Italian American Digest Spring2020DigestFINAL | Page 2

SPRING 2020 PAGE 2 IN THIS ISSUE C iao a tutti! each March the Italian Americans join together in honoring Saint Joseph on his feast day and in celebration of our shared culture. The Saint Joseph’s Day altar tradition began in Sicily during the Middle Ages. The island experienced a major drought and famine and so the Sicilians prayed to St. Joseph, their patron saint, for assistance. They promised that they would hold a feast in his name if their prayers were answered. Rain began to fall, saving the crops, the livestock, and the Sicilians. The Sicilians, in return, filled altars in their town squares with food as gift offerings; all the food was distributed to the less fortunate. When Sicilians immigrated to Louisiana, they brought the St. Joseph’s altar tradition with them. While Saint Joseph’s Day is observed by Italian Americans across the United States, I have Message from AICC Chairman Frank Maselli ......... 2 50 th Annual St. Joseph’s Parade.....................................3 38TH LA IRISH ITALIAN PARADE............................................4 ST. JOSEPH DAY ALTAR INFORMATION..............................6-7 club news..........................................................................8-16 laishf gala 2020.................................................................12 aicc 2020 membership enrollment.............................21 ITALIAN CORNER......................................................................22 I talian A merican D igest T he V oice of the S outh Managing Editor Samuel Puliafico Contributing Writers printer Illustration, Layout, and Graphic Design Samuel Puliafico Enrico Villamaino III; Samuel Puliafico; Raymond Impastato; Gasper Schiro; Joyce Schiro Lucas; Linda Serio; Rose Brocato; Sandra Scalise Juneau; Faith Peperone; Lorraine Raiteri-Santo; August Palumbo 537 South Peters St. New Orleans, LA 70130 USA USA Telephone: [phone] Advertising & Circulation Cristine Barona Assistant Editor Cristine Barona name: ___________________________________ address: _________________________________ city: ____________________________________ state: ______ zip: _______ phone: ____________ Baton Rouge Press Inc. 2621 East Purdue St. Baton Rouge, LA 70814 For Italian American Digest advertisement information and rates, call [phone] or email [email protected] Event Photos Courtesy of Charles Marsala The next deadline for submitting to the Digest is May 30th, 2020 Warmly, Frank Maselli AICC Chairman The Italian American Digest is published quarterly at a yearly subscription rate of $16.00 (Domestic). Business Address: 537 South Peters St. New Orleans, LA 70130 IADI cannot be responsible for return of any unsolicited material with or without the inclu- sion of a self-addressed stamped envelope. Information in this publication is gathered from unpaid contributing writers and other sources considered to be reliable; however, the accuracy and completeness cannot be guaran- teed. The Italian American Digest is published quarterly at a subscription rate of $16.00 (Domestic). to say Louisiana does it best. Each year on Saint Joseph’s Day, local schools, churches, private homes, and even some grocery stores put up altars, filled with fava beans, baked goods, and a variety of other foods and objects. Today the tradition has been adopted by the entire state. In addition to altars, there are two parades honoring our Italian heritage, the Irish Italian Parade in Metairie and the Italian American St. Joseph Society’s St. Joseph’s Day Parade in the French Quarter. Italian American Digest Founded in 1973 by Joseph Maselli Publisher American Italian Renaissance Foundation Frank Maselli, Chairman I talian A merican D igest country: _________________________________ _ email: ___________________________________ (please print clearly) Subscribe by phone at [phone] or inquire by email: [email protected]. VISA/MasterCard accepted, or send check or money order to address above, or pay with PayPal: [email protected]