An Italian Festival Revived in New Jersey, Sept. 6

The faithful are invited to attend a celebration in honor of Our Lady of the Torrent on Saturday, September 6th, at St. Aloysius Church in Caldwell, New Jersey, with a High Mass in the Extraordinary Form starting at 11 am, followed by a procession and a light reception with a display of associated memorabilia. For more information, or to RSVP by claiming free tickets, please visit https://MariaSSDellaLavina2025.rsvpify.com or use the QR code. The church is located at 219 Bloomfield Ave.

Over the past few years, Fr. William Rock, a priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter and friend of NLM, has been working with the Italian Apostolate of the archdiocese of Newark to revive devotion to the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of the Torrent (Madonna della Lavina) at his home parish. This devotion originated in Cerami, Sicily, Fr. Rock’s ancestral town through his maternal grandmother, with the abandonment and miraculous discovery of a Byzantine icon of the Virgin around 1630, (as related here.)

When they came to the United States, the Ceramesi immigrants brought devotion to Our Lady of the Torrent with them. In 1912, a Maria SS. della Lavina Mutual Aid Society was established in Caldwell, New Jersey, which had a large Ceramesi population, and a yearly feast was celebrated. The celebration grew into a multiday event with religious celebrations as well as a carnival, but came to dwindle over time. When Fr Rock was a child, the now one-day celebration consisted only of Mass and the procession of an image of the Madonna around town. Until recently, it had been completely neglected for many years, but not altogether extinguished. For example, when he was ordained in 2019, Fr. Rock chose the Maria SS. della Lavina image from his home parish for his holy card, due to the sentimental value it had for himself and for his family. Another devotee, Dr. Rosemary Intili Ferdinand, related the impact this devotion had in her life in this 2022 interview.

In 2023, as part of a larger effort of rejuvenation undertaken by the Italian Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Newark, Fr. Rock was invited to revive devotion to Our Lady of the Torrent, the progress of which he relates in this post from last year. The hope is to build on the events of previous years with the incorporation of customs such as the use of neckerchiefs typically worn at Sicilian festivals, the holding of votive laurel branches during the procession, and providing cavatieddi atturrati, cookies exclusive to Cerami, at the reception.

Incensation of the image of Our Lady of the Torrent during last year’s celebration.