Brooklyn, NY, September 13, 2015 -
Italian immigrants to this country not only settled, but established their traditions here as well. Those that emigrated from Mola di Bari in Italy are no exception.
This
congregation of Maria SS Addolorata, Our Lady of Sorrows was established in
1948 in Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, New York.
The Molesi
chose the Parish of Sacred Hearts - St. Stephen’s Church in Carroll Gardens.
They commissioned an exact replica in the 1940s and it came to Brooklyn by ship
from Italy.
The
processions occur twice a year - Good Friday and the Feast of the Madonna Addolorata which
happens on the second Sunday in September. Immigrants and their
descendants march with the statue (which is carried on men’s shoulders) in the
hope that their faith and the request for intersession by the Blessed Mother
under the title of Addolorata, is successful.
The practice
of honoring patron saints was an alien and frowned upon practice by immigrants
already
In years
past, it was part of a carnival that was on a smaller scale of today’s San
Gennaro feast in Manhattan. Rides and vendors were plentiful and the entire
event was coordinated by the organizing group.
In 2008, the Mola Club on 4th Place and Court Street decided to revive the practice to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the annual procession and the 125th anniversary of Sacred Hearts Parish, Brooklyn’s first Italian Parish.
This year’s event was held on September 13th, complete with a marching band, men and women dressed in black and little girls dressed with the Madonna Addolorata as a model. The procession made stops at the 76th Police Precinct, where the National Anthems of Italy and the US are played, Scotto Funeral Home, Frank’s on Smith Street and finally the Mola Club with the conclusion at the Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church at 7pm. After a fireworks display upon arrival, a mass in Italian closes the entire event.
In 2008, the Mola Club on 4th Place and Court Street decided to revive the practice to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the annual procession and the 125th anniversary of Sacred Hearts Parish, Brooklyn’s first Italian Parish.
This year’s event was held on September 13th, complete with a marching band, men and women dressed in black and little girls dressed with the Madonna Addolorata as a model. The procession made stops at the 76th Police Precinct, where the National Anthems of Italy and the US are played, Scotto Funeral Home, Frank’s on Smith Street and finally the Mola Club with the conclusion at the Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church at 7pm. After a fireworks display upon arrival, a mass in Italian closes the entire event.
