This Year's Shrine to Beata Maria Cristina di Savoia

Beata Maria Cristina, ora pro nobis

O God, You adorned Blessed Maria Cristina with diligent and wise charity, so that by her witness, she would contribute to the building up of Your Kingdom. Grant us also, by her example, to do good, drawing on the true riches of Your Love. Through our Lord Jesus, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen

Celebrating the Feast of Beato Carlo Magno in NYC

Since I've yet to obtain a better image of the Emperor, I brought
out a few pieces from my stamp collection for the occasion

After traditional Latin Mass Tuesday evening, I met with a friend at a cozy Parisian-style bistro in Manhattan for a celebratory drink and talk in honor of the Feast of Beato Carlo Magno, Imperator Romanorum, and Pater Europae. Finding it increasingly difficult to find absinthe at bars these days, we took advantage of the opportunity and imbibed the Green Fairy. Evviva Beato Carlo Magno!

Detail of first-day cover and stamp depicting Emperor Charlemagne

(L) Art Deco base of absinthe fountain. (R) Pontarlier
glass with absinthe spoon and sugar cube

Dave and John partake in la fée verte

Remembering S.A.R. Elisabetta delle Due Sicilie

2 February 1933 – 29 January 2022

In memory of S.A.R. Elisabetta delle Due Sicilie, Princess of Württemberg, Dowager Duchess of Calabria, Dame Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, we pray for the happy repose of her soul.

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

Presentazione del libro Bari e Maria Sofia

In Bari

Brief Excerpt from “Rerum Novarum: Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Capital and Labor”

Portrait of Pope Leo XIII,
ca. 1878, Fabio Cipolla

"Those Catholics are worthy of all praise—and they are not a few—who, understanding what the times require, have striven, by various undertakings and endeavors, to better the condition of the working class by rightful means. They have taken up the cause of the working man and have spared no effort to better the condition both of families and individuals, to infuse a spirit of equity into the mutual relations of employers and employed, to keep before the eyes of both classes the precepts of duty and the laws of the Gospel – that Gospel which, by inculcating self-restraint, keeps men within the bounds of moderation, and tends to establish harmony among the divergent interests and the various classes which compose the body politic. It is with such ends in view that we see men of eminence meeting together for discussion, for the promotion of concerted action, and for practical work. Others, again, strive to unite working men of various grades into associations, help them with their advice and means, and enable them to obtain fitting and profitable employment. The bishops, on their part, bestow their ready goodwill and support, and with their approval and guidance, many members of the clergy, both secular and regular, labor assiduously on behalf of the spiritual interest of the members of such associations. And there are not wanting Catholics blessed with affluence, who have, as it were, cast in their lot with the wage-earners and who have spent large sums in founding and widely spreading benefit and insurance societies, by means of which the working man may without difficulty acquire through his labor not only many present advantages but also the certainty of honorable support in days to come. How greatly such manifold and earnest activity has benefited the community at large is too well known to require Us to dwell upon it. We find therein grounds for most cheering hope in the future, provided always that the associations We have described continue to grow and spread and are well and wisely administered. The State should watch over these societies of citizens banded together in accordance with their rights, but it should not thrust itself into their peculiar concerns and their organization, for things move and live by the spirit inspiring them and may be killed by the rough grasp of a hand from without."

Reprinted from Rerum Novarum: Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Capital and Labor, May 15, 1891, www.vatican.va

Settimana Celebrativa in ricordo dalla Beatificazione della Beata Maria Cristina di Savoia

Photo of the Week: Guerriero con Fanciullo (Achille e Troilo), Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Presentazione dell'opuscolo "Francesco II: l'Uomo della Carità, il Re dell'Attenzione Agli Ultimi"

 In Napoli

Movie Review: Nosferatu (2024)

“I have seen things in this world that would have made Isaac Newton crawl back into his mother’s womb. We have not become so much enlightened as we have been blinded by the gaseous light of science. I have wrestled with the devil as Jacob wrestled the angel in peril. And I tell you, if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists.” ~ Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024), as spoken by Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz, played by Willem Dafoe

Out since Christmas, I finally got to see Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024) in the theater this week. Starring Bill Skarsgård as the vampire Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, the film is a haunting remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 German classic, Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors), which was itself based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic horror novel, Dracula. I’ll do my best not to give anything away.

Despite Hollywood’s poor record of late, I had a good feeling about this film, and I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed. A cinematographic masterpiece, Eggers’ reimagining is both visually and aurally stunning. A convincing period piece, the sets and costumes were magnificent. Movie-goers are transported back to 1838 Wisburg, Germany, and the brooding Carpathian wilds of Transylvania.

L'Enigme, 1871, oil on canvas, Gustave Doré

Clearly inspired by the paintings of the old masters, various scenes pay homage to Caspar David Friedrich’s The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Rembrandt van Rijn’s The Conspiracy of the Batavians under Claudius Civilis, Henry Fuseli’s The Nightmare, and Gustave Doré’s The Enigma, among others. Normally, I don’t like the drab and dark cinema trend of late, but in this case, the muted colors served, intentional or not, as an evocative tribute to the original black-and-white film.

Vlad Tepes III

“I am an appetite, nothing more.” ~ Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, as spoken by Count Orlok, played by Bill Skarsgård

While all the actors were superb, Skarsgård’s portrayal of the imperious vampire was absolutely bone-chilling and deserves special praise. The eldritch fiend’s harrowing voice, heartless malevolence to his lessers, and ravenous bloodlust were all gruesomely portrayed. I especially liked the decision to make him look like an old mustachioed Wallachian voivode, like Prince Vlad Tepes III, rather than the hackneyed tuxedoed maîtres d'hôtel with slicked-back hair alla Bela Lugosi.

Be warned: Nosferatu is not for the faint-hearted, there are disturbing scenes replete with gore, the occult, and nudity.

~ Giovanni di Napoli, January 23, Feast Sant'Ildefonso da Toledo

A Look at the 6th Annual King Louis XVI of France Memorial Dinner and Lecture in Brooklyn, New York

Portraits of Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI of France

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. 

Lord, save the King, and hear us when we call upon thee. Glory to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning and is now, and it shall be, for ever without end. Amen.

Tuesday evening, a handful of us braved the cold weather to commemorate the 232nd anniversary of the murder of King Louis XVI of France in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to breaking bread, participants remembered the martyred King and discussed the tragic events of the French Revolution, as well as some of the problems currently plaguing the Church, and, of course, the results of the recent U.S. election.

Heartfelt thanks to our esteemed confratello Dr. John C. Rao for participating in this year's commemoration. Chairman of the Roman Forum, you can read Dr. Rao's extensive catalog at For the Whole of Christ or listen to his Church History lecture series via SoundCloud. Vive le Roi!

Between courses, we took group photos with the flags of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (above) and Cross of Burgundy (below)

Dios, Patria, Fueros y Rey

John, Andrew, and Vincent

Fava beans

Panelle e crocchè di patate 

Vongole al forno

Mista polpo e calamari

Caponata

 Insalata vastasa

Baked cauliflower with breadcrumbs

Spaghetti al nero di seppia

Pasta con le sarde

Stuffed meat roll with mushroom gravy

Sausage and peppers

Chicken parmigiana

Escarole, broccoli, and asparagus

The lads were kind enough to celebrate my 56th Birthday

I received a couple thematic gifts

Louis XVI Procession aux Flambeaux

Remembering HM Maria Sofia di Baviera, Queen of the Two Sicilies, on the Centenary of Her Death

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

Sunday afternoon, following traditional Latin Mass, a handful of us gathered at a friend’s house in Staten Island, New York, to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the death of HM Maria Sofia di Baviera (b. October 4, 1841—d. January 19, 1925), the last Queen of the Two Sicilies and "Heroine of Gaeta."

Only two days before our 6th Annual King Louis XVI of France Mass and Memorial Dinner, we wanted to keep it intimate and “light,” but the ladies had other ideas and treated us to another delicious and sumptuous home-cooked meal.

Speaking of King Louis XVI of France, the numerous videos circulating on X over the weekend of Son Altesse Royale Monseigneur le Prince Louis de Bourbon, Duc d’Anjou, and the impressive royalistes torchlight march in Paris had us all buzzing with delight and anticipation for our upcoming commemoration. Viva ‘a Reggina! Vive Dieu et vive le Roi!

Photo of the Week: The Farnese Atlas in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

The Farnese Atlas is a 2nd-century Roman copy of a Hellenistic

sculpture of the Titan burdened with a celestial sphere 

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Santa Messa alla Presenza di S.A.R. la Principessa Beatrice di Borbone Due Sicilie

In Caserta

Celebrating the 2025 Feast of Sant'Antuono Abate in Brooklyn, New York

Friday evening, members and friends of the San Rocco Society of New York gathered in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, for our Annual Fucarazzo di Sant'Antuono, or St. Anthony bonfire. Honoring the father of Western monasticism, the purifying blaze is an ancient tradition meant to ward off evil spirits, protect animals and livestock, and secure a bountiful harvest. Representing the Saint's triumph over Satan and temptation, the fire ritual also signifies a time of renewal, or regeneration, as spring draws near and winter comes to an end. 

A magical night, old tales tell that animals regain the ability to speak and misfortune befalls those who overhear them.

Patron saint of animals, livestock, farmers, anchorites, hospitallers, basket makers, bell ringers, gravediggers, amputees, pizza makers, and the glowing embers of hearths; Sant'Antuono is also invoked against pestilence, skin maladies, ergotism, contagious diseases, and demonic possession, among other things.

Taking comfort around the protecting flames, revelers ate, drank, and prayed to our beloved patron. Continuing into the night, the fire was steadily fed old Christmas trees, dried palm fronds from Palm Sunday, and other kindling from the garden.

Heartfelt thanks to the La Rocca family for their seemingly endless warmth and hospitality. As always, it was a great joy to celebrate our faith and culture together. Evviva Sant'Antuono!