Madonna dei Martiri in Molfetta, Apulia

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Around the Web: Lo Trovatore, Il passato ed il presente ovvero "Ernesto il disingannato" (1874)

L'associazione "Alta Terra di Lavoro" sta ripubblicando sul proprio sito il primo romanzo carlista della letteratura italiana: "Ernesto il disingannato" che è anche il primo romanzo filo-borbonico scritto in Italia.

[The "Alta Terra di Lavoro" association is republishing on its website the first Carlist novel of Italian literature: "Ernesto the disillusioned" which is also the first pro-Bourbon novel written in Italy.]

Begin reading Lo Trovatore, Il passato ed il presente ovvero "Ernesto il disingannato" (1874)

Source: Gianandrea de Antonellis @Carlismo1964 Twitter

Around the Web: Presentazione della Collana di Studi Carlisti

Photo courtesy of Ernesto il Disingannato

Source: Ernesto il Disingannato: Per liberarsi dal velo dell’inganno propagandistico [Martedì 20 Dicembre 2022]

Introduzione di Diego Benedetto Panetta

Buonasera a tutti [...]

Quando ho appreso dal prof. de Antonellis dell’intenzione di voler presentare qui a Gaeta la Collana di Studi carlisti, sono stato sin da subito entusiasta per evidenti ragioni e storiche e valoriali.

Perché, vedete, considerare il solo elemento storico, il puro dato evenemenziale, privo della dimensione di senso che lo sorregge e lo sostanzia, equivale a parlare una lingua monca. Considerare la storia come un insieme di eventi dal quale non si può trarre alcun significato di fondo, alcun valore, considerare pertanto la storia da un punto di vista assiologicamente neutro, comporta la negazione della stessa funzione della storia quale magistra vitae.

La Collana di Studi che andremo a presentare, invece, è definita particolarmente da quell’aggettivo: “carlisti”, il quale esprime l’ordine dei valori nei quali ci si muove. Francisco Elías de Tejada osserva che la ragion d’essere del Carlismo sta nel sentirsi “l’erede delle vecchie Spagne, il continuatore della Controriforma, l’ultimo innamorato dell’ideale di una Cristianità cattolica” (Il Carlismo, trad. it., Solfanelli 2018, p. 72).

Sorta come movimento dinastico durante gli anni ’30 del secolo XIX, la nascente Comunità carlista raccolse sin da subito, tra le proprie fila, non solamente dei semplici sostenitori del “reclamante” al trono Don Carlos María Isidro (1788-1855), ma innanzitutto e in particolar modo, coloro che desideravano continuare ad essere gli “eredi delle vecchie Spagne, i continuatori della Controriforma, gli ultimi innamorati dell’ideale di una Cristianità cattolica”.

Ebbene, se il Carlismo, dunque, attraverso la persona di S.A.R. Sisto Enrico di Borbone, rappresenta ancor oggi il frutto più maturo e l’eredità più feconda delle Spagne; se rappresenta ancor oggi quella Cristianità in atto nei secoli, ecco allora che ben si comprenderà l’orgoglio e la soddisfazione di presentare a Gaeta, con degli illustri ospiti, una collana di studi che si occupi di approfondire ed analizzare il suo ideario.

Nei giorni che hanno preceduto questo incontro, ho provato a verificare se in qualche modo lo stile o modo d’essere ispanico, per dirla con García Morente, collimasse con l’atteggiamento e il ruolo svolto nella storia da Gaeta, nelle sue diverse scansioni temporali, ovvero prima da Repubblica marinara costituitasi in Ducato autonomo e, infine, da insigne città del Regno di Napoli.

Consentitemi, pertanto, solo pochissimi minuti per dare qualche piccolo input su Gaeta e sul ruolo che ha avuto nella storia, che di certo non inizia e finisce nella sola, per quanto gloriosa, epoca borbonica. Continue reading

Mass in Honor of H.M. Francesco II at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria in Napoli

A Look at the 2022 "Dyker Lights" Christmas Displays in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn (Part 2)

Our pals John Miniero and Raymond Guarini

Hands down my favorite part of the "Dyker Lights" Christmas displays in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn is local artisan John Meniero's outdoor presepe. Located on 14th Avenue, between 79th and 80th Streets, John's wondrous Nativity scenes have been delighting locals for years. With hundreds of figures and highly detailed custom-made scenery with lights and running water surrounding the Holy Family, this year's tableau did not disappoint.

A retired baker, John invited us out of the cold into his warm workshop for some homemade cookies and zeppoli.

Teaching us some of his building techniques, John was also kind enough to show us some photos of the presepi he built at his old Sorrento Bakery and Pastry Shop.

A must see, any tour of the neighborhood's popular light displays would be incomplete without seeing this time-honored Neapolitan Christmas tradition. Buon Natale!