L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano PAGE��� 18 THURS DAY, ��� APRIL��� 11, ��� 2013 Fifteenth Annual Fundraiser The Catholic community celebrates Madonna to Benefit the Scalabrinian della Stella in Downtown L.A. Seminarians PIeRo lucIA The date of April 27, 2013 has been set to celebrate the Fifteenth Annual Banquet and Fundraiser for the Scalabrini Seminarian. As we all know, this event is primarily promoted by the Scalabrini Missionary Fathers and generously supported by the Italian American community of L.A. Leading this year's event is the newly arrived Fr. Leandro Foss��, in replacement of Fr. Giovanni Bizzotto who's been, for years, the most popular promoter of this noble cause, and the one who lead a large group of supporters in and out of St. Peter's Italian Church, throughout this project. Fr. Leandro, Leo for the friends, very enthusiastically accepted the job and promised to do all his best to continue where Fr. Giovanni left it: ���I admit it, this project is bigger than I imagined, but I will carry on doing it with all my heart. With the Lord's help, and the community support, we'll make the best of it, as we've always had.��� He said. ���In the short time I have been here in Los Angeles, I had the chance to meet and make a lot of friends and I am sure that with their support we will again reach the goal������ Clearly, the concern was in reference to the young men that this year decided to listen to the voice of the Lord, and enter the seminary to become priests and give assistance to migrants and immigrants, all over the world. On the other hand, the entire Board gave Fr. Leandro all the support he requires to make this year's event as successful as ever. ���Last year we exceeded the previous year fundraising amount, and I am sure that we can do it again this year������ said Pat Costantini, once again leading the Committee. ���As a matter of fact, I am sure that no matter how bad the nation's economy is, we still can rely on our generous benefactors to give us a big hand that will help the seminarians to reach their target.��� Compared to the 2012's banquet, this year's it will have just few little entertaining changes, and mostly to make the public more supportive to our cause. As for the habitu�� of this event and the most curious ones, the St. Peter's Italian Church has updated its website (www. stpeteritalianchurchla.org) to satisfy everybody by posting downloadable flyers, and other info regarding this party and a wide variety of activities throughout the year. Further info can also be read on this weekly, so please stay tuned. The legend says that in 1178 A.D. the wife of General Altieri, named Stella Beatrice, lay dying and without hope. Suddenly, she jumped up and cried out "I am cured, a lady has awakened me three times and assured me that I am cured���" Stella Beatrice said her name was Maria Santissima della Stella. In gratitude for the unexpected healing, her husband decided to build a chapel to venerate the Celestial Queen, promising to pay homage with a feast every year. And in fact, our Lady Madonna della Stella is still honored every spring in Canneto (Puglia) on the Monday following Easter, as well as in Los Angeles on the first Sunday after Easter. Here, the celebrations started in 1934, when the Canneto Colony of Saints Benefit Association was founded by Cannetani as a society at St. Peter's Italian Church. The main purpose of the association was ���and still is- to continue the tradition of celebrating the annual feasts of our two patron saints of Canneto, Maria Santissima della Stella and San Vittoriano Martire. This year���s celebration took place on Sunday, April 7th, and it was a special one: it marked the 79th Anniversary of the celebration at St. Peter's Church. A beautiful mass was held, followed by a procession through the streets of Los Angeles featur- From left to right, Palmie Crispi, Canneto Colony of Saints Society Treasurer; Elisa D'Egidio, Queen; Paul Crispi, Jr., President ing the statues of the Madonna della Stella and San Vittoriano Martire, and by a feast at Casa Italiana, which continued well into the evening. Like every year, someone was honored for the help and participation in the celebration. This year's honoree was Angene Laricchia Reisbeck, daughter of Gaetano and Mary Laricchia. Gaetano was the founder of Pontrelli and Laricchia Meat Company in Los Angeles, makers of Maestro Sausage. Another special occasion that repeats every year is the election of the Queen and Princess. This year's Queen for the celebration was Elisa D'Egidio while the princess was Gabrielle Crispi, last year's queen of St. Peter's Church. Isabella Rose Reisbeck and Kevin Andrus represented instead San Vittoriano and the Madonnina for this special occasion. We are happy to announce that this year's president of the Canneto Colony of Saints Society is Paul Crispi, Jr. Other offices include treasurer Palmie Crispi, vice president Vita Zaccaria, secretary Richard Masters and public relations officer Robert Masters. We look forward to the next celebration in Spring 2014, and we invite you to participate in such a joyous festivity. Newport Beach Film Festival ��� 14th edition to celebrate Italian Cinema, Culture, Fashion and Music On Tuesday, April 30th 2013 the 14th annual Newport Beach Film Festival will present its Italian Spotlight, an evening celebration of Italian cinema and culture. The event will feature the Orange County premiere of the highly acclaimed film, Immature ��� The Trip (Immaturi - il Viaggio), followed by a fes- tive post-screening gala. The comedic film follows a group of thirty-somethings on a vacation to Greece for a chance to relax and reconnect. As the former high school friends quickly find themselves tempted by secrets, tequila, and ex-girlfriends it becomes clear they've arrived with more baggage than they thought. Celebrated as one of the leading film festivals in the United States, the Newport Beach Film Festival has evolved into a prestigious multicultural event, its best. With its action packed slate of film screenings, red carpet galas, international spotlights, nightly receptions, compelling conversations with filmmakers, fashion shows, music attracting over 53,000 attendees to Southern California. Committed to enlightening the public with a first-class international film program, a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, the Festival focuses on showcasing a fresh and diverse collection of studio and independent films from around the globe. Located along the pristine Orange County coastline, it offers attendees an optimal setting to experience filmmaking at performances and industry seminars, the Newport Beach Film Festival has quickly gained recognition among filmmakers and audiences worldwide. The 14th annual Newport Beach Film Festival runs April 25th - May 2nd, 2013 and will spotlight over 300 films from around the world. ���The Festival continues a proud tradition of presenting the very best in Italian Cinema. Immature ���The Trip is a wonderful modern-day Italian comedy, with great performances. We Elmo Gambarana 1926 - March 26, 2013 Elmo Gambarana, of Los Angeles, CA, passed away quietly on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at the age of 86 years. Mr. Gambarana was employed by McGraw-Hill for many years and upon retirement, remained very active as a member and volunteer with the Italian American Museum, Piemontese Nel Mondo, Federated ItaloAmericans, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and the Los Angeles City Historical Society. He was also volunteer and employee at the City of Los Angeles��� El Pueblo Historical Monument, where he delighted generations of children (and adults) as a museum guide at the Firehouse Museum and others. He received many commendations for his work. Mr. Gambarana is survived by his sister, Elga King of New Jersey, nieces Diane King of Virginia and Valerie Dunn of New York, and three grandnieces and three grandnephews all who join with his many friends in celebrating his full and generous life. Mr. Gambarana will be interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, CA where donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to be distributed among his charitable choices. are very excited to present the follow-up film to our 2012 Spotlight - it is a true audience pleaser,��� stated Gregg Schwenk, CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival. The Spotlight film will screen on Tuesday, April 30th at 8:00pm at Edwards Big Newport (300 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach, CA 92660). The post-screening celebration will take place at Fashion Island located across Newport Center Drive from the theaters. The evening will include 10 of Orange County���s top restaurants serving signature tastings, multiple DJs, live entertainment and a special performance by Orange County Aerial Arts. Select Fashion Island retail partners will offer special in-store promotions and entertainment. The Newport Beach Film Festival Italian Spotlight is supported by the Italian Heritage Culture Foundation, Istituto Italiano di Cultura ��� Los Angeles, L���Italo-Americano Newspaper, Consulate General of Italy ��� Los Angeles, Italian Film Commision and VANITY FAIR.it. Admission to the Italian Spotlight film and the postscreening party is $40.00. For ticket information and updates visit www.Newport BeachFilmFest.com

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