Tag Archives: Maria SS Lauretana

I’m ceaselessly amazed by the ingenuity and tenacity we show in the face of adversity. A half year ago, the coronavirus had us against the ropes, sending us scurrying for shelter and forcing us to cancel every blessed event we were so blithely planning. Yet here we are today, with COVID-19 still bearing down on us, back in the middle of the ring bobbing and weaving as we find ways to celebrate community and culture while keeping the pandemic at bay. For the past 16 years, a cavalcade of authors and scores of enthusiasts have gathered in the Florentine Room …

After an enormously successful move from Berwyn to Niles two years ago, the Feast of Maria SS. Lauretana has much to be proud of as it looks forward to its third year in the near north suburb. “(The city of Niles) has welcomed us with open arms, and they have given us all the cooperation and respect in the world,” says Joe Camarda, president of Congregazione Maria SS. Lauretana di Altavilla Milicia in Chicago. “It has been going beautifully, and we haven’t seen a turnout like we’ve had in a long time.” Camarda also offered his undying gratitude to the …