Sisters and Brothers:

I hope this edition of the “Il Leone” finds you all well and safe.

As we draw closer to Columbus Day, I think it is time to revisit what Columbus means to the Italian American community. Lets start with how the celebration began.

In 1892, the 400th anniversary of Columbus landing in the New World, following a lynching on New Orleans where a mob murdered 11 Italian American Immigrants, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a onetime national celebration. The proclamation was part of a wider effort after the lynching to placate Italian Americans and ease diplomatic tensions with Italy.

Many Italian Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage, and the first celebration had already been held in New York City on October 12, 1866. The day was first enshrined as a legal holiday in the United States through the lobbying of Angelo Noce, a first generation Italian, in Denver. The first statewide holiday was proclaimed by Colorado governor Jesse F. McDonald in 1905, and it was made a statutory holiday in 1907.

In1934, as a result of lobbying by the Knights of Columbus and New York City

“Italians Feed America”
article taken from IL Leoncino Modesto Lodge #2021 Newsletter:

During this tough period, Italians abroad and Italian Americans are doing their part to help others. Many are the examples of their generosity, and one involves food: the way Italians often show love and affection. In New York during the critical phase of the Covid 19 outbreak, Fabrizto Facchini, chef of the Ristorante Cotto, founded, in just a few days, the nonprofit organization “Italian Feed America” with the purpose of distributing food for free to doctors, nurses, paramedics, and many poor people.

He was born in Belgium from Italian immigrant parents and he learned to cook from his grandma. He moved to California where he opened three restaurants, and then on to New York.

When the pandemic reached critical levels and many were unemployed, he decided to call his network connections, friends, and food suppliers, to create an organization where Italians, Italians-Americas and

Greetings Brothers and Sisters, I hope everyone is staying safe during these unprecedented times. Has anyone attended the Feast of San Gennaro in New York City? This September is the 94th anniversary of this important Italian-American festival (Festa di San Gennaro) It is also celebrated in many US cities. Originally a one-day religious holiday, the festival was first celebrated in the USA in September 1926, when immigrants from Naples gathered along Mulberry Street in the Little Italy section of Manhattan to continue the tradition they had followed in Italy to celebrate Saint Januarius, the Patron Saint of Naples. His feast day is September 19 in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. The immigrant families on Mulberry Street who started the feast and a group of restaurant owners, erected a small chapel in the street to house the image of Saint Januarius. They invited all to partake of their goods, asking the devoted to pin an offering to the ribbon streamers that are hung from the statue’s apron. This money was then handed out to the poor of the neighborhood. Over time, the festival expanded into an 11-day street fair organized and run by people outside the neighborhood. It is now an annual celebration of food and drink, and a major tourist attraction. Centered on Mulberry Street, which is closed to traffic for the occasion, the festival

The Joanne Coccia Lodge #2553 Foundation is proud to announce the names of eight deserving students, the recipients of our 2020 scholarship awards in the amount of $16,000.

The Veta M. Finazzo Memorial: $2,000 awarded to Tyler Abbruzzese. Tyler, a graduate of Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, achieved a 3.3 grade point average. He also participated in water polo. Tyler is a sophomore at Northern Arizona State. His studies are in political science, (major) criminal justice, sociology, psychology (minor) business with an interest in communications. Tyler’s goal is to earn a degree in political science and become a private practice attorney. With his determination and resolve, he can achieve his goal. Tyler is the son of Robert and Eva Abbruzzese the grandchild of Bob and Mary Abruzzese who are members of our lodge.

The Joseph Finazzo Memorial: $2,000 awarded to Ethan Abbruzzese. Ethan, a graduate of Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, maintained a 4.0 grade point average. His activities included water polo, swim team and as a member of the Heroes Club. The Heroes Club supports the military,

Greetings from Petaluma!

Well another month has gone by and we are still in this terrible pandema. It seems like there is no end in sight, so we must continue to be viligant in our handwashing, wearing our masks and keeping social distance.

So many of us in the Lodge are people who live alone and this staying in our homes by ourselves is wearing us out physically and emotionally. Thank God I haven’t heard of any of our members who have gotten the virus and I hope it