At 5PM on Wednesday, July 16, it was hot and still sunny as the 90th start of the five-day St. Mary of Carmen festival — Festa — began in Pellegrini Park on Hawthorne Street. Members of the St. Mary of Carmen Society gathered in their assigned places after three weeks of uncertainty and stress as a result of Mayor Fuller’s decision to replace the signature Italian-flag stripe on Adams Street with double-yellow lines. In short order, their apprehension turned to relief and joy as several thousand people — many more than usual for “opening” night — filled the park, inside and out. People who had never before been to Festa came to see it and to support the local community. From that first hour to the last on Sunday, July 20, Festa was an overwhelming success.
Musically, there was something for everyone, performed by local bands. The Reminisants, playing “oldies,” led with a performance that had the crowd dancing in the aisles. On Thursday, two bands with local Newton roots — The Morris Family Band and The Breeze — livened up the very young and the much older members of the audience. On the final night, Seabreeze, an Italian-American band, played a full program of familiar songs to the delight and participation of the audience.
In addition to the thousands of people coming to Pellegrini Park to enjoy the music, fried dough, sausages, Italian ice, and death-defying rides, every night included elected officials who greeted the crowd. Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, who had once represented the district in the state legislature, was there with his family. Newton City Council President Marc Laredo, running for Mayor, spoke as well. State Representative John Lawn, who represents Nonantum, brought a citation from House Speaker Ron Mariano. And the Society honored longtime City Councilor and former School Committee member Leonard Gentile for his 44-years of public service. Mr. Gentile started life on West Street in Nonantum.
At the same time, people were at The Lake tent buying Lake Hawaiian shirts, an array of Lake T-shirts, and shorts. Those purchases help to fund the annual Nonantum Christmas Party Association. The Society was doing a brisk business in sales of raffle tickets, which fund its annual high school scholarships. In fact, the Society ran out of tickets on Saturday and had to print an additional 1,000. According to Festival Chair Chuck Proia, raffle sales topped $13,000 – more than $6,000 over any previous year.
Sunday, the last day of the festival, began with Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians Church, where the statue of the Madonna of St. Mary of Carmen had been placed on the altar at the beginning of the week. For the rest of the year, she has a special place created in the church’s lower level, the site of social and official events.
At 2PM, the Society placed the statue on a decorated wagon, which was wheeled through local streets. Joined by the North End Marching Band, the crowd accompanied the statue in the parade down Adams Street. It is customary for the procession to stop at the homes of recently deceased members of the Society, to pay respects to their families. This year, the Society added an additional stop — the Adams Street Shul — to present a bouquet of green-white-and red flowers to the Beri Gilfix, Congregation President and a “The Lake Draws The Line “ T-shirt to the congregation’s former treasurer, Jordan Wagner, to thank them publicly for their visible support.
Along the way, people ran up to the statue to offer money, which was pinned onto the ribbon decorations around her. Having proceeded through the neighborhood, the statue and the crowd arrived at the small chapel provided by the Society, where people continued to offer money and received special 90th anniversary pins.
After the painting of the double-yellow lines on Adams Street and the unprecedented crowds, the Society was suddenly confronted with one more challenge: an enormous cloud burst and the concern that the evening procession might be washed out. But their luck persisted, and the sun returned just after 7PM, producing an enormous rainbow over the church.
Serenaded by Italian music, the growing intergenerational crowd anticipated the coming procession back to the church as fireworks went off around the neighborhood. Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan greeted the audience and congratulated the Society. At about 9:30, more people gathered and bought candles for the procession and moved along Hawthorne Street toward Watertown Street, looking for a good place in the line of march.
At 10PM, the Church-bound procession, led by the statue and surrounded by at least 1,000 people carrying lighted candles, marched to Adams Street, where all were greeted by a giant confetti machine and fireworks along the route. On this return trip, the procession stopped in front of the Shul for a spectacular fireworks show.
When the statue and followers reached Our Lady’s parking lot on Adams Street, at about 10:30, the procession stopped for the annual, increasingly eye-popping fireworks that always greet the return of the statue. As the Society led the wagon with the statue, confetti and fireworks exploded in front of the church, where a bucket lift was waiting with 10-year old Sophia Leone, dressed in an angel costume. When the statue came close to the bucket lift, Sophia threw fistfuls of confetti on the statue in celebration of the festival in the Madonna’s honor – continuing a long tradition of young Nonantum girls who welcome the Madonna. Then the enormous crowd flowed into the church for the concluding Mass.
Keepers of the St. Mary of Carmen traditions
Sophia Leone, in the role of the angel, told Fig City News that she was nervous before the event, and when she sat in the bucket awaiting the statue, all she could see was the top of the church, which seemed so very high up. But when the statue approached the church, and she stood up to throw the confetti, she said she saw all the people below her and felt better. Asked if she would do it again, she said she would.
Sophia’s mother, Jen Leone, joined the Women’s Society last year because she knew many of the people involved in its formation. For her, the festival and the procession are emotional experiences because they connect her to her mother and grandmother, who would join the procession. It represents a happy time for her, having grown up in the neighborhood and now raising her children here. And when Sophia is in her early teens, her mother expects that she will become a junior member of the Women’s Society. Looking back on the last year, Jen said the Women’s Society had at least doubled in membership. “It’s all about giving back to the community,” she explained. The Society raises money for people in need in the community, as well as for the scholarships. She also credits all the publicity around the double-yellow lines on Adams Street for the huge turnout and the number of people who wanted to help.
Nonantum Neighborhood Association president Teresa Gentile Sauro talked about her family’s Nonantum roots. She said:
“My Nono was a founding member of the St. Mary of Carmen Society in 1935, handed down to my dad to my brother, who was president for 42 Years… Festa has always been the third weekend in July, and families come together for that Sunday when the Madonna goes through the streets of Nonantum. 90 years of Festa, and we share all stories of memories. Traditions in Nonantum will not change as the community, far and near, won’t let it change through generations. This years Festa brought crowds together to save the traditions of the Madonna and the Festa. Like they say “Viva La Madonna!”
Both Carl Pasquarosa and Chuck Proia explained that Festa is part of long family traditions and connections. In fact, Chuck Proia’s daughters, Arrianna and Maria, are moving into their roles as founding members and leaders of the Women’s Society of St. Mary of Carmen. In reflecting on the events of the last three weeks and the jubilant five festival days, he summed up the experience: “What started out as a nightmare for us, became truly a dream!”
