Opening night of the annual Feast of the Three Saints drew hundreds of people to this city of many cultures. For nearly a century, Corpus Christi Parish at Holy Rosary Church, at Essex and Union streets, has hosted this celebration that honors three young Sicilian men, Saints Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino, who chose to be tortured to death rather than renounce their allegiance to Jesus Christ.

The three brothers were martyred in the year 253 in Lentini, Sicily. Their ages were Alfio, 22; Filadelfo, 21; and Cirino, 19. After the St. Alfio Band played the Italian and American national anthems, the traditional parade began in front of City Hall and proceeded along a route that included Common, Union, Newbury, Garden and Jackson streets and ended at Holy Rosary Church.