Vol. 50 ▪ No. 4 Washington DC
An Italian American Gazette of the Greater Washington DC Area
Fratelli dʼItalia stringiamoci a coorte lʼItalia chiamò di Generoso D’Agnese
È un Italia che resiste, combatte e si trasforma, quella che sta vivendo queste terribili settimane di quarantena e che è costretta a guardare il Mondo dalle finestre di casa. Ma non ci sono limiti alla creatività umana e gli italiani non hanno mai fatto mancare la loro, sulla tavola della Storia. E allora eccola, questa piccola Nazione affacciata sul Mediterraneo, che già nella sua forma (a stivale) si identifica come unica nel Mondo. Eccola trasformare le giornate di riposo forzato in un’occasione per dare una mano e aiutare il sistema sanitario e la logistica. È l’Italia che “intuisce” lo sdoppiamento di un sistema di respiratori, per poter raddoppiare la capacità di ossigenare il paziente, è l’Italia che alacremente lavora sul primo farmaco che sembra buoni risultati nei pazienti (il Tocilizumab), l’Italia che pesca dal manico l’asso della DIMAR capace di realizzare un casco da
April 2020 $2.00
La cultura non si ferma per Coronavirus by Francesco Isgrò
As the Covid-19 virus continues to spread rapidly throughout our country, millions of people are finally heeding the advice to stay home and help slow its devastating effects. Life in many areas of the world has come to a virtual standstill. Museums, art galleries, theaters, cinemas, and other places of culture throughout the world have closed their doors in efforts to protect their communities. But in this period of darkness, thanks to technolgy, a collective global effort is underway to bring culture to people in their own homes. “La cultura non si ferma,” is the slogan coined by Dario Franceschini, Italy’s Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, which launched a campaign to encourage cultural institutions, and local and regional governments, to program events for online audiences and to use social media to bring the cultural heritage of Italy into people’s homes. Museums throughout Italy are showing art exhibitions online and opening their collections to online access. Editorial houses are making old comic books available for free to online audiences. Kaywin Feldman, the Director of the National Gallery of Art, has reminded us that “some of the world’s greatest art” was created during times of crisis, and that many works of art that “testify to the endurance of the human spirit, are found within our
Caravaggio: "Boy with a basket of fruit," from the Galleria Borghese in Rome walls." The National Gallery is bringing its collections and programs daily to our audiences around the world.” The Gallery is posting online tours of its various collections on social media such as Instagram. Other local museums such as the Hirshhorn and the National Portrait Gallery are also making additional Continued on page 2
Letter from Italy: Life in the Time of Coronavirus by Vivienne Pellacani*
Salvatore Saldano, Shape Mode ventilazione non invasiva che consente la respirazione dei pazienti con una grave insufficienza respiratoria e di decongestionare i reparti di rianimazione. Questa è l’Italia di Salvatore Saldano, che con la sua startContinued on page 2
For more than a month now, we Italians, like millions of other people around the world, have been living in fear. It all began at the end of February for us, when we heard news of some Covid-19 cases in Codogno, Lombardy. We didn’t think it would come to Italy and we were astonished and confused at first. But once people, just one hour’s drive from our home in Inzago, near Milan, were getting sick, needing oxygen and dying, suddenly everything changed.
At the Milan Fair site: a new coronavirus hospital and intensive care center built in 10 days.
INSIDE
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Dantedi 3
Fauci and Cuomo fight coronavirus 5
Concetta Maria Scaravaglione 7
Address service requested Voce Italiana Holy Rosary Church 595 Third Street, NW Washington, DC 20001-2703
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Washington DC, April 2020
LʼItalia chiamò Segue dalla prima pagina up Shape Mode e le stampanti 3D produce una valvola per sistemi di ventilazione assistita e dei giovani tecnici di “Re-Made in Rione Sanità”, che con la stampante 3D hanno prodotto la valvola necessaria per la produzione di maschere C-pap. Dall’impresa bresciana Isinnova guidata dall’ingegnere Cristian Fracassi arriva invece una maschera respiratoria d’emergenza realizzata modificando una maschera da snorkeling già in commercio. E poi c’è l’Italia del Made in Italy famoso nel Mondo, capace di riciclarsi e riconvertirsi in funzione delle grandi richieste di sistemi medicali. 180 case di moda hanno unito gli sforzi per garantire 2 milioni di mascherine. Prada, su richiesta della Regione Toscana, la scorsa settimana ha avviato nello stabilimento di Montone (Perugia) la produzione di 80mila camici e 110mila mascherine da destinare al personale sanitario della Regione. Giorgio Armani, dopo aver donato 2 milioni di euro agli ospedali, ha dato il via alla conversione di tutti i propri stabilimenti produttivi per realizzare camici monouso destinati alla protezione individuale degli operatori sanitari.
Altrettanto ha fatto Calzedonia. Gucci ha annunciato di esser pronta a donare 1 milione e 100 mila mascherine chirurgiche e 55mila camici alla Regione Toscana. Anche piccole aziende come Modaimpresa, 35 dipendenti in provincia di Isernia, ha convertito la propria produzione di capi di abbigliamento per la produzione di 10mila mascherine protettive con filtro al giorno. Si uniscono le forze anche per la produzione gel igienizzante. Il colosso farmaceutico Menarini ha deciso di produrre negli stabilimenti di Firenze 5 tonnellate di gel disinfettante a settimana, Bulgari ha iniziato a produrre gel disinfettante per un totale di 200.000 pezzi in circa due mesi. Altrettanto ha fatto la Ramazzotti, famosa per il suo Amaro mentre l’azienda Davines di Parma, che di solito produce shampoo e impacchi per capelli, ha avviato la produzione da distribuire gratuitamente a Croce Rossa e altre associazioni volontarie locali. Assodistil ha annunciato che
MARK YOUR CALENDAR le aziende del settore si impegneranno al massimo per fornire tutta la quantità disponibile di alcool alle aziende che producono gel. Gli ingegneri Ferrari stanno collaborando con Siare Engineering, una delle poche aziende che producono respiratori, per aiutarli a raddoppiare la produttività. A Medolla (Modena) la Eurosets quadruplica la produzione di ossigenatori polmonari extracorporei passando da 300 a a 1.200 in un mese. È infine una vera e propria corsa alla donazione da parte di tutti i marchi eccellenti del Made in Italy. Da Barilla a Ferrero, da Valentino a Moncler, da Silvio Berlusconi a Dolce & Gabbana: tutti uniti insieme perché “l’Italia chiamò”.
April 12, 2020. Easter Liturgy. Archbishop Gregory will celebrate Holy Week and Easter liturgies at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew. The celebrations are available via live-stream on the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.'s YouTube channel. June 14, 2020. AMHS 20th Anniversary Celebration. June 18, 2020. Lido Civic Club Scholaship Reception at the Embassy of Italy. October 9, 2020. Casa Italiana Awards Dinner Gala hosted by the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center, Inc. October 31, 2020. The Annual National Italian American Foundation Gala.
PLEASE NOTE: Until further notice,
Mass and other functions will not be celebrated at Holy Rosary Church or other churches within the Archdiocese. This includes catechism classes and all functions at Casa Italiana, including classes. Please check with the Rectory Office (202-638-0165) concerning any scheduled weddings or funerals, which may proceed with attendance limited to the immediate family.
La cultura non si ferma
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online resources available, and offering online lectures, as well as posting works of art on Facebook and Instagram. The National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center is no longer
performing, but if you haven't had an opportunity to catch a performance of the renowned Gianandrea Noseda conducting the NSO, the Kennedy Center is now making available online
and for free, some of his popular concerts, including pieces such as Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Millions of people throughout the world are finding it difficult to navigate this period of darkness. For those who are fortunate enough to
have internet access, cultural works and expressions offer a ray of light on otherwise dark days.
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Italy Marks First National Dante Day, Virtually by Nancy DeSanti
Italy marked the first national Dante Day commemorating the 700th anniversary of the Divine Comedy poet’s death. During this time of the coronavirus pandemic, many of the country’s cultural events have been cancelled or postponed, but Dantedì, or Dante Day, was held in Italy on March 25, virtually at least. The day was chosen because it is the date identified by scholars as the start of the journey to the afterlife in Dante’s Divine Comedy. The 13th-century Tuscan poet is known as the father of the Italian language, and his works remain embedded in Italian culture, studied by schoolchildren and quoted by adults in daily conversation. Dante’s Divine Comedy is widely considered to be the most important poem of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language. “This first edition [of Dantedì], takes place at a particularly difficult moment,” said Dario Franceschini, Italy’s culture minister. “Dante is the Italian language, he is the very idea of Italy. And it is precisely at this moment that it is even more important to remember him in order to stay united.” The minister tweeted the famous last line of the Inferno, “and then we emerged to see the stars,” and said “in these days we must keep the idea of
Italy alive.” Due to the nationwide lockdown, Franceschini said the many initiatives already planned were moved online, and he appealed to artists to read Dante and post their content on March 25. Florence’s Uffizi Gallery set up virtual tours of Dante protagonists and a show about the Sommo Poeta (Supreme Poet). Well-known actors read the Divine Comedy’s cantos on television. RAI State streamed the popular Dante readings by late scholar Vittorio Sermonti and by huge Dante fan Roberto Benigni, the Life Is Beautiful actor/director, while the 1965 film The Life of Dante was also streamed. According to Italian news reports, students took part in video lectures with their professors. The theater world in Ravenna, where Italy’s greatest poet died in 1321, responded to appeals for a Dante festival while the surrounding Emilia Romagna region organized a slate of events to celebrate the poet. As life under quarantine continues in Italy, books, music, art, and all cultural forms are helping to lift people’s
Dante statue at Casa Italiana spirits, and the Italian culture ministry hopes a continuing nationwide online celebration of Dante will also bring people together. Closer to home, there is a bust of Dante in front of Casa Italiana and a statue of Dante in Meridian Hill Park on 16th St., NW in Washington, D.C., both possible sites for a celebration on the next Dante Day, March 25, 2021.
ART & CULTURE
Casa Italiana Language School Courses Held Online During Covid-19 Outbreak In light of the covid-19 pandemic and concern for the well-being of all students and staff, Casa Italiana Language School suspended classes as of March 16. All language courses are being held online, using Zoom via a link sent to students by the teachers. Students in the winter 2020 courses completed their Italian courses online with their instructors, from the safety of their homes. Teachers and students alike adapted smoothly to the distance learning. For the spring 2020 session, CILS is offering all Italian classes online through Zoom. Courses include: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Conversation and Literature classes. That allows students to start with a Beginner class, continue the program they have begun, or proceed to the next level. To learn more about classes offered, go to the Casa Italiana Language School website www.casaitalianaschool.org. Email address is: info@casaitalianaschool.org --Faduma Ali
L’amore (per la scuola) al tempo del covid-19 di Paola Corneo
Mercoledi 11 marzo è stato il mio ultimo giorno “normale”: in ufficio fino alle 4 pm, poi a scuola fino alle 6:30 pm, dove ho sostituito un’insegnante dei corsi integrativi. È stato anche l’ultimo giorno di lezione in presenza, da allora non ho più visto nessuno e non sono più uscita di casa se non fare un rapido saldo al supermercato o in farmacia. Così io, e così tutta la comunità italiana, quella più fortunata. Anche l’ente promotore ha dovuto adeguarsi a un mondo nuovo, fatto di schermi. Sono finiti gli incontri tra compagni di classe, tra colleghi e genitori di fronte alla scuola prima delle lezioni. Ci vediamo, ci parliamo, ci organizziamo
e insegnamo in video-conferenza. L’ente promotore sta organizzando classi ed eventi online, come il corso di avvicinamento al vino, lettura di libri e poesie, musica e coro, e poi il nostro famoso podcast DìDC che comincerà a trasmettere entro la fine del mese di aprile, grazie anche ai ragazzi che hanno partecipato al laboratorio di giornalismo radiofonico. Non è stato facile, e ancora niente è perfetto, ma grazie alla collaborazione di tutti siamo riusciti a trasportare online le lezioni dei corsi integrativi: abbiamo imparato ad usare Google Classroom, abbiamo provato Hangouts e poi Zoom per le lezioni, inviamo e creiamo video educativi, stiliamo liste di risorse digitali
e continuamo a mandare email ed aspettarci i compiti (che come “prima”, arrivano spesso poco prima dell’inizio della classe!). Il nostro website viene aggiornato quasi quotidianamente. Le famiglie devono spesso giostrarsi tra lavoro a casa e scuola/intrattenimento dei figli, condividendo laptops, tablets, cellulari e wi-fi in uno spazio limitato ma per un tempo illimitato. Non una cosa da poco. Ricevo molte email di famiglie che ci ringraziano per non aver interrotto le classi e, soprattutto, per elogiare gli insegnanti che si stanno reinventando, passando ore a informarsi, pianificare e creare. Noi vorremmo invece ringraziare i genitori che, oltre a tutto il resto, seguono
Casa Italiana is providing free wine lessons with Luca Guastini from Alba, Italy. Go to the the Facebook page of Casa Italiana Ente Promotore for more information.
i figli più piccoli mettendo in pratica le indicazioni delle insegnanti della scuola materna, i genitori che continuano a leggere, parlare, guardare film in italiano in famiglia. Genitori che, per forza di cose, si ritrovano a dover ripassare matematica, scienza o letteratura per aiutare i propri figli. Anche questo, è amore per la scuola.
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Letter from Italy: Life in the Time of Coronavirus
COMMUNITY NEWS
The government started restricting our freedom of movement – first we couldn't leave the country, then our region, then our city, and then our homes, except for grocery or pharmacy shopping or walking the dog. Once we were locked at home we realized that the problem, the Coronavirus, is real and won't stop anytime soon. That is the frightening reality. Everytime we hear the ambulance sirens, we can't help but wonder, will we be next? Italy has been very hard hit. As of early April, we have had about 130,000 cases and more than 15,000 deaths. We still don’t know for sure why the mortality rate is so high. Some say it’s due to the older population; others say it’s because our numbers accurately record everyone who passes away with the disease. Or maybe it’s because our health care system is overwhelmed and can’t care for everyone. We hear of people dying at home before they can call for help; others can’t be helped because there are not enough ambulances or help arrives too late. Hospitals are full and the staff can’t take proper care of all the patients. Some are transferred to other hospitals, even out of the country. People are terrified of dying alone in hospitals, which do not allow visitors, even family. Those of us fortunate enough to be still healthy, tremble at the sound of an ambulance or when we hear the TV news announcing the death toll for the day. It’s hard to focus. Some of us wash our hands until the skin is raw. We stay up until 2:00 a.m. trying to order food online and then reserving a delivery date
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx PHOTO MILANO
Alberto Trntanni
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Police and military in Milan and throughout Italy ensure that people comply with government directives.
An empty street in Milano
Marconi Project Interviews Prof. Vito Tanzi
of up to two weeks later. Some Italians fill their days by cooking, cleaning the house, working in the garden, caring for their children and pets, or reading. Many are playing music and singing from their balconies. We are scared, but we are also angry. Angry with Europe which is not providing enough help and with some politicians who criticize Italy (and Spain) because we admit the elderly in hospitals for “cultural reasons.” Thankfully, our doctors and nurses will continue to try to save every single life that they can, despite age or state of health, because our parents and grandparents matter. We agree with our Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, when he says: “We are part of the same community. Each individual is taking care of his own but also of others' sacrifices. This is the strength of our country. A community of individuals. ToCiro DeFalco, left, interviews Prof. Vito Tanzi gether, we will make it.” Here in Italy we have always had a The Marconi Project, a series of oral economy, and two books about Italy. strong sense of family and community. Born in Mola di Bari, he immigrated We will use all our means to survive and histories of Italian Americans in the Washto the United States in 1956. He studied to not leave anyone behind. For all this, ington, D.C. area, recently interviewed at George Washington University and reProf. Vito Tanzi. In a long and distinand much more, I feel proud to be Italian. ceived his MA and PhD from Harvard Uni*Vivienne Pellacani lives outside guished career, Prof. Tanzi was economics versity. He has received honorary degrees of Milan. She was a correspondent for professor and chair of the economics defrom universities in Argentina, Italy, Porpartment at American University in D.C. Voce Italiana during her time in WashDuring his 30-year career at the IMF, he tugal and Belgium, and was named a Comington, D.C. mendatore della Repubblica Italiana. held a series of senior-level positions. The Marconi Project is led by the Casa He has served as Italy’s Vice-Minister GINO MARINUCCI, C.P.A., P.C. Italiana Sociocultural Center, Inc. and of Economy, has lectured world-wide on CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS Board Members Willy Meaux and Tom fiscal and public finance issues, and held “SINCE 1975 YOUR SMALL BUSINESS SPECIALIST” the prestigious position of President of the Sweeney. The project is part of the ItalACCOUNTING ● TAX PLANNING International Institute of Public Finance. ian American Museum of Washington DC TAX PREPARATION ● SOFTWARE SUPPORT Prof. Tanza is the author of a number of (IAMDC). COMPLETE PAYROLL SERVICE Board Member Ciro DeFalco, a friend books covering various aspects of fiscal (301) 942-2266 policy and the government's role in the of Prof. Tanzi, conducted the interview.
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COMMUNITY NEWS
Commanding the Airways: Italian Americans, Dr. Anthony Fauci and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at Forefront of Fight Against the Coronavirus by Nancy DeSanti Two grandsons of Italian immigrants are figuring prominently in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic – Dr. Anthony Fauci as the infectious disease expert, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as head of the state hardest hit by the virus. Dr. Fauci appears almost daily at White House press briefings and on television news programs. His scientific expertise and reassuring demeanor make him credible and popular. If he is missing from a White House briefing, reporters ask, “Where’s Fauci?” Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he graduated first in his class at Cornell Medical School and devoted himself to studying infectious diseases. He soon joined the National Institutes of Health, and in 1984 became director of its National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. He and his group have done research in emerging diseases, including Ebola, Zika and now the Covid-19 virus. An advisor to six presidents, he has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as 45 honorary degrees from universities worldwide. William Sansalone, a Ph.D.
Dr. Anthony Fauci biochemist and a community member, spent many years at NIH, where he says Dr. Fauci is held in the highest regard. Dr. Fauci’s brilliance, talent and work ethic were recognized early on, he says, and his public speaking skills were honed through years of testifying at congressional hearings, where his ability to break down complex medical subjects, served him well. Fauci, he
says, is a New Yorker through and through, although his Brooklyn accent has faded a bit over the years. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, is now among the nation’s best-known governors, thanks to riveting daily press conferences that present the latest public health statistics and advisories in a straightforward yet empathetic manner. He often relates personal
family anecdotes, including stories of his late father Mario Cuomo, a former N.Y. governor and perhaps America’s best-known Italian-American politician, once considered a possible presidential candidate. Cuomo says we need to “find ways to make a little joy,” and during one press conference he reminisced about the “marathon” Sunday dinners he used to have with his parents and grandparents when he was growing up. The food was the attraction, he said, but the purpose was to bring the family together. He said his own family now continues the tradition, although some members now participate by Skype. Cuomo was re-elected to office in 2018, despite fairly low approval ratings, and is now serving his ninth year as governor. Now, he may be coming into his own, just as former N.Y.C. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani did when his resolute response to the 9/11 tragedy made him “America’s Mayor.” During his daily tv updates, Cuomo often says that we are “blessed” to have Dr. Fauci. As Italian Americans, we can say that we are blessed to have Dr. Fauci and Gov. Cuomo during these difficult times.
Embassy of Italy Launches Campaign to Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center Inc. Raise Funds for Italian Research Institutes Establishes Fund to Help Local Italian Community The Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and Italian Scientists and Scholars In North America (ISNAFF) are raising funds to provide relief to Italy, as the country fights the coronavirus outbreak. The funds will be donated to three Italian medical and research institutes that have been at the forefront of the outbreak and continue to relentlessly fight the pandemic: Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome; Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan; and Cotugno Hospital in Naples. Italy and the United States are facing an unprecedented challenge. One of the first countries to be hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, Italy has been severely affected. Italians have responded courageously, from doctors and nurses
on the front line to law enforcement officers, from the many volunteers to businesses, to all the citizens who every day make great sacrifices. Throughout the emergency, the United States—the Administration, the private sector, non-profit organizations and American friends—have shown solidarity, unity and provided support to Italy and the Italian people. “We are grateful to the United States and to all American citizens, who in these dramatic hours have shown their solidarity towards Italy. A gesture of friendship that will remain impressed in our memory, a testament to the strength of the bond that unites our democracies” said Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio.
As the coronavirus continues to challenge our country medically and economically, Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center, Inc. is establishing an emergency fund to help members of our Italian and ItalianAmerican community in the Washington, D.C. area who find themselves in financial distress. These are extraordinary times and even though we are blessed to live in a fairly stable economic area, many in our immediate community lack the financial resources to support themselves or their families during the prolonged lockdown. For this reason, CISC Inc. is establishing the #WeAreOneCommunity Coronavirus Emergency Fund to collect donations through a GoFundMe account. Our Coronavirus Charity Committee (CCC) will es-
tablish guidelines for identifying recipients and disbursing all the funds directly to those affected individuals. The Committee is comprised of CISC Board members, with the support of Holy Rosary Church, the national Italian parish, as well as representatives of our local Italian and Italian-American organizations. In selecting recipients, precedence will be given to community members in the frontlines, such as medical workers and first responders who are in need of financial assistance. “We have all seen our finances take a hit these days, but we hope everyone can donate an amount they feel comfortable with, so that we can provide some relief to those in our community who truly need our support during this pandemic,” said Franceso IsgrÒ, President of CISC Inc.
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Founded in 1960 An Italian American Gazette of the Greater Washington D.C. Area 595 Third Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Editor-in-Chief: Fr. Ezio Marchetto, C.S. Executive Editor: Francesco Isgrò, Esq. Photographer: Marcella Finelli Correspondent: Generoso D'Agnese Contributors: Ciro De Falco, Nancy De Santi, Daniela Enriquez Advertising: Lucia Portanova 202-638-0165 Mailing: Joan Dodaro, Martha Finelli, Rosa Mayer
Voce Italiana
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Easter’s Lessons
IN MEMORIAM
Neil DiSarno (1953 - 2020) Neil DiSarno, a Holy Rosary parishioner and member of the Lido Civic Club, passed away on April 2, at his home in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Giovanna, their two daughters and other family by his side. With a PhD from Florida State, Neil dedicated his career to communication among the hearing impaired. He held a senior position at the American Speech and Hearing Association, and was previously a professor, and a department head at Missouri State University. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Neil's sense of adventure and love of people took him all over the world. A devoted husband and father, he will be remembered as a kind, humble man with a quick smile, who battled a rare cancer with dignity
and determination. A scholarship fund has been set up in his name at Missouri State. Go to: missouristatefoundation.org. Click on Make a Gift/Neil DiSarno Scholarship.
veryhere we turn these days, Now we have a precious opportunity to all we hear is bad news. From rediscover the beauty of family ties that catastrophic to worrisome were always there, but which, at times, announcements about the pandemic, were relegated to spare spaces. We now the media is continuously feeding us have more time to rest, to talk, to spend information ranging from the medical to time doing things together as a family. social and from the political to financial We have time to cook breakfast and to effects of the Coronavirus. On the radio, enjoy it. There may be moments when television and internet, Coronavirus is we may even be at loss of what to do; now part of every printed or spoken but, like the people in Italy that started information. Is there anything positive singing to each other from balconies, in this global disaster? we are resilient, and we will find a way. One of the many lessons that Easter A final lesson we can learn is how is teaching us is that, precious our parish even in the most and community life Now we have a devastating situation, are. Quite a few people precious opportunity there is something have expressed the to learn and a silver to rediscover the beauty feeling of the loss Mary R. Catucci (1922 - 2020) lining to discover. The they are experiencing of family ties first lesson of these Mary Ruzzi Catucci, a devoted lifelong parents who had emigrated from Abruzzo, that were always there, by not being able to painful circumstances come to church and to member of Holy Rosary Church, passed Italy. Mary married Nick Catucci in 1947, but which, at times, Casa Italiana over the is that the whole of and for decades they and their families were away on March 12. She was 98 years old. were relegated to humanity is connected. weekend. We took it pillars of Holy Rosary Church. Mary was the oldest of five children of This virus is teaching Mary told Voce Italiana in 2013 of her spare spaces. for granted for so long love for Holy Rosary. "I was baptized here. us that the real or that maybe we needed For 66 years, Holy Rosary has been my parimaginary barriers that we put up something like this to realize how ish. People don't realize how different the and that we thought were solid and important and how precious this weekly atmosphere here is from other churches." relevant, are in reality just paper walls: coming together actually is. At times, Mary is predeceased by her husband from monarchs to sports figures, from in the past, we may have missed out on Nick. She is survived by her brother Joe Ruthe powerful to the needy, across races, Masses and parish events because we zzi and sister-in-law Rose, as well as a host social stratification and borders, we all knew that there would always be “next of nieces, nephews, Godchildren, family and find ourselves in the same boat. Sunday” or “the next event.” Now we friends. The second lesson is that now we realize how valuable each event and A memorial Mass will be held at a later do have time for ourselves and for our each weekend are. date at Holy Rosary Church. families. “I’m too busy.” “I am always These are but a few lessons we can trying to catch up.” “I am the taxi driver take from this difficult situation. Lent for my children, driving them to school, was a time to pause and consider. Easter A Message of Hope from Pope Francis to sports, to other extracurricular is a time to renew and restart. Let us "Tonight before falling asleep think about when we will return to the street. When we activities.” “I do not have time now.” take advantage of the silver lining of will hug again, when all the shopping together will seem like a party. “I’m always tired.” These were the this reality so that we will walk out, Let's think about when the coffee will return to the bar, the small talk, the photos close constant refrains of our daily life. Now eventually, more aware of who we are to each other. We think about when it will be all a memory, when normality will seem an all of this has come to an abrupt stop. and of the richness of what we have. unexpected and beautiful gift. I was teasing a friend saying that now Happy Easter. We will love everything that has so far seemed futile to us. Every second will be prehe has time to do the work around the --Fr. Ezio Marchetto, C.S. cious. Swims at the sea, the sun until late, sunsets, toasts, laughter. We will go back to house that he was always too busy to do. laughing together. Strength and courage."
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FACES IN HISTORY
Concetta Maria Scaravaglione: “A Tiny Woman of Great Energy” by Fr. Ezio Marchetto
On Sunday afternoons, I enjoy exploring the rich cultural heritage of Washington, D.C., particularly its museums and art galleries. Recently, I was visiting a section of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM), when I came across a sculpture by Concetta Maria Scaravaglione. I was not familiar with this artist and, since I am always interested in Italian-American artists, I wanted to find out more. Here's what I learned: Concetta Scaravaglione was born on July 9, 1900 and grew up on New York City’s Lower East Side in an Italian neighborhood. Her parents emigrated from Calabria, Italy. The youngest of nine children, she lost her father at a young age, leaving her mother to support her family with her small grocery store. In school Concetta's artistic talent was recognized at an early age and she was encouraged to develop her gift. She enrolled in the National Academy of Design in New York City, but had to leave because co-ed sculpture classes were not allowed. To help further her career, she worked in a lampshade factory and in a perfume factory filling up perfume bottles. Eventually she won a series of scholarships and awards that allowed her to dedicate her life to art, specializing in sculpture, which at the time was an unusual medium for a woman. Scaravaglione carved directly into wood and stone, without using a clay model and created many sculptures of women that expressed strength and beauty. She used a wide variety of materials, including wood, terra-cotta,
Aborigines, a limestone relief for the Drexel Hill Post Office in Pennsylvania. In 1947 Scaravaglione won the Prix de Rome award from the American Academy in Rome, which made her the first woman to be awarded that honor. This award included transportation to Rome, residence in the American
she was often seen by neighbors in the Chelsea area as she shoveled her walks in the early 70s." Her work is represented in various Washington, D.C. sites: Railway Mail Carrier (1936) at the Ariel Rios Federal Building; Americans at Work, Past and Present (1938) at the Federal Trade
Concetta Scaravaglione
and bronze, and was one of the first artists to experiment with welded metal. In 1937 Scaravaglione became one of the founding members of the Sculptors Guild, a society of sculptors who banded "Agriculture" at the Federal Trade Commission Building together to promote public interest in contemporary sculpture. Academy, studio space and a salary. She Commission Building; Standing Female Scaravaglione started her teaching lived in Rome for three years. Nude (date unknown), a sculpture at the career at New York University, taking Back in the United States, she taught Smithsonian American Art Museum; and time off to travel to Italy and other in the art department of Vassar College in Standing Woman (c. 1945), ebony, at the parts of Europe to expand her artistic Poughkeepsie, N.Y., until her retirement Smithsonian American Art Museum. horizons. She later taught in several other in 1967. She died in New York City on institutions. September 4, 1975. During the Depression of the 1930s, An obituary in the New York Times, she was hired for the Works Progress stated, "A tiny woman of great energy, Administration in the Federal Art Projects. Under this commission, Scaravaglione made four works: Railway Mail, located IT SQUAD LLC in the Ariel Rios Building; Agriculture, a limestone relief at the Federal Trade 202-422-4393 Commission; Woman with Mountain Computer & Networking Sheep, a large plaster figure at the Federal Server setup Wireless setup Building for the N.Y. World’s Fair; and Network & Phone cabling Security Camera The Lido Civic Club of Washington D.C. Home theater installation
1929-2019 Our 90th Year Metropolitan Washington’s Premier Italian-American Business and Professional Men’s Organization
Vincenzo Fragomeni, President Richard DiPippo, Vice President Arthur J. Del Buono, Treasurer Damian Gallina, Secretary Philip Finelli, Public Affairs John Dovi, Sergeant at Arms www.lidoclub.org
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Washington DC, April 2020
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