Faith is still a 
key focus 
at Italian festival

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

WORCESTER – From Mass, to eucharistic adoration, to Marian devotion, to an evangelization table and religious items for sale, the Italian Festival of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Loreto Parish was focused on faith – and brought the parish community  and others together for a weekend also filled with family, food, fun and fundraising for the parish.

“It was always centered around Mary,” explained the pastor, Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, who grew up at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Ann Parish before its merger with Our Lady of Loreto. “I can recall processing on the street with a statue of Mary. … I was an altar server.”

The festival in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, held at Mount Carmel parish for her July 16 feast day before the parishes merged, “always had that Catholic identity.”

“It was celebrated by Italians,” Msgr. Pedone noted. But now that the merged parish has parishioners of other nationalities too, “I often refer to it as the parish festival,” he said. “So many people have said to me, ‘Thank you for having this; it brings the community of Worcester together.’”

This year, there were 6,500 paid admissions overall, said Joseph Sama, parish bookkeeper/accountant. He said attendees come from around the state, but mostly from central Massachusetts.

Msgr. Pedone especially rejoiced in parishioners’ participation in the festival.

“It’s a wonderful celebration of faith, and I think it’s a shot in the arm for people as a parish family, because I say to them, ‘I want everyone involved somehow, either working or attending,’” he said.

In the past, before the merger, Our Lady of Loreto Parish had its own several-day Italian festival, named for its patroness, in August.

Msgr. Pedone said that since so many people are away in July, this year he timed the festival to coincide with the Aug. 15 feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The festival was held at the merged parish’s Our Lady of Loreto campus Aug. 14-17.

The pastor said he opened it with a welcome and prayer of blessing, then Mr. Sama led the rosary, as has been done for several years.

Parishioner Domenic Mercurio Jr. rejoiced that Mr. Sama prayed a decade in Italian, trying to keep the Italian heritage alive and connecting with Italian parishioners and their grandchildren, who hear the older generation speaking that language.

At the well-attended “festival Mass” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Msgr. Pedone presented the parish’s annual college scholarships, so donors could see the fruits their donations and others might be encouraged to contribute.

Then he blessed statues of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Loreto, which Knights of Columbus carried into the festival tent. There, festival-goers’ financial contributions were pinned to ribbons adorning the statues. Msgr. Pedone said this Italian tradition involves giving a monetary gift when one has a prayer request or is offering thanks for prayers answered. A kneeler in front of the statues provided a place to pray right there.

Festival-goers could also stop in the church for eucharistic adoration, an opportunity Msgr. Pedone said was offered at last year’s festival at the suggestion of parishioner Louise Faiola, and was “very successful.”  Exposition continued through most of the festival this year, for the hours that someone signed up to cover, he said.

“I was happy to see people going in,” in addition to scheduled adorers, Mr. Mercurio said. “You want this [festival] to be Catholic-focused.”

He said he thinks many Catholics come; he sees some he remembers from Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and he invites festival-goers to Mass.

“You get a well-prepared homily that speaks to you,” he said. “But, at the same time, you get a little stand-up comedy, because Msgr. Pedone is very entertaining. I think when people enjoy the Mass and they’re comfortable and relaxed, they’re more likely to come back.”

Preaching at the festival Mass Sunday, Msgr. Pedone didn’t mince words. Jesus wasn’t always nice, he said, referring to the day’s Gospel, in which the Lord said he came to bring division, not peace (Luke12:49-53). Jesus confronted injustice, and following him can lead to division, even in families, Msgr. Pedone noted. He encouraged listeners to ask themselves, “Am I a lukewarm follower of Jesus?”

The pastor himself addressed controversial issues, saying that the Catholic Church stands for life from conception to natural death. He called for trying to solve differences with love and mutual respect, while still being faithful to Jesus and his teachings.

Under the tent, Ms. Faiola staffed the evangelization table she’d first seen last year when parishioner Richard Trubiano ran it.

Last year was the second year for that table, the brainchild of fellow parishioner and Knight of Columbus David Soares, Mr. Trubiano said. Mr. Trubiano, former Grand Knight of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Council 13575, leads the council’s evangelization subcommittee.

As people looked over the free religious materials Sunday, Ms. Faiola talked with them. Some left with several pamphlets.

At the Respect Life table, Joseph and Barbara Godek, chaircouple of the parish’s Respect Life Ministry, were selling rosaries made by parishioner Santina McGregor, and raffling off a basket of religious items to raise money for the altar servers’ fund.

Another table, with religious items from the Holy Land, drew some interested customers.
So did the Italian cookies, made and frosted by numerous volunteers, mostly parishioners, and senior priest Father Michael A. DiGeronimo.

Elaine Beaudry, who organized the cookie production, said about 15 volunteers altogether baked six varieties –10,800 cookies in all – over a period of eight days.

St. John Parish let them use its St. Francis Xavier Center kitchen free of charge; they just gave a tray of cookies to the pastor, Father John F. Madden, and one to people who work at the center, she said. She said they used other churches’ facilities in the past, but St. John’s works well because it has an industrial kitchen at ground level.

“Years ago they used to bake them at home,” each woman using her own recipe, said parishioner Rose Porcaro, 93, saying she helped for years at both Italian parishes’ festivals. “As the festival got bigger, they picked the best recipes and those are the ones we use.”

Mrs. Beaudry said that by the end of the festival all the cookies had been sold, bringing in $7,949 – all profit because ingredients and labor are donated, thanks to parishioners and friends.