Popular Italian summer feasts unite generations in faith
Italian feast days have a storied tradition in the Archdiocese of Newark, especially when summertime rolls around. Some feasts are more than a century old, with generations of Italian Americans keeping the tradition alive.
The richness and history of these feasts are at the heart of Italian-American faith culture, according to Eric Lavin, the director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Italian Apostolate.
“In the Italian culture, there’s a great emphasis and great value placed on bridging that gap between old and new, old world and new world,” he said. “So, you have these traditions that persist through time, not just because grandma and grandpa did it, but because there is this tangible link of faith that ties you to those who aren’t here anymore.”
During the Italian feasts of summer, this tangible link of faith can take the form of novenas, processions, venerations, and, of course, food.
The oldest Italian summer feast in the Archdiocese is celebrated in Newark in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16, dating back to 1890 when Italian immigrants left the Port of Naples for the United States. The shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was nearby the port, so the immigrants made a promise to Our Lady that if she kept them safe on their voyage, they would build a parish in her honor.
When the Catholic immigrants arrived in Newark, they kept their promise and established a parish in honor of Our Lady, with the first feast celebration occurring 133 years ago.
Over the years, certain aspects of the feast – such as the street festival – dwindled until the pastorates of Bishop Nicholas Dimarzio and Msgr. Joseph Ambrosio in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Msgr. Ambrosio, especially, revived the communal aspect of the feast in Newark.
Eric Lavin, director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Italian Apostolate, places his offering on the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel during the procession in Newark in 2022. (Anthony Scillia)
The current pastor, Father Danny Rodrigues, grew up in nearby Hillside and remembers attending the feast as a child (and later as a seminarian) and being struck by the devotion of the people.
“It’s an intimate connection,” he said. “The spirituality of the people and the religious aspect of the feast. We try to maintain that emphasis because we don’t want to lose that identity and just become another street festival.”
In order to maintain the feast’s religiosity, Father Rodrigues formed a committee devoted precisely to that focus, consisting of mostly younger parishioners looking to connect the faith of generations of Italian Americans.
An example of the intimate, intergenerational nature of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel can be seen during the procession on July 16, when the statue of Our Lady makes a stop at the home of a longtime parishioner affectionally known as Signora Rosina. Rosina is, in Father Rodrigues’ words, a “cornerstone” of Italian parishioners who immigrated to Newark in the 1960s. While she can no longer participate physically in the procession, the statue stops below her window, the band plays, and Signora Rosina waves her handkerchief out the window.
Signora Rosina waves her handkerchief out the window as the procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel stops at her home in Newark in 2022. (Anthony Scillia)
“It’s a sign of respect,” Father Rodrigues said, between the generations.
The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel begins with Novena Masses starting July 7 and concludes with Mass and a procession through Newark on July 16.
In nearby Hudson County, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jersey City celebrates its 113th feast day from July 13 – 16. The parish was founded in 1905 to serve Italian immigrants and now welcomes many diverse communities that call Jersey City home. On the final day, the parish celebrates the Feast Day Mass followed by a procession through the Journal Square area of the city.
An early picture of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jersey City, which was started by Italian immigrants in 1910. (OLMC Jersey City)
Also located in Jersey City is the oldest Italian Roman Catholic Church in New Jersey, Holy Rosary Parish, founded in 1885. The most prominent church society in its early years was the Maria SS. Dell’Assunta Society, founded in 1902. Many members of this society heralded from Morrone Del Sannio in the Campobasso Section of Italy. It was around that time that members began “The Feast” of Our Lady of Assumption.
The Feast centered around several religious events and a street festival with food and music, culminating with the “Feast Day Mass” in mid-August, followed by a street procession with the statue of Our Lady through the streets. The celebration also included the veneration of Saint Rocco, whose feast day is on Aug. 16. Both statues are traditionally included in the procession.
The feast is now popularly known as La Festa Italiana and draws thousands of people from various backgrounds, religious, and non-religious alike. This year, Holy Rosary celebrates the Feast’s 120th anniversary from Aug. 9 – 13.
The procession of Our Lady of Assumption during the Festa Italiana in Jersey City. (La Festa Italiana)
For Father Jurek Zasłona, who has been pastor of Holy Rosary for 12 years, the key “faith aspect” of the feast is found in the church’s open-door policy. He understands that many of the people who come for the popular street festival are not Catholic and so he makes sure that as long as the festival is open, so too are the doors of Holy Rosary to welcome all.
“We have around 5,000 people every evening coming to the feast,” he said. “Everybody goes through struggles in life, and they see the church open. There’s silence. There is air conditioning. They can just take a rest and pray to the Lord. Have the little moment with the Lord.”
And for those who do not come to the church, Father Zasłona is willing to bring the church to them.
“I work the crowd,” Father Zasłonasaid. “I walk in the crowd, and I almost always wear the collar, so they would know that I’m a priest. And they come up to me and start to talk.”
Father Zasłona said sometimes during a confession, the person will refer back to a conversation they had during a festival.
“It’s God’s grace,” Father Zasłona said. “It’s not me who is converting them [at the festival], it’s the Lord who is converting them. You plant the seed and let the grace work on the person. And when they are ready, they come to the Lord.”
The Festa Italiana in Jersey City draws 5,000 visitors a day. (La Festa Italiana)
Another popular Italian summer feast in Hudson County is the Feast of St. Ann in Hoboken, which celebrates its 113th anniversary this year. Novena Masses begin on July 17, with a Feast Day Mass and procession on July 26.
The origin of the feast begins with Italian immigrants from the town of Monte San Giacomo, a province of Salerno, Italy, who came to the New York Metropolitan area in the late 19th century. Those who settled in Hoboken were not affluent, but rich in faith, and desired to maintain their cultural and religious ties by establishing the Societa’ S. Anna. Due to their limited means and resources, it took them around a decade to build St. Ann Church, which was completed in 1906. Four years later, the Italian immigrants held the first feast day celebration to honor Saint Ann and San Giacomo (Saint James the Apostle).
Over 100 years later, many of the members who plan the feast each year are direct descendants of those immigrants who came over from Monte San Giacomo, and the faith aspect — the novena and procession remain as unaltered traditions from the feast’s conception.
Many members who partake in the current Feast of St. Ann in Hoboken (right) are direct descendants of those who began the feast day celebration more than a century earlier (left) (Joe Jordan / Archdiocese of Newark)
One Italian summer feast that is nearing the century mark is the Feast of Saint Sebastian in Montclair, which began in 1926 when the Saint Sebastian Society brought its devotion from Sicily to the United States. Although the saint’s feast day is officially celebrated on Jan. 20, the festival celebration is held in late August – this year Aug. 26 – 27.
The festival typically draws thousands to the quiet suburb of Montclair for a Mass and procession at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Oratory.
Father Giandomenico Flora, who was installed as rector of the church last year, is himself an Italian immigrant. He noted the importance of upholding the faith tradition of immigrants and how the Feast of Saint Sebastian aids in doing so.
“For the Italian Immigrants to bring their feast day venerations to a new land means to preserve their religious identity in which they grew up in their home country,” he said. “For my church community, it means to continue the tradition received from older generations and also sharing it with families, friends, and neighbors.”
His explanation is tangible in the statue’s procession through Montclair. The saint makes his way through tree-lined streets, stopping at houses where he is greeted by families representing three or four generations.
One of the aspects that struck Father Flora the most in his first experience of the Saint Sebastian Feast is the strong spirituality of the weekend.
“For me, what makes it special is the spiritual aspect because the festival involves a Novena to Saint Sebastian and an Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday evening, a solemn Mass on Sunday morning, and procession and Benediction on Sunday afternoon and evening,” he said. “Therefore, people come not only to enjoy good food but also to nourish and share their faith.”
The Feast of Saint Sebastian begins at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Montclair, almost a hundred years apart. (Joe Jordan / Archdiocese of Newark)
And of course, the Italian summer feasts would not be complete without a good array of foods on display.
Father Rodrigues in Newark and Father Zasłona in Jersey City both point to the diversity of food at their feasts as reflective of their communities’ various cultures. Italian feasts are not limited to Italian food only and this is especially true in the melting pots of the Archdiocese of Newark’s two largest cities.
At the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the Down Neck section of Newark, Father Rodrigues mentions that attendees find a strong Portuguese, Peruvian, and Brazilian presence. At the Festa Italiana, Father Zasłona says that the food is as varied as his parish community – “we have everything,” he said, Mexican, Korean, and Indian in addition to the traditional Italian fare.
As far as the priests’ personal favorites, they both enjoy Italian food, especially the zeppoles. Father Rodrigues says the sausage and peppers is his go-to, while Father Zasłona prefers the rice balls.
Sausage and peppers (left) and rice balls (right) are two popular Italian foods found at every Italian feast day celebration. (La Festa Italiana)
In Montclair, Father Flora says a dessert made specifically for the Saint Sebastian Feast is his favorite. “The people who came from Cerami, a town in Sicily, do for the occasion particular cookies that are baked only for the Saint Sebastian festival,” he said. “It is common for Italian people to have specific foods that are connected to the devotion of a particular saint.”
Ultimately, the feast day celebrations that draw so many people represent the “Christian way,” according to Lavin.
“You’re a stranger and you welcomed me. That’s our job. Our job is to put our very best forward, for our parishes and for our devotions.
“It’s a labor of love,” he said.
For these Italian American Catholics, it’s a labor that recalls the hard work that their ancestors formed their communities with, and a labor that inspires the faith in future generations.
Featured image: A side-by-side look at the St. Ann feast in Hoboken, more than 100 years apart.
