L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 4 During Holy Week, the members of Fraternities in Taranto carry the statues of the Stations of the Cross, wearing a white robe and a white hood © Francesca Sciarra | Dreamstime.com FRANCESCA BEZZONE Continued to page 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Members of the Confraternita di Santa Caterina, in Pietra Ligure. Because of their red cape, they are also known as "the reds" (Photo: Gianni Cenere) F or Christian Catholics, Holy Week is the most spiritually pregnant moment of the year, even more than Christ- mastime. But in Italy, this is a time resonant with meaning among people who don't believe, too: Holy Week is a time of tra- ditions, of history, of communi- ties coming together not only within the meaningful — for those who believe — embrace of religion, but also under the immense and beautiful sky of tra- dition. Full communities redis- cover to be such, unified by an ancestral sense of belonging, and connection with one another and with their past. We're about to enter days made of faith and history, then, but also of loving memories of childhood, when for the first time we had attended processions, masses in Coena Domini, and Saturday night's Easter Vigils, more often than not holding the hand of our grandparents: strong and gentle, they were, present and discreet, themselves the sym- bol, when you think about it, of that very link between past and present, sacred and profane, pragmatism and carefreeness that makes so much of Italians' own identity of today. And so, we learn about con- fraternite and their powerful, uni- fying role in so many communi- ties of the Belpaese. How could we explain what they are, to those who've never experienced their presence, nor seen them standing in the pews, all dressed the same, all proud, during the most important moment of the liturgical year? Well, history comes to help, as it often does. You see, these religious associa- tions, formed by lay people, were born almost 1000 years ago, in the early 12th century, with the aim of helping out the less fortunate in their communi- ties and of increasing the interest in and respect of liturgy and religious practice. In the quaint little town of Pietra Ligure, on the Italian Riviera, just as in the whole region, confraternite are a seri- ous thing, where faith, tradition and heritage mix together. I hap- pen to know a lot about them, because I had the immense luck to live there for four years: a time of serenity and happiness, certainly enhanced by breathtak- ing beauty of the place and by the friendship and sense of com- munity I enjoyed thanks to its people. Here, two confraternite share the stage: that of Santa Cateri- na and that of Orazione e Morte (of prayer and death). The Con- fraternita of Santa Caterina, also known as dei rossi, from the color of the cape they wear on their white tunics, are in charge of the Oratorio della Santissima Annunziata, which has been restored thanks to their work and which they maintain in all its beauty. In it, locals can pray and admire the beautiful crosses the Confraternita's members carry by hand during holy processions: breathtaking pieces of art carved in wood, adorned on each of the cross' arms and on its top by delicately made gold and silver decorations. As light as air and filigree, the look, the gentle, chimes-like sound they make while moving following the rhythm of the carrier's steps. Carrying these crosses is an exercise of physical strength, training, faith and tradition that keeps on being passed on to the younger generations, a fact sym- bolised by how the Confraterni- ta's younger members learn how to carry crosses very early, and practice during holy processions with smaller, lighter versions of those held by adults. And on Holy Thursday, i rossi are also in charge of the preparation of the Cenacolo, or "sepurtu" in Pietrese dialect, another sign of their continuous presence and work within the spiritual fabric of the town. And then, there is the Confra- ternita of Orazione e Morte, also known as dei neri, because of the color of their uniform, a black tunic and a black hood covering the whole of its mem- bers' face, two small slits left for the eyes. Born in 1633, its duty has always been that of keeping the cult of the Holy Sacrament fervent, of praying for the dead and of taking care of the burial of paupers. In times of pestilence and immense poverty, they would remove with dignity bod- ies abandoned in public places and make sure they received a funeral. They would also assist those sentenced to death in the moments leading to their execu- tion. I remember how, when i neri were fully re-established as an active confraternita a few years back, some people found them frightening and "inappro- priate," because of their name and of the color of their uniform. But it was the hoods, those conic black hoods that kept its mem- bers' anonymous, to create havoc for real: they were too scary for the people of the 2010s. Well, capable local histo- rians gently reminded complain- ers the hood was originally cre- ated to make sure the confraternita members would carry out their duty without being recognized, so that they Faith, tradition, identity: Easter as the symbol of Italy's own heritage

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