Italian-American Herald - April 2023

BOOKS
Two biographical novels chronicle family saga
of Kennett Square author
PAGE 17
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APRIL 2023
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Club owner and chef devoted to preserving way of life in South Philly
By Ken Mammarella
Joey Baldino feels blessed to be running the Palizzi Social Club, which since 1918 has been preserving, sharing and promoting Italian culture in South Philadelphia.
The founders – all tracing their heritage to the Abruzzese village of Vasto – “wanted to become Americans and assimilate into our culture, but they wanted to keep their traditions, ethnicity and pride in being Italian,” he said. “So for me to continue what they started is an honor and a privilege.”
Baldino has the perfect background, ticking off the boxes of culture, community and cuisine in multiple ways. His heritage
is Calabrese. He lives in South Philly. His Aunt Mary married Ernest Mezzaroba, club president starting in 1975. His grandparents and uncle for 34 years ran Al Mazza’s, a restaurant next door. For decades, he worked
See BALDINO - page 4
Holy Week in Sicily and Sardinia
Age-old traditions center on processions, devotion of the faithful
One of many Holy Week processions in Trapani Sicily.
By Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo
Pasqua (Easter) is perhaps the
most celebrated holiday in Italy, with
La Settimana Santa (Holy Week) rites commencing on Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday. Sicily and Sardinia are particularly well-known for solemn displays of religious devotion during this period. Local customs blend with Catholic rites to create unique traditions celebrated faithfully
each year.
Sicily’s Easter processions and
celebrations are famous in Italy. They are the legacy of the 17th- century Spanish domination of the island and still bear
a close resemblance to current Easter traditions in Spain.
Holy Week processions feature participants dressed in traditional costumes representing the people involved in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the two men
crucified alongside him, and Pontius Pilate. Other celebrants dress as Roman soldiers and the penitent. During the processions there are statues of the Madonna, dressed in mourning black and also of Jesus, which are carried through town in processions that may last hours or even an entire day. Some of the faithful may follow behind the procession barefoot to show their devotion.
See HOLY WEEK - page 6
Comites of Philadelphia members assemble at one of their March meetings to discuss issues that impact the community.
The Comites organization is a crucial lifeline for the many Italian citizens who live abroad
By Christine Flowers
We have often been told that America is a country of immigrants, and this immigration lawyer would agree. Although it is commonly taught that we began as children of the May- flower, and became a true nation when
the Founders wrote some outrageous,
courageous and dangerous documents that sealed our independence and our continuity as a united people, I also think that it’s legitimate to point to those epochal moments in our history when the gates opened and welcomed foreigners, as in the
See COMITES - page 3
Vol. 10 / No. 4