St. Anthony’s Feast in Boston’s North End culminated with an explosion of Italian pride. While the Feast itself came to Boston by way of Montefalcione, there is no denying that this Feast has Beantown written all over it. Following a Mass in Italian at the North End’s St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church, the statue…
Category: Irpinia in America
A Way to Say I Love You (North End Series, Part 2)
A streetside Mass provided one of the most moving moments of St. Anthony’s Feast in Boston for me this past weekend. The outdoor Mass in honor of St. Anthony is held the Saturday evening of St. Anthony’s Feast, where Via Di Santa Lucia and Via Di Sant’Antonio meet. This year’s Mass was presided over by…
Finding Montefalcione in the North End (Part 1)
It was a celebration not only of ties that bind, but of ties that could be created, then reinforced. This past weekend, Irpinia Stories had the chance to go on the road to Boston, Massachusetts, to participate in the North End’s Saint Anthony’s Feast, which is the largest of its kind in New England, as…
Ties that Remain: Celebrating Guardia Lombardi in Pennsylvania
More than one hundred years ago, a group of Italian immigrants arrived in what is now known as the “Bunker Hill” section of Dunmore, Lackawanna County. These immigrants came from the small Southern Italian town of Guardia Lombardi, located east of the city of Naples in the Province of Avellino, and with them they brought…
The “Feast of All Feasts” in Boston’s North End
More than 100 years ago, immigrants from Montefalcione brought Saint Anthony’s Feast to Boston’s North End, continuing their hometown’s veneration that dates to the 14th century. This year’s feast will be held from August 25-28. Saint Anthony became the official patron saint of Montefalcione because of his protection during the 1688 Sannio Earthquake, which severely…
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