The second weekend of August 2020 would have been the 100th Anniversary for the Feast of the Madonna Della Cava. As with all of this year’s religious processions and feasts, these large gatherings have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic for public health reasons.
Instead, a small number of members from the Madonna Della Cava Society held a brief outdoor blessing on Battery Street in Boston’s North End, led by Fr. Michael Della Penna of St. Leonard Parish. Following the blessing, the group walked the image of the Madonna down the block to St. Stephen’s Church for Mass.
“Now more than ever it is important to pray to our blessed Madonna for guidance during this trying time,” said members of the Madonna della Cava Society in a statement regarding the cancellation of the feast. “The Feast of the Madonna Della Cava is more than just a street festival to all of us, we pray and look to our blessed mother for guidance during our personal struggles and know that she is with us now more than ever. We will be back on the second weekend in August 2021 and we will be sure to make up for this lost time. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our first responders and healthcare workers, please know that the Madonna loves YOU, free and clear.”
The society honors Maria SS Della Cava, Principal Patron of Pietraperzia, Sicily. Her image was rediscovered miraculously in the year 1223 by a mute from Trapani who was directed by Our Lady to proceed to the outskirts of the town where her portrait would be found. In the process, his speech and hearing were restored. The first words emitted by the mute were, “VIVA MARIA SS DELLA CAVA.” Read more at the society’s website, MadonnaDellaCava.com.
View posts from past Madonna Della Cava Feasts.
