Michigan project to replicate Padre Pio’s famed hospital in Italy is underway
On a 40-acre plot of land in Howell, in the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan, stands the humble foundation for the establishment of a worldwide network of health care facilities that St. Pio of Pietrelcina set in motion nearly 70 years ago. In 1956, Padre Pio, as he is best known, founded Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, or Home for the Relief of Suffer...
The power of the nuns at Our Lady of the Angels - then and now
Driving to the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in West Humboldt Park as the first specks of snow fell this winter, I was taken back to my time writing obituaries as a cub reporter. There was an unwritten rule then at the Archdiocese of Chicago’s newspaper, the Chicago Catholic: Priests always got top billing. Shorten the nuns’ obituaries first, i...
Downers Grove veteran, 95, honored for WWII service
Downers Grove resident John Guarnaccia never expected to be honored at his home as a World War II Army veteran on Nov. 18. In the era of COVID-19, volunteers from Honor Flight Chicago traveled to Guarnaccia for his recognition as a veteran. “I was surprised,” Guarnaccia said. “They were all very nice, they drove three car caravans and they were too...
Vince Francioli
Vincent Francioli was an educator, civic leader, historian, WWII veteran, and a proud Italian American. He passed away at the Cleveland Clinic on October 17. His legacy includes the Fairwood Community Association, the Larchmere Business District, the Republican Veterans Group, and a host of former students and friends, many of whom were Italian Ame...
Italian American Chamber of Commerce of Michigan Donates to Michigan Opera Theatre
On October 7, 2020, the Italian American Chamber of Commerce (IACCM) held its annual Festa Della Lira. The Festa Della Lira has been one of the IACCM’s main fundraising events going back to the 1990’s. The Festa Della Lira is a $10,000 reverse raffle fundraiser, the proceeds of which are used to supplement IACCM operations and various donations. ...
A Toast for Dante | Honoring Dante’s Legacy and Influence
Organized by Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan - Detroit Metropolitan Area. Online event. Registration is required. We Are Making Our End-Of-Year Virtual Celebration Special Join us on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13 @ 4:00 pm – ON ZOOM! Exclusive Guests: Count Pieralvise di Serego Alighieri and his daughter Countess Massimilla. They are the 20th and 21st ge...
The Triumph of Love: The Passion in the Divine Comedy
What: The Triumph of Love: The Passion in the Divine Comedy - When: Thursday, December 17, 2020 at noon (Central Time - Where: Online via Zoom This virtual talk will examine the shift in late medieval devotion and spirituality to the affective consideration of and participation to the sufferings of Christ on the Cross (Christus patiens). Particular...
Raphael and the Ladies: The Prince of Painters and Female Patrons, Collectors, and Viewers
When: Friday, December 11th at noon (CT) Where: Organized by Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago, in collaboration with the Center for Renaissance Studies, The Newberry Library During his all-too-brief career, Raphael of Urbino (1483-1520) frequently benefited from the patronage of women and painted works intended for female viewers ranging fro...
Statue commemorating Logansport's immigrant history and present is in its home
On Friday, Logansport celebrated the long-anticipated arrival of the “Immigration Sculpture” in Heritage Park. Like many of the immigrants who came to Logansport, the statue representing them did not have an easy trip to its home. There were decisions to be made and money to be raised. And although the statue of Carrara marble was supposed to arriv...
Actress Torrey DeVitto
After years of living from project to project, Torrey DeVitto finally has a home base in one of Dick Wolf’s famously long-running series. When the hit drama “Chicago Med” returns to NBC later this year, the doctors at the fictional Gaffney Chicago Medical Center will face off against the same coronavirus pandemic their real-life counterparts have b...
Mauro aims lens at homelessness in new film
Chicago writer-director Lucia Mauro will premiere her new film, “I Have a Name,” online at 7 p.m. on Dec. 9. The one-hour documentary is co-produced by In My Brother’s Shoes Inc., the nonprofit film organization founded by Mauro and producer Joe Orlandino, and Jacqueline C. Hayes, founder and president emerita of the Chicago HELP Initiative (CHI)....
A musical salute to our war heroes
I am the son of a proud World War II veteran, Squad Leader Sgt. Albert J. Onesti, #36682557, Unites States Army, 179th Infantry, 45th Division "Thunderbirds" -- with battles in Rome, Southern France, Anzio. My hero. For the first 10 years of my life, I lived in the building my grandparents settled in upon their emigration from Italy in 1911. It was...