L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D ear readers, a saint he ain't b u t a r e a d e r w a n t e d t o know if I had any information on a saint with a Rossi surname who had been canonized in the late 1800s. I checked an old edition of Butler's Lives of t h e S a i n t s a n d I f o u n d a S t . J o h n B a p t i s t Rossi (1698-1764) born in Voltaggio, near Genoa. His parents had four children, but from the age of ten, he was educated by a Genoese n o b l e m a n a n d h i s w i f e . T h r o u g h t h e e f f o r t s o f Capuchin relatives, he was invited to Rome and entered the Roman College at the age of only 13. He studied t o o h a r d a n d s u f f e r e d a breakdown due to epilepsy. He recovered well and was ordained in 1721. He loved to visit hospitals and a night r e f u g e f o r t h e d e s t i t u t e founded by Pope Celestine I I I . H e r e , h e w o r k e d f o r f o r t y y e a r s . H e a l s o f r e - quently visited the hospital of Trinità dei Pellegrini. For some years, he was too diffi- dent to hear confessions but discovered his gift for direc- tion after a convalescence. In 1731, he became assistant p r i e s t a t S t . M a r y i n Cosmedin. Penitents of all classes flocked to his confes- sional to such an extent that he was dispensed from say- ing the divine office. He suc- ceeded his cousin as a canon but devolved his salary to charity and to providing an organ and organist to his church. He himself lived in an attic, in extreme poverty. *** M y f a t h e r V i n c e n z o loved the Saints and looked forward to the town's Patron Saint's Feast. In the small towns and villages where our grandparents were born, these were the happiest days of the year. Usually, a statue of the Saint was placed on a decorated cart or wooden p l a t f o r m c a r r i e d o n t h e s h o u l d e r s o f s i x o r e i g h t strong men in a religious procession. These occasions were like the greatest show on Earth and the 4th of July rolled into one for children and grown-ups alike. When t h e y c a m e t o A m e r i c a the feste, especially religious ones dedicated to hometown Patron Saints, were the first b i t o f " h o m e a w a y f r o m home" the immigrants cele- brated in the streets of their Italian neighborhoods. They would gaily decorate them with strips of multicolored lights, banners, and artisti- cally arranged displays of flowers and candles, in an attempt to replicate their old villages' feasts. S t a t u e s o f t h e r e v e r e d Saints and Madonnas would be drawn along the streets, lined with buntings on the b r a w n y s h o u l d e r s of paesani dressed in their S u n d a y b e s t : t h e i r c o a t s , shirts, and hats would be heavy with religious medals, badges, buttons, or adorned with red, white and green sashes with foiled tinsel let- tering. The men of the comita- t o w o u l d b e f o l l o w e d b y their pious wives, mothers, children, and grandchildren, often chanting prayers and wearing black dresses. The most generous and active m e m b e r s o f t h e r e l i g i o u s celebration's comitato were often men who were Sunday mass no-shows, with a pas- s i o n a t e d e v o t i o n t o their paese's Patron Saint that lasted a lifetime and was often passed on to their A m e r i c a n - b o r n c h i l d r e n , w h o l o v e d S a i n t s , t o o , because they always meant a festa. *** O v e r c o m i n g f i n a n c i a l problems, assisting loved ones in times of war or other dangerous situations, help- ing cure the ill, or petitions for a healthy child when a member of the family was p r e g n a n t m e a n t S t . Joseph's Altars in grati- t u d e f o r f a v o r s r e c e i v e d . Often these "sacred obliga- tions" involved more than t h e s i n g l e p e t i t i o n e r b u t extended to his or her entire f a m i l y a n d , o f t e n , t h e i r friends. Among the baked g o o d s y o u c o u l d o f t e n 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. f i n d c u c c i d a t e ( f i g c o o k - ies), zeppole (puffed pastries f i l l e d w i t h c r e a m ) , a n d b r e a d s s o m e t i m e s g l a z e d with egg white and molded i n t o t r a d i t i o n a l s y m b o l i c shapes like St.Joseph's cane, baskets, stars, sandals, and crosses. They often included a bowl of dried fava beans, which are considered to be lucky, and carrying one in your pocket is supposed to o f f e r p r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t being penniless. Hard-boiled eggs, sardines, and fish were usually served because when the feast fell during Lent, y o u c o u l d n ' t e a t m e a t . I k n e w t h a t p a s t a c o n l e s a r d e w i t h b r e a d c r u m b topping was a traditional St. Joseph's Day dish, but only recently I have learned that breadcrumbs represented t h e s a w d u s t f r o m St.Joseph's carpentry busi- ness. M u d r i g a o r M u d r i c a (breadcrumb for pasta con le sarde) Grate stale bread and sift t o r e m o v e l a r g e c r u m b s . Heat an iron skillet on a very l o w f l a m e ; a d d b r e a d crumbs and cook until they are golden brown. Stir con- s t a n t l y s o c r u m b s d o n o t b u r n . A f t e r c r u m b s a r e browned, remove from fire, add sugar according to taste, and sprinkle atop pasta con le sarde. There are many versions of this dish, and recipes for its breadcrumb may vary slightly. But rest a s s u r e d a g o o d p l a t e of pasta con le sarde will a l w a y s b e t o p p e d w i t h a hefty spoonful of it!

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