Prayer for the Beatification of SG King Francesco II of the Two Sicilies

Servant of God, King Francesco II, ora pro nobis

O One and Triune God, Who casts Your glance on us from Your throne of mercy, and called Francis II of Bourbon to follow You, choosing him on earth to be king, modeling his life on the very Kingship of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, pouring into his heart sentiments of love and patience, humility and meekness, peace and pardon, and clothing him with the virtues of faith, hope and charity, hear our petition, and help us to walk in his footsteps and to live his virtues.

Glorify him, we pray You, on earth as we believe him to be already glorified in Heaven, and grant that, through his prayers, we may receive the graces we need. Amen.

La Vigilia and Other Christmas Traditions

Midnight Mass at the Shrine Church
of the Holy Innocents in New York City

Glória in excélsis Deo et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis

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 (Feast of the Seven Fishes); there is no sacred arithmetic at our table, but we do eat a variety of aquatic delicacies.

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

In recent years, our table has featured shrimp, calamari, clams, mussels, and scungilli (whelk), which all can be prepared in a variety of ways. Once the unquestioned centerpiece, Capitone fritto alla napoletana (fried eel) has gradually given way, after the passing of my grandparents, to sea urchin, lobster, cuttlefish, or baccalà. Lately, we’ve been enjoying baccalà in umido (stewed codfish), and mini lobster tails have become staples.

Insalata di mare

Fritto misto di mare

Gamberi fritti

Spaghetti alle vongole

Baccalà in umido with tomato, onion and olives

Mini lobster tails

After the procession of fish came meatless panzerotti: crisp, crescent-shaped pockets filled with onions and capers; sweetened ricotta; and the familiar pairing of mozzarella and tomato. Then fruit, roasted chestnuts, cafè, and sweets—assorted pastries and cartellate—closed the meal.

Panzerotti

Assorted pastries

Homemade cream puffs

The evening continued with tombola for the children, followed by Solemn High Midnight Latin Mass at the Shrine and Parish Church of the Holy Innocents in New York City. Some of us remained through the Low Mass at dawn, in honor of Saint Anastasia di Sirmio.

Christmas morning began with the Traditional Latin Mass at Our Lady of Peace Church in Brooklyn, New York, after which the faithful venerated the Christ Child. 

Traditional Latin Christmas Mass at Our Lady of Peace Church

The Nativity at Our Lady of Peace Church

At home, gifts were exchanged, breakfast kept modest, and—braving the cold—the day was spent visiting family and neighbors until dinnertime.

Family and friends gifted me assorted wines from Southern Italy

Santa gave me an eclectic array of books (and mosstaccioli) this year: (L-R) The Letters of Salvator Rosa, Volumes I & II by Alexandra Hoare; For the Whole of Christ: The Collected Works of Dr. John Rao, Volume 3; Intellectual Life at the Court of Frederick II Hohenstaufen; and The Broken Ring: A History and Theory of the Symbol by Jean Borella.

My philately buddy surprised me with stamps
honoring Juan Vásquez de Mella from Spain

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

Christmas dinner is served

Prosciutto e melone

Burrate

Homemade Melanzane grigliate sott'olio

Crocchè di patate, polpette di ricotta, and arancini

Homemade roasted peppers

Lard bread and homemade focaccia Pugliese

Charcuterie board

Stuffed shells

Steak with sweet potato and pomegranate salad with goat cheese

Not quite finished yet, on December 26th, 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.

Homemade Cartellate with fig syrup

Homemade torrone

As always, the ladies outdid themselves. Another Christmas, richly given and gratefully received. Buon Natale a tutti.

~ Giovanni di Napoli, December 26th, Feast of Santo Stefano primo Martire (Amended for 2025)

New Book — Paper Boats: The Great Emigration in Sicilian Literature, 1876-1924

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

• Paper Boats: The Great Emigration in Sicilian Literature, 1876-1924 by Chiara Mazzucchelli

Publisher: State University of New York Press
Publication date: June 1, 2026
Hardcover: $110.00
Language: English
Pages: 160

Read description

Click here to see more books

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Buon Natale!

Holy Family by Salvatore di Franco

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." - John 1:14 

On behalf of everyone here at Il Regno, I want to wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas! Peace and joy be with you all.

In celebration, I'm posting "The Old Manger" from Prayers and Devotional Songs of Sicily, edited and translated by Peppino Ruggeri.* 

The accompanying photo of the Neapolitan presepio was taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. 

The Old Manger

I recollect the old manger at Christmas fest
built by my father, his soul in peace may rest,
the grotto, the straw and the baby poorly dressed
attended by Saint Joseph and Mary blest,

The well, the gleaming houses, the grist mill,
the sheep that grazed the grass over the hill,
a frightened man, at center, a blacksmith on the right,
a shepherd standing, with his old shack in sight.

A comet, resplendent brightly like a star
over the cardboard fashioned into a cave,
guided the adoring kings from afar.

And I, enchanted, watching stood, as I was playing,
sweet angels, shining stars, clouds and songs;
I still do now, the old manger my memory recalling. 

* Reprinted from Prayers and Devotional Songs of Sicily, edited and translated by Peppino Ruggeri, Legas, 2009, p. 43

When Advent Ends and All Creation Stirs

Detail of the Neapolitan Baroque crèche at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, showing the Holy Family, various animals, and putti

Gloria in excelsis Deo

As Advent’s long austerity loosens its grip, the world exhales. The fast is broken, the bells awaken, and the Church passes from shadow and restraint into an eruption of gold—light and song reclaiming the dark. In traditional Duosiciliano homes, kitchens glow late into the night as families and friends await La Vigilia: a sea-born feast of abundance, memory, and asceticism at last rewarded.

Angels are abroad tonight, heralding the coming Christ. The spirits of field and threshold grow still. Even the old, half-remembered fair folk of story and memory fall silent before a Presence older—and more terrible in its gentleness—than any they have known.

In Christian imagination, all creation recognizes the Nativity. The ox and the ass knew their Lord before kings and magi did; the animals of the manger bore witness while men slept. On this night—as with the Vigil of the Epiphany—it is said that mute recognition is briefly given voice.

Folk memory places the moment precisely at midnight—the very hour the Gloria breaks forth and Heaven draws near. Then the animals are granted voices long denied them. In farmyards and stables, dogs, birds, and beasts of burden stir, turning toward one another, murmuring not for human ears but in recognition of the Child who lies hidden and yet reigns.

Woe to the man who listens. This knowledge is reserved for the innocent and the untainted. The beasts’ speech is low and fleeting, exchanged only between creatures who cannot sin; to overhear it is to trespass upon a mystery not meant for fallen ears, and every telling warns of severe consequences: madness, illness, or death.

By morning, the voices are gone. The beasts return to silence. Men wake to Mass, to feast, to warmth and gaiety, unaware of what passed while they slept. But the old saying remains: on Christmas Eve, the animals speak—and the wise do not listen.

From all of us at Il Regno, a holy and blessed Christmas.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, December 23rd, Feast of Blessed Nicholas Factor

Santa Messa di Suffragio per S.M. il Re Francesco II do Borbone Due Sicilie

In Napoli

Feast of Blessed Nicholas Factor

Blessed Nicholas Factor, ora pro nobis

December 23rd is the Feast of Blessed Nicholas Factor (1520–1583)—priest, painter, and Franciscan whose life blended artistic talent with profound ascetic holiness. Born in Valencia on January 29, 1520, he showed early promise as a painter, training in the city’s artistic circles before discerning a religious vocation. He entered the Order of Friars Minor and was eventually ordained a priest, though he always considered himself unworthy of honors.

Within the Franciscan life, Nicholas continued to paint—only religious subjects, and always in a spirit of humility. His works were known for their spiritual tenderness rather than technical grandeur, and he viewed artistic acclaim as a temptation to pride. His true vocation was penance and spiritual counsel. He fasted rigorously, lived simply, and devoted himself to prayer, the sacraments, and service to the poor.

Nicholas became widely sought as a confessor and spiritual director, admired for his gentleness, discernment, and reputed mystical gifts. Contemporary accounts speak of moments of ecstasy, prophetic insight, and a deep devotion to Christ and the Virgin.

He died on December 23, 1583, after a life marked by visible holiness. His reputation endured for centuries, and he was beatified by Pope Pius VI in 1786. Today he is remembered in Valencia and throughout the Franciscan world as a model of humility, artistic dedication offered to God, and quiet, contemplative virtue. He is honored by many as a patron of painters.

Evviva Blessed Nicholas Factor!

In celebration of his feast, we offer this prayer:

Prayer to Blessed Nicholas Factor

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the examples of Blessed Nicholas Factor may effectually move us to reform our lives; that while we celebrate his feast, we may also imitate his actions. Look upon our weakness, almighty God, and since the burden of our own deeds weighs heavily upon us, may the glorious intercession of Blessed Nicholas protect us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Return to the Morgan: Familiar Masterpieces and Fresh Encounters

Virgin Mary Nursing the Christ Child, Hermeneia, in Coptic and Greek, written and illuminated by the Deacon Basili and his son Samouel, Egypt, Touton, 897-98

I returned to the Morgan Library and Museum to see Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life one final time before its January 4, 2026, closing—and found it even more compelling than on my first visit.

With more time than before, I revisited Weathering the Storm (on view through February 8, 2026) and took in the newly installed Individuality and Identity: Naming Sitters in French Portrait Drawings, an exhibition examining how nineteenth-century French portrait drawings shape individuality while exposing the fragility of identification and identity.

I also made a point to finally see the Renoir: Drawing exhibition, running through February 8, 2026. Not a fan, I was hoping to take a fresh look at the Impressionist giant; my perspective, however, remained unchanged—my reservations held. To be clear, my dislike has nothing to do with modern moral criticisms. I found the drawings mediocre at best, marked by weak composition and disproportionate anatomy.

I concluded the visit, as always, in J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library: the East Room, the Rotunda, the Librarian’s Office (North Room), and the West Room—Morgan’s Study—spaces that never fail to anchor the experience in quiet grandeur.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, December 22nd, Feast of Santa Francesca Saverio Cabrini

(L) Virgin and the Crucified Christ Intercede for Catherine of Cleves, Hours of Catherine of Cleves, in Latin, illuminated by the Master of Catherine of Cleves, The Netherlands, Utrecht, ca. 1440 (R) Triumphant Christ, Sacramentary of Mont-Saint-Michel, in Latin, France, Mont-Saint-Michel, ca. 1060

(L) Virgin and Child with Patrons, Cuerden Psalter, in Latin, England, Oxford, ca. 1270. (R) Scenes from the Life of Christ, single leaf from William de Brailes Psalter, England, Oxford, 1230-60

Massacre of the Innocents with Patron, Des Pres Psalter,
in Latin, Belgium, Liège, ca. 1290-1305

(L-R) David Slays Goliath and David and Bathsheba,
from the Crusader Bible, France, Paris, ca. 1244-54

Shipyard at Le Havre, 1831, oil on paper, mounted
on canvas, Jules Coignet, French, 1798-1860

Sunset on the Normandy Coast, ca. 1850, oil on paper,
mounted on canvas, Eugène Isabey, French, 1803-1886

(L) Portrait of Adolphe Marcellin, Defresne, 1825, graphite, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). (R) Portrait of Madame Charles Damour, 1852, Graphite with white chalk, Théodore Chassériau (1819-1856)

(L) A Man of Tangier, 1832, watercolor over graphite, Eugène Delacroix
(1798-1863). (L) Pauline Villot in Algerian Costume, ca. 1833,
pen and brown ink, Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863)

Portrait of Jamila Bouzaglo, 1832, graphite, Château de
Chantilly, France, Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863)

The Great Bathers, oil on canvas, 1886-87, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Three Figures and Part of a Foot (Study for "The Great Bathers"), ca. 1886-87. (R) Splashing Figure (Study for "The Great Bathers"), ca. 1886-87 Red, white, and black chalk, with stumping, and black Conté crayon on tracing paper, mounted to canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Child with a Cat or Julie Manet, 1887, oil on canvas. (R) Young Woman Seated, 1909, oil on canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Female Nude, ca. 1890, pastel. (R) Seated Nude, ca. 1880, oil on canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Motherhood, 1885, red and white chalk on paper, mounted to canvas. (R) Motherhood, 1885 Oil on canvas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Seated Nude Seen from the Back, ca. 1885-87, red and white chalk on paper, mounted to board. (R) Seated Nude, ca. 1891, black chalk, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

(L) Kneeling male donor with his patron, St. William of Maleval, ca. 1467-70, oil on panel, Hans Memling (ca. 1440-1494). (R) Bust of Woman, marble, attributed to Gregorio di Lorenzo (ca. 1436-1504)