It’s not just an event—it’s a vivid representation of something felt so deep within the community of Jessup, Lackawanna County, Penn., that it can only be described as “anima.”  La Corsa dei Ceri, the annual “race of the saints” in honor of St. Ubaldo, is held in both Gubbio, Italy, and Jessup.

Legend states that Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) aimed to sack Gubbio in the same way he had pillaged nearby Spoleto in 1155 A.D. However, upon his return from successful negotiations with the emperor, then-bishop Ubaldo was placed on a platform and paraded through the streets of Gubbio to show the people he was safe.