L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , a June "mine- s t r o n e " o f Italian con- nections for you! "Grazie" to Tony Ghez- zo, who has been a font of i n f o r m a t i o n o n a l l t h i n g s Italian for over thirty years. *** La Festa della Repub- b l i c a c o m m e m o r a t e s t h e day of June 2, 1946, when the people of Italy, in a refer- endum, chose the republican f o r m o f g o v e r n m e n t o v e r monarchy. After enduring f i v e y e a r s o f b l o o d y w a r (1940-1945) that included daily bombings and strafings for many cities, (and after surviving twenty-three years of Fascism combined with m o n a r c h y ) I t a l i a n s w e r e starving for a peaceful and serene future, a democratic government and freedom. *** On June 2, 1946, when WWII was finally over and Fascism had been defeated and eradicated, the nation went to the polls to cast its vote and send a clear mes- sage to the royal family: Ital- i a n s d i d n o t a p p r e c i a t e b e i n g a b a n d o n e d a t t h e mercy of the Nazis occupa- tion army. Indeed, they had n o t f o r g o t t e n h o w , t h r e e years earlier, King Victor Emmanuel III had cowardly abandoned them: during the night of September 8, 1943, the king had fled Rome with his general staff and pre- mier Pietro Badoglio, leav- i n g t h e c a p i t a l i n c h a o s , undefended and, most of all, leaving the whole Italian Army without any instruc- t i o n s w h a t s o e v e r . T h i s caused the Army collapse in Central and Northern Italy, and the consequent occupa- tion of the country by Ger- man troups. But above all, the Italians could not forget that, for twenty-three years, the king h a d a r b i t r a r i l y a p p r o v e d and supported Mussolini's take over, condoning the f a s c i s t b u l l i e s ' a b u s i v e behavior and violence. Today, the Italians who lived under Fascism appre- ciate tremendously being in a peaceful, free and democ- ratic country. That is why R e p u b l i c D a y m e a n s s o much to all Italians in good faith. *** Father's Day is Sunday, June 18 this year. In Italy, t h o u g h , i t i s u s u a l l y observed on March 19, la festa di San Giuseppe. *** Padre Pio (1887-1968), who is today a Saint, was canonized in Rome on June 16, 2002. He is literally a saint for our times because unlike many saints who "did t h e i r t h i n g " h u n d r e d s o f years ago, Padre Pio lived most of his life in the 20th c e n t u r y , i n S a n G i o v a n n i Rotondo (near Foggia, in Apulia). This means there are parents, grandparents, f r i e n d s , c o - w o r k e r s , o l d army buddies, relatives and r e a d e r s o f o u r L ' I t a l o A m e r i c a n o n e w s p a p e r who have actually seen, met or talked with Padre Pio. Many non-Italians met Padre Pio when they served in the US military air bases near Bari, Apulia. My friend Marilyn Patterson of Find- lay, Ohio, once sent me a c l i p p i n g f r o m t h e T o l e d o O h i o B l a d e a b o u t a l o c a l man who saw Padre Pio say Mass in Italy, in 1944. Here are a few excerpts: The church was already filled. We tried around back a n d , t h a n k s t o M r . B i l l - maier's buddy, who spoke Italian, we were unexpect- edly ushered inside and told to kneel at the altar steps. W h e n i t c a m e t i m e f o r Padre Pio to wash his hands in preparation for commu- nion, the two servicemen were directed to hand the priest a set of cruets con- t a i n i n g w a t e r a n d w i n e , and to hold a bowl so that water could be poured over his fingers. For the entire Mass, they could observe the priest at close range. At the prayers of consecration preceding communion, Mr. Billmaier said a pair of black, finger- 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. less gloves were removed f r o m P a d r e P i o ' s h a n d s . Under each was a white, fin- gerless mitten, which was a l s o r e m o v e d . D u r i n g prayers, blood began to ooze from wounds in the priest's hands. "A priest assisting him had a bowl with cotton in it and, every so often, he would daub at the wounds," Mr. Billmaier recalled. After the Mass, about one h u n d r e d a n d f i f t y p e o p l e lined up to have him hear their confessions. While Mr. B i l l m a i e r a n d h i s f r i e n d were looking on, an old man came out of the confessional w i t h P a d r e P i o f o l l o w i n g him: "He was telling him he didn't confess all his sins, and he'd better go back in." After Mr. Billmaier's visit to San Giovanni Rotondo, he became a believer in what he had seen and began reading more about the popular Ital- ian priest. He also recalls smelling a sweet scent when he was at Padre Pio's Mass, many years ago: "I thought someone in the group had perfume on, but during the prayers of consecration, the f r a g r a n c e b e c a m e m o s t intense." A s a d e a c o n a t S t . Michael's Church in Findlay, Mr. Billmaier talked, from time to time, about Padre Pio, and his own personal experience with the Italian holy man. There is now a Padre Pio prayer group in the Toledo Diocese, which meets month- ly at the St. Bernardine home in Fremont, Ohio.

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