This year marks the 15th year that the Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa will celebrate the feast day of St. Joseph.
The celebration will begin at 6:00 pm on Sunday, March 18th at the Cultural Center with the traditional children’s “Tupa Tupa” (knocking) pageant, the blessing of the Altar and a typical Lenten supper. The menu will include an anti-pasta, baked fish, noodle soup, vegetable frittata, salad and dessert.
The Cultural Center hall will be open on the feast day, Monday, March 19th from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm for Altar visitation and refreshments. A luncheon will also be served on Monday from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. The celebration will conclude with the incineration of the petitions from the Prayer Altar.
Both meals are open to the public free of charge, but a free will offering will be accepted. Those who attend will be given a blessed bread, a St. Joseph prayer card and medal, and a “lucky fava bean”.
This year’s Saint Joseph Altar celebration is coming soon! The dinner and blessing of the altar will take place on March 18th and all-day visitation and luncheon will be held on March 19th, the feast of St. Joseph.
Family altars are a part of the celebration. Any family wishing to sponsor an altar this year should call 515-244-4672 or 515-250-8804.
Volunteers are also needed to be a part of the altar construction/decoration, to help serve at the celebration, and to bake traditional breads and sweets.
This year’s baking schedule is as follows:
Monday, March 12: 9:00 a.m.
Tuesday, March 13: 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday, March 14: 9:30 a.m.
Thursday March 15: 6:00 p.m.
Friday, March 16: 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, March 17: 9:00 a.m.
To volunteer, please call 515-244-4672 or 515-250-8804.
The Board of Governors of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa is pleased to announce that the first in a series of Dinners with Culture will be held Sunday, February 26th in the banquet hall of the Cultural Center, located at 1961 Indianola Avenue in Des Moines. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the meal, to be catered by The Radish Dining and Catering, will be served at 6:00 p.m.. Co-chairpersons for the dinner are Randy and Shelly Prati.
Chef Mike McGuigan, owner of the catering service, has over 40 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. He, along with his partner Guido Fenu, ran the food and beverage operations at the Savery Hotel for over 15 years.
The dinner menu will include Italian Wedding Soup, Chicken Lasagna Verde with a side of sun dried pesto pasta, Caprese salad, rosemary sage bread, wine and coffee with Zuppa Inglese for dessert.
ADVANCED RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Reservations must be made by February 20, 2012. For additional information and to make the required reservations, please call Randy Prati at 321-8941.
The 2012 Italian American Heritage Festival of Iowa will be held on the Court Avenue Bridge in downtown Des Moines on July 27 -28. The Cultural Center will once again present exhibits, demonstrations and performances that highlight our rich Italian and Italian-American heritage.
This year our regional focus will be on Tuscany and Calabria. This theme will be carried out in the chef demonstrations, Exhibit Tent, and the Cultural Center trailer. You can expect to see regional dress (both male and female), travel brochures and artifacts from the two Italian regions.
Genealogy instructors and computers will be available at the festival Exhibit Tent for those who are interested in locating their families via the Internet.
An Entertainers display is presently being compiled for display at the Exhibit Tent. Information about local Italian-American entertainers, both those presently performing and those from days gone by, is being sought from the public. We are also seeking more Italian-American wedding pictures to add to our collection. We will be glad to scan any pictures or news articles that you have to share and return them immediately.
For further information or to submit materials, you are asked to contact Cultural/Events committee chairperson Patricia Civitate at 515-244-4672 or 515-250-8804.
"Little Girl Paints DeGrazia", by Ettore (Ted) Degrazia
The Board of Governors of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa is proud to announce that signature plates of artist Ettore (Ted) DeGrazia are now on display in the museum. Included are “My First Horse,” “Love Me” and a DeGrazia self-portrait entitled “Little Girl Paints DeGrazia.” Miniature plates in the collection include “Sunflower Boy” and “Flower Boy.”
The son of Italian immigrants, Ettore (Ted) DeGrazia was born on June 14, 1909 in the mining camp of Morencia, Arizona. He became one of Arizona’s most prominent painters, illustrators and graphic artists. His signature works are paintings and illustrations of angel-like Southwest children.
DeGrazia’s immigrant father was an Italian copper miner and DeGrazia took a four-year family trip to Italy in 1920. He lived most of his life near Tuscon and worked in his studio which he called “The Gallery of the Sun.” It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ettore (Ted) DeGrazia
DeGrazia’s commercial success grew to include an international audience in the 1960′s, beginning with UNICEF featuring his painting “Los Ninos” on their greeting cards.
His vibrant images and bold strokes that most notably celebrate the Southwest and children have made him one of the most reproduced artists in the past five decades. He is self-described as “the world’s most reproduced artist.” DeGrazia died in 1982.
Visiting hours for the Cultural Center museum are Wednesday afternoons from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.. The Center is also open by appointment by calling 515-244-4672 or 515-250-8804.
Plans are now being formulated for this year’s Saint Joseph Altar celebration. The dinner and blessing of the altar will take place on March 18th and all-day visitation and luncheon will be held on March 19th, the feast of St. Joseph.
Individuals who would like to volunteer to be a part of the altar construction and/or baking of traditional breads and sweets are asked to call 515-244-4672 for additional information and a work schedule.
The preparations for this beautiful celebration are time consuming and truly an offering of love for Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The feast of St. Lucy is December 13th and in Italy it ushers in the Christmas season. In keeping with this long-lasting tradition, the Cultural Center will have a celebration at the Center on Sunday, December 11th.
The celebration will begin with the lighting of the Christmas Fire at 3:00 pm. This will be followed by a candlelight procession through the hall to the altar prepared for St. Lucy. A memorial prayer service, honoring the memory of those who have been remembered through the Cultural center’s Memorial/Foundation program, will then take place.
There will be music and dancing, a sweets tasting table, and the sampling of the traditional Granno d’Santa Lucia with its various regional toppings. The gift shop will be open and there will be a bake sale of Italian sweets.
The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa will once again sponsor a Mitten Tree this holiday season. Donations of mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves are now being accepted to decorate a tree.
Following the Santa Lucia celebration on December 11th, these gifts will be donated to the Pioneer Columbus Center for distribution during their Holiday Gifts Basket program.
October has been declared Italian Heritage Month in Iowa by both Governor Terry E. Brandstad and Des Moines Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie.
To celebrate, the Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa hosted the 36th annual Columbus Day Dinner Party on Sunday, October 9, 2011. Over 100 people were welcomed to the cultural center by president Jo Anna Schmeling. Following a blessing by Deacon Tony Romeo, the guests were served an outstanding meal prepared by Christiani’s VIP Catering.
After the meal, mistress-of-ceremonies Patricia Civitate, director of the cultural center, introduced guest speaker Luca Berrrone, the President and CEO of Sacmi, USA. The evening concluded with the presentation of the Outstanding Citizen Awards to Linda Bisignano, Gracy (Danca) Kirkman, and the family of the late Dominic Natale Rizzuti.
The following day, over 40 Italian Americans were in attendance for a wreath-placing ceremony at the Christopher Columbus monument on the south lawn of the Capitol. This was the 73rd annual observance of Columbus Day at Iowa’s Columbus monument. Master-of-ceremonies Ralph Marasco introduced guest speaker Darren Marasco while the wreath was placed by Outstanding Citizen of the Year honoree Gracy Kirkman.
Participants in this year’s observance included the Bellizzi-MacRae American Legion Color Guard, 4th Degree Knights of Columbus, Gruppo Il Trattenimento Italiano, Societa Vittoria Italiana and Auxiliary, and the Society of Italian Americans and Auxiliary.
Please enjoy the photos below from both of these events.
Mayor Mauro Santora of Terravecchia, Italy, has prepared the following video message for the 2011 Oelwein Italian Heritage Day. The video also includes family photos of those who immigrated to Iowa from Terravecchia and their families. Also included are photos of Terravecchia taken by Donna Debartolo from her recent trip there.
Below the video is the English translation of Mayor Santora’s message.
Hello, my name is Mauro Santoro, Mayor of Terravecchia. Greetings to all of you who are originally from Terravecchia and who now live in the United States. I send you all my personal regards, along with the regards of my administration, the Vice Mayor, our City Council and all the citizens of Terravecchia. All of us feel very close to all of you who have lived for many years in the United States of America.
In particular, I remember from my research, that there were many families who left Terravecchia from the years 1901 through 1923 and emigrated to the United States. In particular, I cite the descendants of these emigrants who, even though they have never seen Terravecchia, maintain their connections to our city. Above all, when they offer their contributions for our patron saint Madonna del Carmine’s feast day. This event is honored and celebrated each year on the first Tuesday after Easter. We celebrate her day with lots of great music and entertainment for one and all.
I would like to acknowledge some of the families who emigrated from Terravecchia, especially the families Comite, Leo, members of the Pigneri family, Raiolo, Pisano, Farago, the families Sposato, Baratta, Brufonaro, Rizzuti, Bisignano, Santoro, Alessio, Vulcano, Scigliano, Scorpiniti, Liguori, Pirillo, Filippelli, Ciangiaruso, Marasco and Amodeo. Surely I am forgetting some family names, but you must forgive me because these are some very old surnames and it is difficult to remember all of them. However, I remember all of those fellow citizens who found it necessary leave Terravecchia for America. I send special greeting to the children, grandchildren and all the relatives of our emigrants.
I am very happy to hear that you all get together each year to celebrate and to remember your roots. The community of Terravecchia feels very close to all of you. I want you to know that I, and the city administration, feel very close to all of you. We thank you for your monetary gifts, especially those you sent to us after the World Wars. These gifts helped to sustain the families here and helped them emerge from a disastrous situation.
I am happy that many of you and your family members, feel the desire and the need to rediscover your roots and come here to visit us. I am very passionate about historical research and have written six books about Terravecchia. It pleases me greatly when I am able to provide historical data which helps people connect to their roots in Terravecchia.
I invite all of you to come to Terravecchia. I, along with some of my City’s officials, hope to visit all of you in America to participate in one of your reunions there so that you will feel even closer to the community of Terravecchia and shorten the geographical distance between us.
Terravecchia remains a very small town, but one that is growing economically. A town that keeps the old memories and traditions alive. For example, in the way in which we celebrate the feast of our Patron Saint Madonna del Carmine each Spring with great honor. This year 2011, in particular, we are having a party to celebrate 90 years of our re-establishment as an autonomous city. In 1910 Terravecchia was assumed as a part of the City of Cariati, and then in 1921, Terravecchia was re-established as a separate city. We announce with joy that in August, our Church of Santa Maria will be named a Diocesan Sanctuary by our Archbishop, Santo Marciano. This is a great honor for us, to be recognized. To know and understand our deeply religious history is a boost for the city as many pilgrims and visitors will come here to pray.
I renew my best regards to all of you, your families, and encourage you to maintain this connection. And I, along with other city officials, hope to visit you all in America soon. Again, I thank you for your attention. Best wishes and prosperity to all of you. Have fun and our very best to you all.
