(All photos courtesy of St. Rocco Society website at http://www.stroccosociety.com/. Check out the website for more pictures and information about the Society and the annual feast.)
When Stephen LaRocca made a deal with Our Lord that was contingent on the healing of his grandmother through the intercession of St. Rocco, little did he know it would lead him to devote twenty years of tireless work and loyalty to one of Italy’s most beloved saints. The young Brooklyn attorney sprang into prayerful action when 86 year-old Anna Tricarico suffered a laceration on her leg from a fall which, combined with pre-existing complications from diabetes and poor circulation, would in all likelihood result in its amputation. Stephen pleaded with St. Rocco for assistance and boldly declared that if his grandmother’s limb was spared, he would walk barefoot in a procession on the saint’s feast day. Shortly after Stephen made this pact, Anna’s leg was indeed restored to normal and he was left searching for a St. Rocco feast in which to participate. Unable to find one, Stephen began to consider the possibility of making an alternate act of thanksgiving. Then, while walking the streets of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village with devotees of St. Anthony of Padua on his feast day in June of 1988, a pair of elderly women that overheard Stephen describing his dilemma informed him that St. Rocco was still honored annually on the city’s Lower East Side. Stephen’s heart began to pound with excitement because this twist had a providential element to it. His grandmother had been relying on St. Rocco’s intervention her entire life because she grew up attending this particular feast, which took place right outside the door of the apartment where she lived as a child. It came as a surprise to both Stephen and Anna, who assumed this feast had lapsed out of existence in the late 1950’s due to urban renewal and the mass exodus of Italians out of the old Lower East Side neighborhood. This joyful news, thanks in part to St. Anthony, the patron of finding things that are lost, inspired Stephen to prepare for a barefoot stroll through the streets of the city the following August. It also caused his grandmother to reflect on days gone by and the glorious feasts of St. Rocco that once attracted thousands from all parts of New York City and beyond.
THE FEAST’S ORIGINS
Shortly before the end of the 19th century, many immigrants from Potenza, a town in southern Italy’s Basilicata region, settled along the lengthy stretch of Roosevelt Street from City Hall to the East River, an area often referred to as “Two Bridges” for its proximity to the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. In fact, Anna’s parents, natives of that same region, settled here in 1902, a few months prior to her birth. Poor and struggling to adapt to their new country, these brave souls were determined to continue their annual Mass and procession in honor of St. Rocco, a practice that had been in existence for centuries in Potenza and nearly every other village in Basilicata. The initial feast of St. Rocco took place on August 16, 1889 at St. Joachim Church, one of Manhattan’s first Italian parishes. The original members of the St. Rocco Society were careful to preserve many of the traditions from Potenza, including the creation of an exact replica of the statue of St. Rocco that graced the church in their hometown. This image, which bears a striking resemblance to the most common representations of Christ, would be hoisted onto the shoulders of strong men and carried through the streets of the neighborhood for over three hours behind an Italian marching band, a legion of paesani, and a throng of onlookers lining the sidewalks as far as the eye could see. Members pinned monetary donations from the faithful to the statue, eventually covering St. Rocco in a cape made of cash. Though the feast centered on the veneration of their patron saint, the clique from Potenza managed to keep their priorities straight by ending the festivities with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in which Our Lord, present in the Eucharistic host under the appearance of bread, was displayed and worshipped upon the altar at St. Joachim’s.
The St. Rocco Society of Potenza was the first group in the area, but far from the last, to honor its patron. Over the next several decades, St. Joachim’s played host to an assortment of feasts, including those of St. Vincent the Martyr (town of Craco in the province of Matera, Basilicata), Our Lady of Ripalta (town of Cerignola in the province of Foggia, Puglia), Our Lady of Grace (town of Santa Caterina Villarmosa in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily), St. John the Baptist (town of Vittoria in the province of Ragusa, Sicily), and Madonna di Pierno (town of San Fele in the province of Potenza, Basilicata).
The continuous flow of Italian immigrants into the tenements of the Lower East Side made it impossible for the Scalabrini priests to adequately serve their flock at St. Joachim’s facilities. In 1924, the Scalabrinians expanded their services by opening a mission church in honor of St. Joseph a few blocks away.
THE THIN YEARS
After reaching its zenith in the 30’s and 40’s, the feast of St. Rocco began tapering off during the 1950’s. Italians began moving out of the neighborhood in droves in pursuit of more comfortable homes in places like Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey, where families found significantly more living space and maybe even a yard for the kids to play in. Those who remained on the Lower East Side lost many long-time neighbors and beloved institutions to urban renewal. Roosevelt Street, the bustling hub of the community, became a sacrificial lamb for city progress as it was razed to make way for high rise apartment buildings. Most devastating to the Italian-American residents was the loss of St. Joachim Church, which was demolished in 1958 in the name of development. From that point on, the statue of St. Rocco has been housed in St. Joseph Church, where the feast has been held ever since. Like Anna Tricarico, many former residents who made the annual trip back to the neighborhood to honor St. Rocco presumed that the feast was dormant and found no reason to return.
The fact that the feast of San Rocco di Potenza managed to survive when three other feasts in honor of St. Rocco in Lower Manhattan and two more that were held uptown in East Harlem were reduced to memories from decades past is a tribute to the dedication of a pair of sisters. Angela and Anna Carnevale, daughters of one of the Society’s founding members, rose to the occasion when their uncle asked them to keep the family’s beloved tradition alive. Angela, a former accountant and manager with Prudential Life Insurance who continues to maintain the books of St. Joseph Church and School at the age of 91, made good use of her skills as the Society’s treasurer. Along with her sister Angela, a professional opera singer, Anna ensured the feast was well-planned and celebrated each year despite the Society’s dwindling, aging membership. Though the number of participants in the feast during the 70’s and 80’s was diminished to a fraction of those who attended during the glory days of the past, the Carnevale sisters were determined to find a way to keep this Lower East Side custom alive.
NEW BLOOD, NEW LIFE, RENEWED PRIDE
When Stephen LaRocca showed up at the August 1988 San Rocco di Potenza feast to give thanks for his grandmother’s cure with a couple of bare feet and contagious enthusiasm, the Carnevale sisters were certain he had been sent in answer to their prayers. Anna and Angela persuaded the 23 year-old to join the ranks of their Society, hoping that it would eventually lead to renewed interest in the feast among young men and women. Stephen took his duties as the “baby” of the St. Rocco Society seriously and aggressively marketed the annual feast by any and all means available. With the blessing of his fellow members, Stephen recruited dozens of friends and acquaintances to take part in the Mass and procession. For his pals that hadn’t stepped foot in a church in years, Stephen begged them for a favor by taking the weight of the statue on their shoulders for a portion of the feast’s route. While they reluctantly gave in to Stephen the first time around, almost all of his friends have continued to participate each August out of love for St. Rocco and pride in their Italian heritage. Stephen began creating 5,000 flyers each summer which he distributed in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan to remind others that the feast was alive and well. He has also written and submitted articles to Italian and Catholic publications in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to promote the feast. In a move that initially disturbed several long-time members, Stephen obtained permission to move the feast to the Sunday closest to August 16, whereas it had previously taken place on the actual feast day. This action has allowed many individuals to participate in the festivities who would otherwise have been stuck at work whenever August 16th fell during the week. After Stephen spent a decade instilling renewed pride in St. Rocco, the Society elected him as their President in 1998, a position that he continues to hold and cherish.
The results of Stephen’s efforts are astonishing. St. Rocco’s feast has seen a tremendous increase in attendance. Up and down the streets of Lower Manhattan, young men can be heard crying out, “Viva San Rocco!” throughout the day of the feast. More generous donations made by the friends of St. Rocco have allowed the Society to contribute to St. Joseph’s Church and School, as well as other causes that aid the sick. Heading toward the 120th anniversary of the first feast in 2009, Stephen hopes to have vendors set up shop at stands along the streets near St. Joseph’s, a move that is very much reminiscent of the old days.
FAVORS IN ABUNDANCE
Without a doubt, Stephen LaRocca realizes that all the pomp and ethnic pride that surround the feast take a back seat to the commemoration of the countless blessings that so many of St. Rocco’s clients from Potenza and all over the world have received for the past six centuries. The focus of the celebration is on the life of this man, who was born into a family of nobility in Montpelier, France in the mid-14th century. Orphaned at a young age, St. Rocco left his uncle, distributed his wealth to the needy, and took a vow of poverty. En route to Rome, the saint made a detour at Aquapendente, a town in the region of Lazio that was severely devastated by the plague, to pray with the suffering and to offer them hope in Our Lord. Many who sought St. Rocco were healed of their afflictions, with tradition telling us that whole towns were set free from the plague. While ministering in the city of Piacenza in the region of Emilia-Romagna, the saint himself fell victim to illness and was banished to a forest. There, St. Rocco took a cave as his home, drank water from a stream, and ate food delivered to him by a dog. After being miraculously cured, St. Rocco continued his works of mercy throughout northern Italy for a few years before returning to his native France to die. While many of the details on the life of St. Rocco are sketchy and have been mixed with legend, it’s evident that this historical figure made a major impact in central and northern Italy by his preaching of the Gospel and his care for the sick. The fact that he has been declared the patron of so many Italian towns reveals the gratitude shown by many people who personally witnessed the healing power of Jesus Christ through St. Rocco’s prayers.
As President of the St. Rocco Society, Stephen LaRocca never ceases to be amazed by the awesome favors he so often sees granted through St. Rocco’s intercession. Never one to shy away from making a promise in connection with a prayer request, Stephen became obligated to restore the practice of carrying candle houses in the annual procession when his father Salvatore underwent a successful surgery after seeking the aid of St. Rocco. Not exactly a handyman, Stephen shifted the task of building the candle houses to his father, who modeled them off of photos from feasts gone by.
One of the most heartwarming stories connected to St. Rocco came about because Stephen placed faith in Our Lord that He could bring hope to a young couple whose eight month-old son was near death due to severe meningitis. The mother, a dear friend of Stephen, asked him to visit the hospital to join the family in prayers to St. Rocco. Stephen, who humbly admits his unworthiness of such an important task, showed up with a handful of St. Rocco prayer cards and abandoned himself to God in a seemingly hopeless situation. After joining the parents in prayer, Stephen observed the child open his eyes for the first time in two weeks. This joyful event was the beginning of a quick and unexplainable recovery which saw the boy return to the family’s home in two weeks. Two years later, the child lives a normal life with no effects from his seemingly fatal bout with meningitis. The parents, fourth-generation Italian-Americans, have joyfully participated in the past two St. Rocco feasts and attest to the power of his intervention.
A PROMISING FUTURE
The success in recent years of the St. Rocco feast on the Lower East Side of Manhattan provides great hope that the religious traditions that made their way across the Atlantic with millions of Italian immigrants near the turn of the 19th century do not have to fade away as their offspring continue to naturally blend into the melting pot of the United States. Rather, as Stephen LaRocca has proven, with a little effort and an understanding of how much our forefathers loved the saints who watched over them, these fine customs can be passed on to each successive generation with pride. If there were more men and women like Stephen LaRocca around, nobody of Italian descent would ever forget where they came from.
Sources:
1. Interview with Stephen LaRocca
2. St. Rocco Society website at www.stroccosociety.com
