The Santa Rosalia Di Palermo Society of Boston honored their patron Saint Rosalie with a mass and street procession through the North End on Sunday, September 8, 2013. The society was formed in Boston in 1939 hailing from Palermo, Italy. Santa Rosalia is also known as The Little Saint.
The story of Saint Rosalia: Rosalia was born of a noble family descended from Charlemagne before being led by angels to a solitary life in a cave on Mount Pellegrino where she died alone in 1166. On the cave wall she wrote “I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses, and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ.” In 1624, during a plague in Palermo, Rosalia appeared to a sick woman and then to a hunter to whom she directed to find her remains. In a procession of her bones through the city, the plague was lifted.
Photos by Matt Conti. High resolution gallery and prints.
I always have had great devotion to Santa Rosalia since I was a kid. I’ve been to Palermo several times to see her shrine. When I was a kid, we had a feast on the lower east side of Manhattan on 13th St. between Avenues A and 1st. I pray you keep the tradition of the procession for many, many years to come. Viva Santa Rosalia!
Vincent Marino, New York City.