Simple Pleasures: Tokens of Friendship, Faith, and Fortune from Naples

Madonna Bruna, ora pro nobis

I feel deeply grateful to my dear friends who, returning from their recent trip to Napoli, brought me treasures both sacred and profane—tokens of affection and faith from the heart of the city. Among them, a Napoli magnet, celebrating the Fourth Scudetto, cheerful cornocellos for good fortune, and prayer cards of Beato Bartolo Longo—soon to be canonized on August 19th—alongside San Giuseppe Moscati, the saintly physician, and the Madonna Bruna with a cloth fragment that has touched the miraculous icon at the Basilica Santuario di Santa Maria del Carmine Maggiore. These gifts carry with them not only the charm of Naples but also its profound spiritual heritage, a reminder of faith, friendship, and the beauty of shared devotion.

Italian prayer
Fiore del Carmelo, vite fiorita, splendore del Cielo, Tu solamente sei Vergine e Madre. Madre mite e intemerata, sii propizia ai carmelitani, Stella del mare.

English translation
Flower of Carmel, blooming vine, splendor of Heaven, you alone are Virgin and Mother. Gentle and immaculate Mother, be gracious to Carmelites, Star of the Sea.