Pilgrimages: Group trip to Italy included many holy sites
My husband, Doug, and I have participated in multiple pilgrimages to Europe with Father Daniel Dury (aka “Padre”), pastor at Sunbury St. John Neumann Church and previous pastor at Columbus St. Catharine Church. Our most recent trip, in early September 2023, was to Italy. This pilgrimage was planned by Father Dury and a private tour operator/manage...
Army Staff Sergeant Daniel Donati
My father, Daniel (Adelmo) Donati, departed Genoa, Italy, with my grandmother aboard the SS Caserta and arrived at Ellis Island on Dec. 5, 1914. My grandfather was already in the U.S., and he sent for his family once he was established in an area outside Monongahela, Pennsylvania. When my father reached his teens, he was sent to Chicago for employm...
Sons & Daughters of Italy help local charities
Geneva Lodge 2397, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, continued its annual holiday tradition in 2023 of helping out local charitable organizations, in particular the Geneva Salvation Army and the Geneva Center of Concern. On Dec. 11, lodge members manned both entrances at the Geneva Walmart from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., ringing the bells for...
Scholarly group bestows award on Candeloro
While he was growing up in Chicago Heights during World War II, Dominic Candeloro wasn’t at all proud of his Italian ancestry. His father was a low-paid construction worker who only learned a few words of English. That and the fact that Italy was fighting against the Allies made him ashamed of his roots. The feeling persisted after the war, when th...
Forte to step up as president of Columbian Club
Carme Forte Jr. will ascend to the presidency of the Columbian Club of Chicago at a black-tie installation dinner on Jan. 27 at Medinah Country Club. Forte has been a member since 2015. “My father has been a member of the club for 20 years or more, and I always loved attending events with our family,” he explains. “I wanted to become more involved...
Kenosha's I-A Club hosting Brunch with Befana
The Italian American Club, 2217 52nd St., features a Brunch with Befana on Sunday, Jan. 7. The event, from 9 a.m. to noon, is hosted by the Italian American Ladies Auxiliary. The buffet meal includes a sausage and cheese frittata, potatoes, ham, fruit, French toast, croissants, juice, milk and coffee. The cost is $18 for adults and $10 for children...
Will County paesani form new group
It may come as a surprise to Italian Americans living in the northern half of the Chicago area, but the far southwest suburbs boast substantial communities of paesani as well. “Mokena’s population is the highest and Homer Glen has a large one as well,” reports longtime local elected official Steve Balich. “Joliet and Crest Hill have good-sized popu...
Army Sergeant Edward Malatesta
Edward Malatesta was born on Nov. 8, 1924, the youngest of five children and the only son of Alessandro and Gulia (Ragnetti) Malatesta. His parents immigrated to the United States from Senigallia, Italy, as a young married couple, first to Philadelphia and then to the Taylor Street Little Italy in Chicago. The family settled on the Northwest Side a...
Lorain Italian American Veterans post holds pancake breakfast
Santa came to town two weeks ahead of schedule Sunday as he made his first appearance at the Italian American Veterans Post No. 1 in Lorain during its all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. Organized by Ladies Auxiliary President Bambi Dillon, the breakfast has become a staple for the post alongside its spaghetti dinners. However, Dillon decided to add...
Call for Writers: Literary Night
The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, in collaboration with Northwestern University cordially invites emerging and established literary authors working in the Chicago area and Midwest to showcase their talent at an event taking place on April 5 at 6pm at the Italian Cultural Institute. This celebration of contemporary artists will be dedicated...
Dr. Victoria Ursitti Installed as 2024 Vice President of the Chicago Dental Society
A pediatric dentist with more than 25 years of experience, Victoria A. Ursitti, D.M.D., who practices in Arlington Heights, Illinois, was installed as the 2024 vice president of the Chicago Dental Society (CDS) on November 12. Dr. Ursitti has previously held numerous leadership positions with CDS, including Treasurer of CDS as well as Director and...
Calumet Italian Hall Disaster remembered over a century later
Music can be tied to memories — both wonderful and tragic. One Upper Peninsula composer is memorialyzing a tragedy that changed the face of the Copper Country more than 100 years ago. On Christmas Eve in 1913 in Calumet, a Christmas party was held on the second floor of the Italian Hall for the children of the families belonging to the Western Fede...