Christmas came early for Lucy Sasso on Sunday, when she was invited to help reveal a new statue for the Santa Maria Maddalena Society (SSMM).
Sasso, whose father founded the organization, has been involved in the SSMM since she was a child and is the oldest member of the Women’s Society there.
“You’ll never find anyone better,” President of The Society Andrew Consiglio said.
The “gentle, caring individual” had tears in her eyes as she saw the completely granite statue of a young Santa Maria Maddalena unveiled.
“I just wish my parents were here to see this,” she said. “It’s like Christmas: the greatest day.”
The statue, completely made from granite, came from a vision of the society president, Consiglio. It was unveiled on Sunday as part of the Society’s 117th anniversary, following the annual Old World Tradition procession through Wooster Square.
Italian immigrants from the town of Atrani formed the Society of Santa Maria Maddalena in New Haven on May 1, 1898. Santa Maria Maddalena is the patron saint of Atrani, so the society was named in honor of her. Her feast day, July 22, has been celebrated in New Haven for the past 117 years without interruption.
(Click here to read about the 2013 precession and here to read about the 2012 celebrations.)
Consiglio said he wanted the statue to be a public demonstration of the society’s continued faith and community, placed outside the SSMM Club on Wooster Street so that the whole community could enjoy it.
Close to 100 people celebrated the unveiling on Sunday morning.
State Sen. Martin Looney, Wooster Square Alder Aaron Greenberg and City Clerk Mike Smart were among the public officials who joined to support the celebration.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who grew up in the neighborhood, addressed the gathering. She noted that the society is the oldest Italian-American organization in Connecticut. Then, speaking personally, she thanked the organization for hosting a community for Italian-Americans, a community she had found in her own home.
DeLauro had recently taken her grandchildren to Ellis Island to tell them the stories of immigration and the journey of her father, who emigrated from Italy and became a translator for his community.
“We can and should not ever forget where we came from,” she said. “This should continue. … This should be our way of life.”
Nicholas Gargano, another of the society’s members set to be honored Sunday, was unable to attend due to ill health. Consiglio thanked his dedication to the society in his absence, wishing him a speedy recovery.
The statue will soon be fenced off with flowers set to decorate and honor it, with the society members hoping that it will be a permanent reminder of the group’s history and inspiration for its future.
