Feast of San Leone Luca di Corleone

San Leone Luca di Corleone, ora pro nobis

March 1st is the feast of St. Leolucas of Corleone (Leoluca), a Sicilian monk and abbot venerated in both the Greek and Latin traditions. Born c. 815 in Corleone during the period of Muslim rule in Sicily, he fled persecution as a young man and embraced the monastic life in Calabria, then part of the Byzantine world.

Formed in the Basilian tradition, he lived as a hermit at the monastery of Mount Mula, nestled high in the Orsomarso Mountains. Known for ascetic rigor, charity, and reputed miracles, he became abbot and spiritual father to many disciples. His life reflected the fusion of Eastern monastic spirituality with the enduring Christian culture of Southern Italy.

St. Leolucas died around 915 at an advanced age. He remains especially honored in Corleone, Sicily, and Vibo Valentia, Calabria, where he is revered as patron and protector. Evviva San Leone Luca di Corleone!

In celebration of his feast, we offer this prayer:

Prayer to St. Leolucas of Corleone

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the examples of St. Leolucas of Corleone 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 St. Leolucas protect us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Grave Reckonings and Quiet Renewal of March

San Giuseppe, ora pro nobis

March is the time of year when winter loosens and spring presses forward. The year pivots here, carrying the weight of what has been endured into what may yet be renewed. From the Kalends, Nones, and Ides—the old Roman markers by which the month was reckoned—the days are measured with sobriety and order.

March remembers sacrifice before rebirth. On March 10th, the Martyrs of Tradition are recalled—nine seminarians from Oviedo, killed in odium fidei during the Spanish Civil War.

The Ides of March remind us that order can fall in an instant. History marks the day as a warning; the Church marks it as the feast of St. Longinus, the soldier whose act of violence became his conversion.

The vernal equinox restores balance; night and day stand equal within the order of creation.

March 19th, the Church honors St. Joseph, guardian of the Holy Family and protector of the Universal Church. March 21st recalls St. Benedict of Nursia, whose rule of prayer and labor helped rebuild a shattered civilization.

March remembers what has been lost, measures what remains, and prepares the ground for what must come next.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, February 28th, Feast of Saints Romano di Condat and Lupicino Abate

March — A Poem by Salvatore Di Giacomo

The month of March is named after
Mars, the god of war. Relief from
Villa San Michele, Capri

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Reprinted from The Bread and the Rose: A trilingual Anthology of Neapolitan Poetry from the 16th Century to the Present, edited by Achille Serrao and Luigi Bonaffini, Legas, 2005 p. 136.

Marzo

Marzo: nu poco chiove

e n' ato ppoco stracqua:

torna a chiovere, schiove,

ride 'o sole cu ll'acqua.

Mo nu cielo celeste,

mo n'aria cupa e nera:

mo d' 'o vierno 'e tempeste,

mo n'aria e primmavera.

N' auciello freddigliuso

aspetta ch' esce 'o sole:

ncopp' 'o tturreno nfuso

suspireno 'e vviole...

Catarì!... Che buo' cchiù?

Ntiénneme, core mio!

Marzo, tu 'o ssaie, si' tu,

e st'auciello songo io.

March

March: there's a bit of rain,

just a bit later it stops:

it starts, then it stops again,

the sun laughs with the drops.

A moment of clear azure,

a moment of clouds threatening:

a moment of winter's fury,

a moment of glorious spring.

A shivering bird nearby

waits for the sun to return,

while all of the violets sigh

over the sodden terrain.

Caterina!... Isn't it clear

from what you've already heard?

You know, you are March, my dear, 

and I am that little bird. 

* English translation by Michael Palma

Saints of the Day for March

(L—R) San Giuseppe, the Annunciation, and San Longino Martire

March is traditionally the month the Church dedicates to St. Joseph, whose feast is observed on March 19th.

• March 1 — Feast of San Leone Luca di Corleone
• March 2 — Feast of San Luca Casale da Nicosia
• March 4 — Miraculous Novena of Grace in Honor of St. Francis Xavier
• March 3 — Feast of Beato Pietro Geremia
• March 4 — Feast of San Casimiro

• March 5 — Feast of San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce
• March 6 — Feast of Santa Rosa da Viterbo
• March 6 — Feast of Sante Perpetua and Felicita
• March 6 — Novena to St. Longinus
• March 7 — Feast of San Tommaso D'Aquino
• March 8 — Feast of San Cataldo
• March 9 — Feast of Santa Francesca Romana
• March 10 — Novena to San Giuseppe
• March 11 — Feast of Santa Teresa Margherita del Cuore di Gesù
• March 12 — Feast of San Gregorio Magno
• March 13 — Feast of Beato Pietro II, Abate di Cava
• March 14 — Feast of Beato Giacomo Cusmano
• March 14 — Feast of Santa Matilde di Ringelheim
• March 15 — Feast of San Longino Martire
• March 15 — Feast of Santa Luisa de Marillac
• March 16 — Feast of Sant'Eriberto di Colonia
• March 17 — Feast of Beata Bárbara Maix
• March 17 — Feast of Santa Gertrude di Nivelles
• March 17 — Feast of San Corrado di Baviera
• March 18 — Feast of San Salvatore da Horta
• March 19 — Feast of San Giuseppe
• March 21 — Feast of San Benedetto da Nursia
• March 21 — Feast of Bl. Maria Candida of the Eucharist
• March 22 — Feast of Sant'Isidoro l'Agricoltore
• March 23 — Feast of San Giuseppe Oriol
• March 24 — Feast of San Gabriele Arcangelo
• March 24 — Feast of Sant’Aldemaro da Capua
• March 25 — Novena to Santa Fara (Burgundofara)
• March 25 — Feast of the Madonna di Picciano
• March 25 — Feast of the Annunciation (It is transferred to the first available day after the Easter Octave if it coincides with Holy Week. If it falls on a Sunday of Lent, it moves to the following Monday.)
• March 26 — Feast of Beata Maddalena Caterina Morano
• March 28 — Feast of San Giovanni da Capestrano
• March 29 — Feast of San Bertoldo di Calabria
• March 30 — Feast of Beato Gioacchino da Fiore
• March 30 — Feast of San Giovanni Climaco
• March 31 — Feast of Beata Giovanna di Tolosa

XXXIX Incontro della “Fedelissima” Civitella del Tronto alla presenza di Leo von Hohenberg