Photo of the Week: Cristo Re in the Chiesa Madre di S. Maria dell'Olmo, Castelmezzano

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Feast of San Giovanni da Matera

San Giovanni da Matera, ora pro nobis

June 20th is the Feast of San Giovanni da Matera (St. John of Matera), Benedictine Monk, Mystic, Hermit, Abbot and Wonderworker. Born circa 1070 in Matera, San Giovanni spent much of his life traveling around the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria (mainland Southern Italy), Sicily and the Holy Land in search of a religious house that best suited his strict and austere asceticism.

Subject to numerous celestial and infernal visions, he eventually settled at Pulsano after an apparition of the Blessed Mother inside the Cave of San Michele on Monte Gargano in Apulia instructed him to build an abbey there. His reputation for holiness attracted many followers and obeying her wishes the Basilian monks established the Abbazia di Santa Maria di Pulsano on the ruins of an old pagan temple.

A great wonderworker, many miracles have been attributed to the holy man, including bilocation. According to tradition, a group of friars working in the forest a day's walk from the abbey were set upon by a pack of baying demons. Out of nowhere their white-clad abbot appeared and rained terrible blows down on the foul fiends, forcing them to flee. Once the threat was over San Giovanni was gone. The next day, when the friars returned to the abby, they found their master busy with his tasks. When they recounted what had happened and thanked him, the Saint took no credit and attributed the miracle to the will of God.

Another story tells of the expulsion of evil spirits terrorizing a group of nuns at a nearby monastery. It would seem San Giovanni's saintly reputation proceeded him because his presence alone was enough to drive the spooks from the convent and send them scurrying back to the infernal pits whence they came, never to return.

San Giovanni died of fever at the Monastero di San Giacomo in Foggia, Apulia on June 20, 1139. Originally interred at the abby, in 1177 Pope Alexander III had the Saint's sacred remains moved to the Abbazia di Santa Maria di Pulsano. His relics were translated again in 1830 to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria della Bruna e di Sant'Eustachio in Matera.

In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. John of Matera. The Accompanying photo, courtesy of Andrew Giordano, was taken at the Chiesa San Pietro Caveoso in Matera. Evviva San Giovanni da Matera!

Prayer to St. John of Matera

Lord, amid the things of this world, let us be wholeheartedly committed to heavenly things in imitation of the example of evangelical perfection You have given us in St. John. Amen.

Napoli Defeat Juventus in Cup Tie

Graphic courtesy of Gennaro De Crescenzo

Congratulations SSC Napoli for your much deserved victory over bitter rivals Juventus in yesterday’s Coppa Italia Final. Played behind closed doors at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the southern giants won the prestigious trophy 4-2 on penalties, thanks to goals by Lorenzo Insigne, Matteo Politano, Nikola Maksimovic, and Arek Milik.

While strong defending and phenomenal keeping by Gianluigi Buffon kept the scoreline clean during the match, it was ultimately Napoli’s Alex Meret’s heroics against Paulo Dybala (and a Danilo howler) during the shootout that gave the Partenopei their sixth Coppa Italia victory.*

After a disappointing start to the season under Carlo Ancelotti, new coach Gennaro Gattuso deserves a lot of praise for turning this team around. Still competing in the Champions League and with a lot of ground to make up in Serie A, we expect this great result to help inspire Napoli for the remainder of the season.

More than a brief respite from the ongoing world crises, Napoli’s triumph also symbolically gave us a Bourbon victory over the Savoy, that is to say a Southern victory over the North. Sure, it doesn’t make up for 150 years of colonization, emigration and discrimination, but at the very least for a day we got to stick it to Juve. Forza Napoli Sempre!

* Napoli last won the tournament in 2014 against Fiorentina.

Around the Web: Vendée Radio — Mr. Luis Infante Interview: Carlism

Mr. Luis Infante is political secretary of S.A.R. Don Sixto Enrique de Borbón and a prominent figure in the Comunión Tradicionalista (contemporary Carlist movement). In this interview he introduces the great Carlist counter-revolutionary movement specifically to anglophone listeners. He explains its main tenets, the reasons for its longevity and it's past and current defense of Spain and the Catholic city.

Listen to the podcast: Mr. Luis Infante Interview: Carlism

New Books: Stories for the Years

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

• Stories for the Years by Luigi Pirandello

Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: August 5, 2020
Hardcover: $30.00
Language: English
Pages: 352

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Listing does not imply any endorsement

Novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague for the Nine Days Preceding the 25th of Each Month (16th–24th)

1. Eternal Father, I offer to Your honor and glory, for my eternal salvation and for the salvation of the whole world, the mystery of the birth of our Divine Redeemer. Glory be to the Father, etc.

2. Eternal Father, I offer to Your honor and glory, for my eternal salvation and that of the whole world, the sufferings of the most holy Virgin and St. Joseph on that long and weary journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I offer Thee the sorrows of their hearts at not finding a place wherein to shelter themselves when the Saviour of the world was about to be born. Glory be to the Father, etc.

3. Eternal Father, I offer to Your honor and glory, for my eternal salvation and that of the whole world, the sufferings of Jesus in the manger where He was born, the cold He suffered, the swaddling clothes which bound Him, the tears He shed, and His tender infant cries. Glory be to the Father, etc.

4. Eternal Father, I offer to Your honor and glory, for my eternal salvation and that of the whole world, the pain which the Holy Child Jesus felt in His tender body when He submitted to the rite of circumcision. I offer Thee that Precious Blood which then for the first time He shed for the salvation of all mankind. Glory be to the Father, etc.

5. Eternal Father, I offer to Your honor and glory, for my eternal salvation and that of the whole world, the humility, mortification, patience, charity and all the virtues of the Child Jesus; and I thank Thee, and I love Thee, and I bless Thee without end for this ineffable mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. Glory be to the Father, etc.

V. The Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.

Let us Pray

O God, whose only-begotten Son was made manifest to us in the substance of our flesh, grant, we beseech Thee, that through Him, whom we acknowledge to have been outwardly like us, we may deserve to be renewed in our inward selves. Who lives and reigns with Thee forever and ever. Amen.

Source: Devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague, TAN Books, 1990

Happy Birthday Princess Beatrice di Borbone!

HRH was born in Saint-Raphaël, France on June 16, 1950
Photo by New York Scugnizzo

Il Regno would like to extend our warmest birthday wishes to Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice di Borbone delle Due Sicilie, Dame Grand Cross of Justice and Grand Prefect of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George. May God continue to shower you with all the blessings you truly deserve. Auguri Altezza Reale!

Photo of the Week: San Vito in the Chiesa Madre di S. Maria dell'Olmo, Castelmezzano

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Compra Sud — La Bottega delle due Sicilie

Let's support those who keep our traditions and folkways alive.

Contact: www.bottega2sicilie.net
www.bottegaborbonica.net
http://stores.ebay.it/bottega2sicilie
e-mail: bottega2sicilie@libero.it

Around the Web: Historian Charles A. Coulombe Discusses Blessed Karl, A Saint for Our Times

Watch podcast: Scutum Fidei [ENG] - Blessed Karl, a saint for our times - guest Charles A. Coulombe

Novena and Consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacro Cuore di Gesù,
Chiesa di San Ferdinando, Napoli

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

O most holy Heart of Jesus, fountain of every blessing, I adore Thee, I love Thee and with a lively sorrow for my sins, I offer Thee this poor heart of mine. Make me humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to Thy will. Grant, good Jesus, that I may live in Thee and for Thee. Protect me in the midst of danger; comfort me in my afflictions; give me health of body, assistance in my temporal needs, Thy blessing on all that I do, and the grace of a holy death. Within Thy Heart I place my every care. In every need let me come to Thee with humble trust saying, Heart of Jesus help me. Amen

The Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart attributed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee. 

I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee. 

I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen.

New Music — Alessandro Scarlatti: Il Martirio Di Santa Teodosia

Forthcoming music that may be of interest to our readers.

• Alessandro Scarlatti: Il Martirio Di Santa Teodosia performed by Thibault Noally and Les Accents

Label: Aparte
Release Date: July 10, 2020
Audio CD: $21.98
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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Around the Web: Karen Haid, Author of "Calabria The Other Italy" Featured on "Untold Italy" Podcast

Let’s take a trip to the deep south of Italy. To the toe of the boot where not so many visitors to Italy venture. Such a shame. Calabria is the southern most region on Italy’s mainland and it has a fascinating and ancient past, incredible beaches and beautiful mountains to explore. Guest Karen Haid lived in the region for several years and wrote a book Calabria: The Other Italy about her time there. She joins Untold Italy to share her insider knowledge.

Listen to Episode #024: Getting to Know Calabria the Other Italy

Photo of the Week: Fountain of Neptune in Napoli

The Fontana del Nettuno. Photo by Andrew Giordano

Around the Web: A Return to a Sane World: The Manifesto of the Legitimist Alliance

Reprinted from www.thewarforchristendom.com

The time would come for the first stroke of the consecrated sword, piercing the darkness like a lightning flash. For this reason individuals have the duty of living in alliance with others, gathering the treasure of a new rule of law… – Ernst Jünger, On the Marble Cliffs (1939)

In the aftermath of the great fratricidal war which tore humanity between the extremes of chaotic anarchy and base inhuman subservience, there emerged men and women of great moral clarity, heroic action, and concern for the future of a world scarred by unspeakable horrors. Offering belief in the rule of the Natural Moral Law as a light to a fragmented and benighted world, these Legitimists provided a compelling vision of the Common Good, and though their work is largely dismissed and abandoned today, it is not forgotten. This manifesto is an invitation to all men of good will to join in an alliance for the preservation of the rule of Natural Law, and the restoration of the state and society in proper relation to it, informed by our perspective sub specie Æternitatis, that we never place our hope for paradise in this world but in Eternity. In this dark and chaotic yet fateful night of modernity let us go forth ensigned by an eight-pointed star, representing the light of our eight fundamental and eternal principles, Authority, Faith, Responsibility, Restoration, Tradition, Truth, Freedom, and Nobility through which we seek the Highest Good and ultimate End of Man in political society. Continue reading

Feast of St. Boniface

St. Boniface, ora pro nobis

June 5th is the Feast of St. Boniface, Benedictine Monk and Martyr. My devotion to the Apostle of the Germans evolved in recent years due to frequent visits and time spent in prayer by his shrine in the peaceful Oratory Church of St. Boniface (109 Willoughby St.) in Brooklyn, New York. My prayers and supplications to the great Saint grew exponentially in 2019 during the disquieting and shameful Pan-Amazonian Synod in Rome, and like Alexander Tshugguel, Michael J. Matt, and other Traditional Catholics around the world, I ardently embraced St. Boniface as a patron Saint of the Counter Revolution. In celebration, I’m posting the collect prayer to St. Boniface. The photo was taken at the Oratory Church of St. Boniface before the 2019-20 renovations. Evviva St. Boniface!

Prayer to St. Boniface

May the Martyr Saint Boniface be our advocate, O Lord, that we may firmly hold the faith he taught with his lips and sealed in his blood and confidently profess it by our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Feast of San Filippo Smaldone

San Filippo Smaldone, ora pro nobis

June 4th is the Feast of San Filippo Smaldone, the “Apostle of the Deaf.” Born in Naples on July 27, 1848, San Smaldone was ordained a priest on September 23, 1871. Devoting his life to helping deaf-mutes, the blind, orphans, and abandoned children, he founded a school for the deaf in Lecce, Apulia in 1885. The religious women he trained to help tend the impaired would go on to form the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Hearts. He also founded the Eucharistic League of Priest Adorers and the Eucharistic League of Women Adorers to help support his special ministry. San Filippo Smaldone is the patron saint of the deaf, the mute, and people with heart conditions. In celebration, I'm posting a prayer. Evviva San Filippo Smaldone!

A Prayer to San Filippo Smaldone

Dear St. Smaldone, in your earthly life you were a model of charity. Your love for those with disabilities especially the deaf brought you the beloved name “Apostle of the Deaf.” In your heavenly home please intercede for us here on earth that we may see Jesus in those hardest for us to love. Take our hand and gently guide us on the surest way to salvation. We humbly ask that you place our petitions before the Sacred Heart of Jesus. [Mention your needs here...] Amen.

Feast of San Francesco Caracciolo

San Francesco Caracciolo, ora pro nobis

June 4th is the Feast of San Francesco Caracciolo, patron saint of chefs and protector of Naples. In celebration, I'm posting a prayer to Saint Francis Caracciolo. The accompanying photo was taken at Saint Joseph's Church (40 Spring Street) in Lodi, New Jersey. Evviva San Francesco Caracciolo!

Prayer to Saint Francis Caracciolo

O God, You have manifested your love in the priest Saint Francis Caracciolo by making him an adorer of the Eucharist, a preacher of Your divine love, an apostle to the poor, the sick and the sinners. Grant, we implore you, that we may imitate his love for Jesus in the Eucharist, and spare no effort to work for the salvation of our brothers and sisters, always for the greater glory of the risen Christ. Through the intercession of Saint Francis, we ask you to inspire many young men and women to follow Christ totally in the the spirit of prayer, penance and zeal for the building of your kingdom here on earth, Amen.

Observing Whit Embertide

Photo by Andrew Giordano

Even though Ember Days are no longer required by the post-Conciliar Church, the faithful should still observe these penitential days of devotion for spiritual enrichment, inner renewal, and as a means of reparation for our sins. A corruption of the Latin Quatuor Tempora, which means “four times,” Ember Days are three days of prayer, fasting and charity set aside four times a year to give thanks to God for the fruits of the earth, to practice abstemiousness, and almsgiving.

The quarterly observances, which correspond to the changing seasons, are kept on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the Feast of St. Lucy in Winter (Advent Embertide); the week after Ash Wednesday in Spring (Lenten Embertide); after Pentecost Sunday in Summer (Whit Embertide); and after the third Sunday in September in Autumn (Michaelmas Embertide).

An ancient tradition, Ember days are believed to have arisen from the early Church’s sanctifying of the old Roman agricultural festivals of sowing and harvesting (i.e. the feriae sementivae, feriae messis, and feriae vindimiales). Though probably older, the Liber Pontificalis (Book of Popes) ascribes a law ordering the fast to Pope Callixtus, who died in 222. In addition to focussing on God’s gifts of nature, they are traditionally popular days for the Rite of Ordination of priests and prayers for the poor and forgotten Souls in Purgatory. Due to the fertility aspects, Ember Days are also ideal for married couples to pray for lots of children and their safe delivery.

In celebration, I’m posting the anthem and prayer for Embertide from Blessed Be God: A Complete Catholic Prayer Book by Very Rev. Charles J. Callan, OP., S.T.M. and Very Rev. John A. McHugh, OP., S.T.M (Preserving Christian Publications, 2010). The accompanying photo of a painted ceramic depicting a grape harvest was taken in Vietri sul Mare, Salerno.

A Prayer for Embertide

Ant. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done for thee.
V. Lord, Thou hast been our refuge.
R. From generation to generation. 

Let us Pray
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that as year by year we devoutly keep these holy observances, we may be pleasing to Thee both in body and soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

New Music: Composers from the Neapolitan School

New and forthcoming CDs that may be of interest to our readers.

• Nicola Porpora: Dalla Reggia di Flora performed by Cristina Grifone and Musica Perduta

Label: Brilliant Classics
Release Date: January 3, 2020
Audio CD: $9.99
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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• Francesco Durante: Requiem in G Minor performed by Carlo Centemeri and Astrarium Consort

Label: Brilliant Classics
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Audio CD: $9.99
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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• Salve Regina: Leo, Pergolesi, Porpora performed by Federica Napoletani and Ensemble Imaginaire

Label: Brilliant Classics
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Audio CD: $9.99
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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• Domenico Scarlatti: Complete Piano Sonatas 4 performed by Christoph Ullrich

Label: Tacet Records
Release Date: May 8, 2020
Audio CD: $17.15
Number of Discs: 2

Available at Amazon.com

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• Domenico Cimarosa: Requiem in G Minor performed by Adriana Kucerova

Label: Naxos
Release Date: July 27, 2020
Audio CD: $11.99
Number of Discs: 1

Available at Amazon.com

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Feast of Sant'Annibale Maria di Francia

Sant'Annibale, ora pro nobis

June 1st is the Feast of Sant'Annibale Maria di Francia (b. Messina, 1851—d. Messina, 1927), founder of the Rogationists and the Daughters of Divine Zeal. Co-patron of Messina, Sicily, he is popularly known as the “father of orphans and the poor” owing to his evangelization and many charitable works, including the founding the Anthonian Orphanages in 1882. In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to St. Hannibal. Evviva Sant'Annibale Maria di Francia!

Prayer to St. Hannibal

O Saint Hannibal, full of heavenly love, during your life here on earth, you lived faithfully according to the interests of the Heart of Jesus. You followed His Divine Command to pray for holy vocations to His Church, and dedicated your life for the poor and the little ones. Intercede for us that we may be blessed with an abundance of priestly, religious, and lay vocations in the Church. Inflame our hearts with your love that we may become holy and edifying modern day disciples of Christ. I pray to you to obtain for me from God the necessary grace, which I ardently desire... (Mention here your petitions) Bless me, 0 Saint Hannibal, and my family that we may all live together in unity, peace, and love. Grant, through your intercession, the graces of which your devotees are in great need. May all be for God's glory and the greater good of our souls. Amen.

Photo of the Week: Palazzo Reale di Napoli

The Royal Palace of Naples. Photo by Andrew Giordano

The Queenship of Mary

Madonna Incoronata, ora pro nobis

May 31st is the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, a solemn celebration of Our Lady’s eminence as Queen and Mother of the Universe and Mediatrix of all graces. On behalf of all of us here at Il Regno, I wish our readers a very Happy and Blessed Feast. In celebration, I’m posting the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) in English and Latin. The accompanying photo of the Madonna Incoronata, patroness of Foggia, Puglia, was taken at the Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in East Harlem, New York. Evviva Maria!

Salve Regina

Hail holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae: vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. Amen.

Feast of Pentecost

On the seventh Sunday after Easter, we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and their followers. In celebration, we’re posting the hymn Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest (Veni, Creator Spiritus). A plenary indulgence is granted if it is recited on the feast of Pentecost. The accompanying photo of the Flames of Pentecost was taken at Most Holy Redeemer Church (173 E. 3rd St.) in New York City's East Village.

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.
Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o'erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.
Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.
Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen.

Veni, Creator Spiritus,
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia
quae tu creasti pectora.
Qui diceris Paraclitus,
altissimi donum Dei,
fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
et spiritalis unctio.
Tu, septiformis munere,
digitus paternae dexterae,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
sermone ditans guttura.
Accende lumen sensibus:
infunde amorem cordibus:
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.
Hostem repellas longius,
pacemque dones protinus:
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.
Per te sciamus da Patrem,
noscamus atque Filium;
Teque utriusque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore.
Deo Patri sit gloria,
et Filio, qui a mortuis
surrexit, ac Paraclito,
in saeculorum saecula.
Amen.

Feast of Santa Giovanna d’Arco (St. Joan of Arc)

St. Jeanne d'Arc, ora pro nobis

May 30th is the Feast of St. Joan of Arc, la Pucelle d'Orléans, or "the Maid of Orléans." A childhood hero of mine, her faith, heroism and loyalty to her homeland still captures my imagination today as much as it did back then. Buon Onomastico to my Mother, who taught me about St. Joan and so much more.

In celebration, I’m posting a Prayer to St. Joan of Arc. The accompanying photo of Emmanuel Fremiet's equestrian statue of Jeanne d'Arc outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art was taken during a day trip to the "City of Brotherly Love" in 2016. Vive Sainte Jeanne d’Arc!

Prayer to St. Joan of Arc

Maid of Lorraine, mount your horse; draw your sword and call your army. Maid of Orleans, unfurl your banner, sound the charge, and ride to rescue me! Lift the siege on my heart, lift the siege on my mind, lift the siege on my soul! Maid of my heart, strengthen me. Maid of my mind, set me free. Maid of my soul, make my enemies flee! Fierce, fearless and faithful, St. Joan of Arc, lift the siege, and rescue me!