Italian Catholics Share Your Memories Here!

[gennara1]

I’m interested in the black madonnas of southern italy, around naples and south from there. Especially close is the birthplace of padre pio and san giovanni rotundo where he lived. There is also the church of st. gennaro (januarius) in that region.

It seems that there is a strong influence of blood (st. gennaro for example) and the madonnas some of which date to 900 a.d. may be related to pagan goddesses, like a female dominated society.

I would love to find more info that would put all this together. I even heard something about Ceres but don’t know any more than that. It would be great if someone could clear this up.

 

[RCCDefender]

Just a question from a scotch-irish Italian wannabe…

Is there a big difference between Northern and Southern Italians and their pronounciation of words? Example, in Rome (not exactly SOUTH, I know) they say bruschetta like we say the word school. But our friend in Milan says it like we say shoulder. I prefer the first prounounciation, but I mostly hear the second. Is one more correct or is it because Northern Italians are influenced by the countries north of them (Germany, France, England?)?

 

[Ma.Eugenia]

–San Gennaro festival in Little Italy in NYC in Sept!
–Grilled Italian sausages with peppers and onions
–Homemade pasta–fettucine and lasagne
–The perfume of grandma’s spaghetti sauce (no oregano or bay, just basil)
–The Italian grandmothers in their black dresses and black lace scarves at Mass
–Pictures of the Pope on the wall at Nonna’s house
–Viva le Marche! Viva i Marchegianni!

I am not Italian…but I am enjoying reading your posts.

I am also getting hungry.

Btw, I love Italian food–especially, spaghetti, lasagna, pizza and fettucini.

 

[ack]

Favorite memory: Rosary procession through the streets of Cleveland during the Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy.

I’m not Italian, but I pretended that I was one…

 

[whatevergirl]

Ciao! all Italian Cattolico and Italian Catholic wannabees!
I am starting this thread for all to share memories about Italian Catholic experiences. Include your good holiday memories too.

**I have a hunch many memories will be centered around food! **

My grandparents were wonderful hardworking people. Both sets were from Sicily. My best memory was simply sitting sandwiched between my grandparents on a pew at church. Wow! I felt special! I won’t ever forget the cookie tray from the Italian Bakery every Easter.

What good memories can you add?
I’m an italian catholic…hello!!! my dad was born in italy…and we have so many pics of him with his parents from there. yes–the cookie trays…the breakfast 'pizzacina’s…the smells of my aunts and uncles houses…my dad saying manga everytime he wanted me to eat more…the beautiful communion dresses we wore as kids making holy communion…yes, the memories are dear to me, too. VIVA ITALIA!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/ginnyroc/papalflag.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/y188/ginnyroc/th_italianflag.jpg

 

[Myangel]

Ooops!
American Italian Catholics & Italian Catholics

HEY HEY HEY What about us Aussie Italian Catholics???

Napoletana checking in!

Well the last holy Italian Catholic memory had to be my sister’s father-in-law’s funeral (March), yes thats right, funeral. The church was packed PACKED, it was so sad, but at the same time sooooooooooo beautiful. We had a slide show of his life, and suddenly it hit us how happy he was in his last days, and we could not have asked for anything more. His last words to me (the day before he died) was “Everything I could ever have wished for with my children and family, has come true”. Made our loss a little easier to deal with. Following the burial, we had a huge gathering filled with lots of food, wine and most of all laughter (stories of his life and the wonderful memories he left us with).

 

[Myangel]

Just a question from a scotch-irish Italian wannabe…

Is there a big difference between Northern and Southern Italians and their pronounciation of words? Example, in Rome (not exactly SOUTH, I know) they say bruschetta like we say the word school. But our friend in Milan says it like we say shoulder. I prefer the first prounounciation, but I mostly hear the second. Is one more correct or is it because Northern Italians are influenced by the countries north of them (Germany, France, England?)?

Huge! I can speak fluent italian, but when I was in Venice, it felt as though I was in another country, couldnt understand a word they said (when speaking in their dialect that is)! Southern Italy, well the Calabrese I find hard to understand (again when speaking dialect), Sicilians are a little easier, Romans well they are pretty easy too. Naples, FORGET ABOUT IT! I find it hard to understand it and I hear it everyday from my father!

 

[Myangel]

BUMP! C’mon all you eye ties, come join in!

 

[Sina]

I am not Italian, but of course I love Italians. I was in Calabria last June for vacation and I was having a nice dinner at a ristorante. Nobody else was eating. I noticed the entire town was actually at church and they were walking down in a procession from one church to the other. I had no idea what was going on. It wasn’t a sunday - it was some other night.

Hardly anyone spoke English so I wasn’t able to ask what was going on.

 

[juno24]

When we were kids, my parents would take us the spaghetti dinner at St Leo’s in Little Italy in Baltimore. What fun that was!! We’d each get our nickels and play the roulette wheel or whatever other games they had (none of us ever won, but who cared?). I loved the clackity-clack of the wheel as it went around.

Also, the St Anthony and St Gabriel festivals at St Leo’s every year (St Anthony began the summer, St Gabriel ended it). ANY Italian festival is lots of fun, but the church festivals always seemed to be so much better.

And last, but not least, the Saturday trips to Trinacria on Paca Street (or as my niece calls it-- the Stinky Cheese Store!!) to get cannoli filling, shells, and those melt-in-your mouth cookies.:heaven:

 

[Lucania]

Please join in my “Pity Party!” My Grandfather was full Italian but my Grandmother was not Italian. In fact her family was on the anti-Catholic side . So my Mother was not raised Catholic, but Episcopalian and so was I. We moved to North Florida when I was small, not too many Italians then, but more now. So I don’t have any Italian-Catholic memories except:shrug: when we would visit our families in New York where some of them were Catholic(weddings, baptisms). On the bright side, I converted & took my 2 Brothers & Sisters and their spouses, along with my Husband and our Daughter !! Another bright side was that we always had wonderful food growing up! We have also joined the local chapter of the Italian-American Club and go to many of their functions. We have a great time there. End of “Pity Party.”