It's never too soon to plan:

  Our next Festival will be July 13-17, 2011. Start making your plans now, for everyone knows how quickly time passes!

2010 Feast Day Procession

Procession and Rededication of Statue on Saturday, July 10, 2010
following the 5:00pm Mass

 

 

Rededication of Blessed Virgin Statue from School

Our Big Fat Italian Fest

written by Fr John MulQueen
Former Associate Pastor

It all began in 1933, which was not the best of years. The depression was still affecting the Mahoning Valley and many were out of work. The parish was about 27 years old with members from southern Italy and regions of Sicilia, Molis, Campania, Bagnoli, Irpino, Basilicata, Abruzzi and Calabria. The pastor then, Father Nicholas Santoro, had escaped from Mexico during the persecution and became the church's third pastor in 1914. The OLMC festival was the work of his associate pastor, Fr. Joseph Saraceno, who arrived in 1929. It was Fr. Joe who got the ball rolling on the festival as well as many other parish activities.

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is marked by a rosary procession that is conducted through the neighborhood that still remains mostly Italian. While the major emphasis seems to be on the homemade Italian food, there is still a religious spirit that moves the folks to "work for the parish." The membership of OLMC is still about 70% Italian and about 85% were born before 1950, which makes us fifth generation Italians. Many of the "old ways" have faded away, but there is still a sense of identity that is found in the parish celebration...an occasion marked by food, music, and sociability. It is here where people come to congregate who have not seen each other since last year's festival. Some people even plan their vacations so that they can come home in time to festivals that take place at the same time.

Of course, putting a festival of this magnitude together is no small task and he leaders work very hard to coordinate and improve on the previous year. Setup begins about a month in advance and everyday a small crew begins to build the stands and string the lights. Since our group is getting older and fewer, we are trying to get the younger folks to patiently teach them how to make the twists, cheese puffs, and pizza. A lot of young ones come with their parents in the booths. The celebration officially begins on Saturday evening with a small procession after mass, a shadow of what used to be. We have a three-day religious tradition on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. The festival of food begins Wednesday at noon and continues both afternoon and evening until Sunday. Afternoon and evening for five days can be very demanding, but some extraordinary volunteers work the entire time. Italian sausage is a major attraction as well as the cheese puffs, pizza, cavatelli, and just about anything fried. It's literally a "Big Fat Italian Fest."

As a social event that depends on volunteers, there are many dynamics at work. There is a great sense of pride and accomplishment that is illuminated throughout the festival. It does bring a folks together to work, participate, or both. There is, in every sense of the word, a true sense of spirit to this event that keeps us moving together for "the good of our parish."

 

© Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church • 381 Robbins Ave • Niles, Ohio 44446 • (330) 652-5825

email Fr. Larry: mountcarmelniles@yahoo.com