For the Catholics of New Jersey and New York, Italian saint feasts are a summer staple. Known for their processions, Masses, music, zeppoles and sausage and pepper sandwiches, these lively festivals were initiated by southern Italian immigrants, most of whom made their way to the United States around the turn of the 20th century, in an attempt to keep the traditions from their old paesi (villages) alive.
As the generations that propagated these traditions die, maintaining the legacy is easier said than done. But the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) in Newark, which celebrated its 135th anniversary in July, is not just maintaining but expanding its reach; and much of the feast's growth can be attributed to the Newark Italian Apostolate.
