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| Our Lady of Guadalupe, ora pro nobis |
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| Queen Maria Sophia, the heroine of Gaeta, and King Francis II of the Two Sicilies |
For more on the Cause of Beatification of Good King Francis II visit the Fondazione Francesco II Delle Due Sicilie on Facebook or at www.fondazionefrancescosecondodelleduesicilie.it
The Annual Mass offered for the repose of the soul of His Majesty sponsored by the United States Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George will be celebrated on Sunday, December 27th at 10 am by Fr. Michael Barone at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (259 Oliver Street) in Newark, New Jersey. Masks must be worn, and social distancing followed.
For those unable to attend in person, the Mass will be livestreamed on the Parish Facebook Page.
Prayer for the Beatification 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.
Among his many honors and recognitions, he was a Cavaliere Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana and he was awarded the Paliotto d’oro in 2006 by the Fratellanza Artigiana di Teramo.
Sardella’s poetic works include:
• L'uddeme landò, Ceti, Teramo, 1978
• Vache artruvènne, Cartografital, Montesilvano (PE), 1981
• Sorrisi di ginestre, Demian Edizioni, Teramo, 1994
• Tutte li puesìje, edizione critica, con traduzione italiana a fronte, commenti e note a cura di Elso Simone Serpentini, Artemia Edizioni, Mosciano Sant'Angelo, 2012.
Sardella also published Teramo dialect dictionaries and collections of local proverbs and sayings:
• Voce de pòpule, Proverbi e modi di dire nell'Abruzzo teramano, Interlinea, Teramo, 1990
• Lu lenguazàzze. Raccolta di vocaboli dialettali teramani, Tipografia 2000, Mosciano S. A. (Teramo), 2001
• Voce de pòpule, Proverbi e modi di dire nell'Abruzzo teramano, Artemia edizioni, Mosciano S. A. (Teramo), 2009 (expanded edition, edited by Elso Simone Serpentini and Silvano Toscani, of the previous one, published in 1990).
Natale
By Alfonso Sardella, from his book L’uddeme landò, 1978, pp. 128-130
Aspitte nu mumende, me sembre ch'ere l’anne...
ma che 'mburtanze te’? ere Natale!
Llà ffore fodde fodde... oh Ddì coma je dave!
Nenguave a cil’aperte li fiocche de la nàve
su ’ngime a li suffitte ’nnerìte da lu fume,
su sobbre a li reccune.. e su li puverùme.
Li passaritte svilde de llà l’anfiteatre,
svulazze a precepizzie ndé li schiuppettate;
s’arpuse chiuchiulenne su li checcherune
e sobbre a li renghìre de logge e balecùne.
Attacche... à ggià ’ngasciate... ve’ da la mundagne.
Lu fuche de la stufe mo cralle nghe li lagne,
sobbre a la furnacelle burbotte la pignìte:
la schiume, piane piane, da fore se n’à scìte.
Jò sotte, pe la strade, la ggende va cundende:
– Ahùrie mastr'Ando’... mannagge che nenguende!
faciàmece nu litre nghe ddo-tre papatìlle
... quist’anne fa nu fradde che fa 'rbevi' li 'nguille –
Da nu nasille scole ddo smerfelitte uhuàle,
... je sta ’nzigna’ la mamme la nàve coma cale.
E mendre n’hora sande rendocche llà lu Ddome,
tu scendi dalle stelle t’arrive nghe nu sone.
Ahé li zzambugnare... dda mo che v’aspettave!
Faciatem’arsendi’ ssa lagna pasturale.
Ma chi ve l’à ’mbarate ssu sone de li stelle ?
ssi note quasce uhuàle che fa’ rricci’ la pelle?
A' state la mundagne, lundane e ’ngappucciate,
oppure ahé lu piande de mille pecurelle
che parte pe li Puje lascenne la Majelle?
Sunàte n’andra cì... peccà ve ne scappàte.
Llà sobbre a la credenze, lu bbùe e l’asenelle,
so' fatte lu presepie ’lluccìte da na stelle.
– Mammà... lu fije mi’... ma che sti’ ccumbeni’?
– Oh ma', ma che nnu vìte... che nàve sta vveni'?
Armatte la farìne qua sobbre a sti cullìne
e n’andra cì de paje qua sotte a lu Bambine.
Quist’anne l'invernate é longhe pe ddavàre,
jò ’mbacce a lu pundone l'à datte lu 'mbrellare...
purtave la mandelle, tusciave e scatarrave!
Christmas
By Alfonso Sardella, from his book, L’uddeme landò, 1978, pp. 128-130
Translated by Charles Sant’Elia
Wait a moment, it seems to me it was the year...
but what does it matter? It was Christmas!
.
Outside so thick… oh God how it was coming down!
The open sky was snowing down flakes
Atop the roofs blackened with smoke,
Down upon the rich… and upon the poor.
The brisk little sparrows there in the amphitheater,
flutter downward like buckshot;
they rest chirping on the insulators
and on top of the terrace railings and balconies.
It’s sticking... it has already sprinkled down... it’s coming from the mountain.
The stove fire is now crackling with the kindling wood,
Atop an oven a pot rumbles:
the froth, slowly, has spilled over..
Down below, in the street, the people go about happy:
- Best wishes Master Antonio... darn what a snow storm!
Shall we have ourselves a liter with two or three pepatelli 1
... this year it’s cold enough to bring the eels back to life -
From a little nose two equal parts of mucus are dripping,
... his mother is teaching him how the snow falls.
And as a holy hour chimes there at the Duomo,
tu scendi dalle stelle 2 reaches you with a sound.
It’s the bagpipers... for so long I was waiting for you!
Let me hear again this shepherd’s dirge.
But who taught it to you this sound of the stars?
these almost same notes that give you goosebumps?
.
Was it the mountain, far away and white hooded,
Or is it the crying of a thousand little sheep
departing for Puglia leaving the Majella?
Play on a bit... why are you hurrying on?
.
There on top of the credenza, the ox and the little donkey,
I’ve made the presepio 3 illuminated by a star.
– Mammà... my son... but what are you getting up to?
– Oh ma', don’t you see... for the snow is coming?
.
I put the flour on top of these little hills,
and a little bit of straw here beneath Baby Jesus.
This year the winter is truly long,
down at the corner said the umbrella-maker...
He was wearing his cloak, coughing and clearing phlegm!
(1) Pepatelli: crunchy Abruzzese cantuccini cookies seasoned with pepper.
(2) Tu scendi dalle stelle: the famous Christmas carol written by St. Alfonso Liguori in 1732.
(3) Presepio: the traditional Christmas crèche.
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| Revelers exchanged gifts and played a game of chance |
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| Maria and John |
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| Maria and Dan |
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| James and Joy |
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| Tony and Loreto |
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| Mixed seafood salad |
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| Arancini |
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| Carciofi fritti |
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| Rigatoni with pignoli, cauliflower and toasted breadcrumbs |
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| Classic lasagna |
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| Stuffed calamari |
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| Braciola di maiale al forno |
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| Babà Napoletano al rum |
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| Homemade cannoli with crushed pistachios |
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| After dessert we enjoyed some roasted chestnuts with our caffè and digestivi |
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| (L) A good time was had by all. (R) We opened a few gifts early Photos by Andrew Giordano |
Amunì ★★★★★
Una Vera Esperienza Siciliana
7217 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11209
718-833-7833 | vincent@amunibrooklyn.com
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| The Spire of the Immaculate Virgin, Piazza Gesu Nuovo, Napoli. Photo courtesy of Andrew Giordano |
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| Mary Immaculate, ora pro nobis |
Deus, qui Unigéniti tui Matrem ab origináli culpa in sua Conceptióne mirábiliter præservásti: da, quæsumus; et sua nos intercessióne munítos, corde mundos fácias suæ interésse festivtáti. Per eúmdem Dóminum.December 7th is the Vigil of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a day of prayer, fasting and partial abstinence from meat in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. In celebration, I’m posting a prayer in Latin and English. The accompanying photo of the gilt bronze and silver statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception (ca. 1680), probably after a model by Lorenzo Vaccaro, was taken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Buona Festa dell'Immacolata!
By Brother André Marie
Our friend Charles Coulombe has written a wonderful book that I am reading right now, Blessed Charles of Austria: A Holy Emperor and His Legacy. Though I am only about half-way through the book, I was so struck with the contents of the chapter called “A King is Crowned” that I would like to reflect on some of its contents with our readers.
That chapter describes the coronation rite that Blessed Charles von Habsburg underwent on December 30, 1916, at the Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle (known more commonly as the Matthias Church) in Budapest. Blessed Charles (Karl) was already Karl I, Emperor of Austria. This separate rite made him King Charles IV of Hungary, and it was administered during the Coronation Mass by Cardinal János Csernoc, Archbishop of Esztergom and Primate of Hungary.
What is fascinating and deeply moving about the prayers of the rite are the Christian and chivalrous ideals they so beautifully enshrine, ideals which were manifest in the all-too-brief reign of that blessed recipient of the crown jewels of Hungary. Continue reading
Also see:
• Napoli In Lounge: Traditional Naples Songs In Lounge Bossa and Nu JazzStyle by Various Artists
Label: Irma
Release Date: November 7, 2020
Audio CD: $25.28
Number of Discs: 1
Available at Amazon.com
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| Santa Lucia, ora pro nobis |
O St. Lucy, you preferred to let your eyes be torn out instead of denying the faith and defiling your soul; and God, through an extraordinary miracle, replaced them with another pair of sound and perfect eyes to reward your virtue and faith, appointing you as the protector against eye diseases.
I come to you for you to protect my eyesight and to heal the illness in my eyes.
O St. Lucy, preserve the light of my eyes so that I may see the beauties of creation, the glow of the sun, the color of the flowers and the smile of children.
Preserve also the eyes of my soul, the faith, through which I can know my God, understand His teachings, recognize His love for me and never miss the road that leads me to where you, St. Lucy, can be found in the company of the angels and saints.
St. Lucy, protect my eyes and preserve my faith. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
O Glorious St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr, you greatly glorified the Lord by preferring to sacrifice your life rather than be unfaithful.
Come to our aid and, through the love of this same most lovable Lord, save us from all infirmities of the eyes and the danger of losing them.
Through your powerful intercession, may we spend our life in the peace of the Lord and be able to see Him with our transfigured eyes in the eternal splendor of the Celestial Homeland. Amen.
St. Lucy, pray for us and for the most needy, to Christ our Lord. Amen.
* The accompanying photo is an ex-voto for a grace received
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| San Francesco Saverio, ora pro nobis |
Prayer of St. Francis Xavier for the Conversion of Infidels
Eternal God, Creator of all things, remember that Thou alone didst create the souls of infidels, framing them to Thy Own image and likeness; behold, O Lord! how, to Thy dishonor, Hell is daily replenished with them. Remember, O Lord! Thy Only Son, Jesus Christ, Who suffered for them, most bountifully shedding His Precious Blood: suffer not, O Lord Thy Son and our Lord to be any longer despised by infidels; but rather, being appeased by the entreaties and prayers of the elect, the Saints, and of the Church, the most blessed spouse of Thy Son, vouchsafe to be mindful of Thy mercy, and forgetting their idolatry and infidelity, cause them also to know Him Whom Thou didst send, Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord, Who is our health, life, and resurrection, through Whom we are freed and saved, to Whom be all glory forever. Amen
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| San Carlo de Foucauld, ora pro nobis |
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| Blessed Charles de Foucauld, ora pro nobis |
God Our Father, you called your servant Charles de Foucauld to discover the infinite greatness of your love by contemplating the life of Jesus of Nazareth, your Son, who became flesh, who humbled himself to the point of death, who was raised to life, and who sent the Holy Spirit as his first gift to those who believe. May we find, as we lovingly read the Gospel, and as we adore the Eucharist, a fountain of inexhaustible life in Christ, and a missionary courage and energy which will bind us in a spirit of universal fraternity. Thus we can work together to bring about your plan for the salvation of all people. We ask you in particular to grant, by the intercession of your servant Charles de Foucauld, if this is in conformity with your will, this grace.... for... whom we commend to your fatherly heart. We ask you this through Jesus, your beloved Son, Our Lord.Prayer courtesy of Jesus Caritas, news and archive of the Spiritual Family of Charles de Foucauld. Photo of icon was taken at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 West 37th St.) in Manhattan
November 27, 2020
Photos courtesy of Crisis Magazine
The Cross, the Crescent, or the Swastika?
By Charles A. Coulombe
If the past month has been chaotic in America, it has seen some bloody scenes here in Europe. On the morning of October 29, a 21-year old Tunisian national entered the Basilica of Notre Dame in Nice, France began knifing the three people he found there. He virtually severed the head of an elderly lady, stabbed an old man in the throat fatally, and then cut another lady sufficiently that while she escaped she succumbed to her wounds in a nearby café. Hastily summoned, the police shot the young man dead. That same day, here in Vienna, a mob of 50 Muslim youths invaded the Church of St. Anthony of Padua, kicked pews and a confessional, stormed around a bit shrieking “Allahu Akbar!” and then left.
Also here in Vienna, just a few days later on November 2 (All Souls Day, ironically) a twenty-year-old Macedonian Muslim went on a shooting spree in the tourist-filled First District, killing four and wounding 23 before being gunned down himself by police. Although the authorities declared that he had acted alone, they did arrest 14 people in the course of their enquiries. Continue reading
By Charles A. Coulombe
As all the world knows, the election of 2020 was destined to be messy, as the two nations inhabiting the territory of these United States geared up for battle: after four years of nonstop media abuse, in which the major news generators had long since abandoned any pretense to impartiality, both sides were spoiling for a fight. The two simply don’t inhabit the same mental universe. For the one faction, the four years of intolerable rule by the evil Orangeman threatened as nothing else had such natural rights as infanticide and sodomitical unions. For the other, the looming tyranny they endured under Obama seemed poised to return with a vengeance—punctuated by burning cities and the long march of the “woke” through beloved institutions. Thus far, the disputed election returns seem to the former as deliverance from Pharaoh, and to the latter as a titanic fraud amounting to a rolling coup. It is a tense moment at this writing, and into the midst of it has dropped a video tweeted by Jon Voight. Continue reading
For more by Charles A. Coulombe visit Crisis Magazine
