PAGE 9
CLUB NEWS
SUMMER 2021 Italian American Digest
Elenian Club ’ s St . Joseph Altar at Houmas House
By Faith Peperone
The Elenian Club ’ s St . Joseph Altar found a home with the 1st annual St . Joseph Jazz at Houmas House on March 20 , 2021 . Fr . Damjan Zavlotskji of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Covington started the festivities by blessing the altar . This altar was a true gathering
Pictured in front of Altar : Lisa Orlando & Elenian President Maria Villafranco .
of the community with contributions coming from as far as Monroe , Louisiana . The event was hosted by The American Italian Federation of the Southeast ( AIFEDSE ) along with the St . Expedite Lodge of the Order Italian Sons and Daughters of America ( ISDA ). It was a community project led by the Elenian Club . “ We felt that if we built it , they would come ,” said Lisa Ingraham , “ If they ( immigrant Italians ) did it , we can do it .” This was the Elenians first ever altar away from the New Orleans metro area but knew “ it ’ s in our blood / heritage that our Italian / Sicilian ancestors traveled that far to be a part of the sugar cane farms , processing , and trading back in the mid-1800s .”
The Altar was positioned in the lobby of Houmas House ’ s annex building and museum , where author and Elenian member Sandra Scalise Juneau also signed copies of her new book released this month ,
St . Expedite Lodge of the ISDA coordinated the St . Joseph ’ s Jazz event to unveil a “ Sicilian Contributions ” marker the State of Louisiana created for this area
Celebrating with St . Joseph Altars - The History , Recipes , and Symbols of a New Orleans Tradition . The altar held the traditional cookies , bible cake , statues , candles , flowers , prayer cards , fava beans , ornamental breads , and in particular , decorative Cuccidatas , or fig cakes created by Ms . Juneau . Two of the figures , large heart and small round , were fresh and edible , but the cross and staff / cane were artificial replicas of past altars celebrated by Ms . Juneau and Frank Maselli ’ s American Italian Cultural Center ( AICC ). These replicas were so authentic and beautiful they could not be told apart from originals .
Predominantly , the altar items were donated by Elenian members and benefited the Full of Grace Café at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St . Amant . Written prayers and petitions were placed on the altar , and these will then be a part of the Elenian May Crowning Mass . Monetary donations collected during the altar presentation benefit ACCESS Pregnancy Center , which the Elenians have chosen as their fundraising beneficiary for the last 2 years .
What started as a cloudy day , turned out to be a tremendous bright horizon of promise for the Italian community . Houmas House & Gardens located at 40136 Highway 942 , Darrow , LA 70725 and directly on River Road , was an incredible step back in time and perspective from which to reflect on the past . It is a beautiful destination for all Louisianans and tourists to see , with intricate walkways under ancient live oaks . The Great River Road Museum with wax figures , open amphitheater , cozy sitting areas , and delicious café and formal dining restaurant . A must see for yourself . The outdoor entertainment of Sophia Parigi & The Assunto Dukes – a Dixieland Tribute were thoroughly enjoyed and had the audience dancing in the aisles . This first event will surely become a much-anticipated annual occasion .
St . Expedite Lodge of the ISDA coordinated the St . Joseph ’ s Jazz event at Houmas House in efforts to unveil a “ Sicilian Contributions ” marker the State of Louisiana created for this area , and to stimulate the Italian American awareness and revitalization efforts all over Louisiana . Max Nassar , President of the St . Expedite Lodge and Charles Marsala of the AIFEDSE are forging the way for all the Italian American organizations to come together and collaborate to foster each club ’ s unique events and abilities .
Pictured above : Lisa Ingraham , Sandra Juneau , & Betty Deshotel , Altar Committee
To participate in this heritage revitalization and stay informed of future events :
• Become a member of the ISDA for the cost of a newspaper subscription
• Visit the American Italian Cultural Center online or tour the museum in New Orleans
• Go to Buona Sera Louisiana on YouTube and Facebook for podcasts of Charles Marsala & the famous singer Lena Prima
• Email Elenianclub @ gmail . com
• Look for notices in print and on social media
• Participate & spread the good news !
Elenians are preparing for more traditional events , such as the May Crowning , small socials , Wine Tasting , Italian Cookie Making , Debutante Tea , and the Ballo di Natale . Debutantes age 16-23 and ladies in waiting age 6-10 are now being accepted for presentation at the December 2021 Ballo di Natale . For Membership and more information on embracing your Italian heritage , please inquire to Elenianclub @ gmail . com .
Father Damian Zablocki of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Covington did the blessing .