L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear Readers, St. Patrick's Day, w h i c h w e c e l e - b r a t e o n M a r c h 17th, has an Italian Connec- tion. I n h i s a u t o b i o g r a p h y , Confessions, written shortly before his death, the saint tells us that his father was a R o m a n o f f i c i a l n a m e d Calpurnius. Calpurnius was an ancient Italic or Etruscan clan name. Julius Caesar's wife was Calpurnia (daugh- ters took the feminine form of the clan name). P a t r i c k w a s b o r n i n E n g l a n d a r o u n d t h e y e a r 385 A.D. Roman cities in E n g l a n d h a d s h o p s a n d beautiful houses, so Patrick l i v e d t h e g o o d l i f e f o r a while. Across the sea in Ireland (Eire), things were not so good. Tribal kings were con- stantly feuding, and in the year 400 AD, a tribal king (Niall) attacked England. He took thousands of prisoners, including Patrick, for slaves. Soon the rich little Roman kid was forced to herd pigs and sheep, just a poor little slave boy far from home. At 21 years old, after six y e a r s a s a s l a v e , h e r a n away. Walking many miles to the sea, he found a ship t h a t t o o k h i m b a c k t o E n g l a n d . B y n o w , t h e Romans had been chased out; they were no longer the rulers, and the country was in ruins. Patrick sailed across the c h a n n e l a n d w o n d e r e d through Europe, then on to Rome, and found that by the year 410 AD the center of all R o m a n p o w e r h a d b e e n conquered as well. His past was really dead, so he decided to go back to England to think, pray and live very quietly there while in prayer, he felt certain that God was calling him back to Ireland to bring all those tribes together and make Ireland a Christian land. But first, Patrick went to France and studied religion there for ten years. In the year 432 AD, Pope Celestine made Patrick a B i s h o p a n d n a m e d h i m P a t r i c i u s . N o w , B i s h o p Patricius sailed for Ireland. The Irish people were not interested in Christianity and tried to stone him to death. The Bishop and his men fled and found shelter for the night in a barn near the shore. The barn belonged to a tribal king named Dichu. He thought the Bishop and his men were robbers and want- ed to kill them. Patrick held out his hand and smiled, And a golden aura shone on his face. Dichu put down his w e a p o n , h i s f i e r c e d o g stopped growling (according t o l e g e n d ) , a n d D i c h u became the first Christian in Ireland and the barn, the first church. Patrick traveled all over I r e l a n d . H e a l w a y s h a d a drummer with him. When he arrived at a village, the drummer would drum, and the people would come from their houses to listen to him. P a t r i c k s h o w e d t h e m a shamrock, like a three-leafed clover. Patrick explained the idea of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. B i s h o p P a t r i c i u s drummed the snaked out of I r e l a n d a n d i n t o t h e s e a (according to legend), and built hundreds of churches. When he died on March 17 (between 461 and 492 AD), t h e P o p e d e c l a r e d h i m a saint and had him buried on c h u r c h g r o u n d s i n Downpatrick, Ireland. *** Father's Day in Italy is celebrated on March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph. In the United States, we arbitrarily picked a day to honor our fathers. St Joseph represent a fine example of what fatherhood is supposed to be, as Joseph raised Jesus as his own son (conceived without sin). *** Tomie dePaola (1934- 2 0 2 ) i s t h e a u t h o r e v e r y Grade school teacher and p a r e n t s h o u l d r e a c h f o r when any child in their care i s a g e 5 a n d u p . A m o n g T o m i e ' s m a n y w o n d e r f u l books is one on St. Patrick but he also has many more with an Italian Connection Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. l i k e t h e S t r e g a N o n a Collection. The people of Calabria in the hills of Italy all depend on Strega Nona for cures, and love potions. DePaola introduces this jolly, gentle character in Strega Nona: Her Story. In Strega Nona, h e r n e w a s s i s t a n t B i g Anthony nearly drowns the village in spaghetti. Strega N o n a b e g i n s t o p a s s along her art to the baker's daughter in Strega Nona's Magic Lessons. *** T h e N e w O r l e a n s Eleven, were murdered by a m o b o n M a r c h 1 4 , 1 8 9 1 . Eleven Italian Americans w e r e m u r d e r e d a l t h o u g h they were found innocent in a court of law, the mob con- sidered them Mafiosi who a s s a s s i n a t e d t h e C i t y ' s crooked sheriff. *** Enrico Caruso (1873- 1921) had just turned twen- ty-two when he made his p r o f e s s i o n a l d e b u t i n N a p l e s , i n D o m e n i c o M o r e l l i ' s n e w o p e r a " L ' a m i c o F r a n c e s c o " o n March 15, 1895. During the engagements that followed, mostly in provincial Italian t h e a t e r s , h e l e a r n e d 1 6 major rolls in two years. *** T h e S t a r - S p a n g l e d Banner officially became o u r n a t i o n a l a n t h e m o n M a r c h 3 , 1 9 3 1 . I t a l i a n Americans stood proudly to sing it, especially in 1936 w h i l e w a t c h i n g J o e DiMaggio, newly hired rook- ie, playing for the New York Yankees at their namesake stadium. ***

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