“Hidden Gems from the Old Boston Garden” at The West End Museum Through February 13th

Program on Summer Feasts on Thursday, April 26, 2012

At 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 26, at Sacred Heart Church Hall, 9 Sun Court Street, North End, Dr. Augusto Ferraiuolo, will discuss his book on the North End feasts, entitled  Religious Festive Practices in Boston’s North End. Ferraiuolo is an anthropologist, and he carried out fieldwork in the North End between 2002 and 2005. Read More…

The Old North End

The first Italians arrived in the North End in the 1860s when the political and economic situation in Italy had become untenable. Their numbers grew here in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Most were unskilled laborers and lacked the ability to speak English. They faced severe discrimination and took what jobs were available with Read More…

THE HISTORY OF SAINT LEONARD CHURCH: Part II, The Franciscans and a growing Italian Community

The Franciscan Friars arrived in Boston in 1873, and immediately were welcomed by the city’s growing Italian population, many of which viewed the order as patriarchal. The Franciscans main objective was to service the needs of their parishioners, building churches, schools, and orphanages all for the use of the immigrant population, particularly in Italian communities. Read More…