Cento Anni! 100 years!
The new year brings the 100th anniversary of the Mt. Carmel Society to my hometown in Verplanck.
In 1922, my father’s father and a group of men from Calabria created this organization to serve their new community while honoring their hometown parish in Cittanova, Italy.
The Mt. Carmel Society has celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel the third weekend in July the same way they did back in Calabria: With an outdoor festival, Catholic mass said in Italian, and a procession through the streets with a statue of the Madonna.
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When club President Vinny Altieri took the helm nearly 10 years ago we began to feel “cento anni” approaching.
“For our club The Feast goes back 100 years, but for our ancestors, it goes back thousands.” Vice President Mike Letteri observed.
Their recipe stays the same. Ceremony, tradition, fireworks and food. Our sausage and peppers are legendary. My sister Maria Morabito and I head up the cannoli booth.
Feast Chairman Anthony Capicotti Jr. “It’s our heritage and tradition and we’re going to keep it going!”
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His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan will say mass at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, July 10, at St. Patrick’s Church on 11th Street. Our weeklong celebration concludes Sunday July 17,, with the Mt. Carmel fireworks display.
We’d love to have you join us > olmcv.org
Beginning Jan. 7, Maria and I invite you to our monthly fundraising “Bada Bingo” game at Mt. Carmel Hall. Prizes include cash and prosciutto.
All photos courtesy Kacey Morabito-Grean