As with any migration, Italy in the late 1800s was a country trying to find itself after the many changes of governments. Its youth, frustrated over the lack of education and employment, faced a life of no future. However, America was flourishing in the very things that this European country was lacking in.
In the years between 1885 and 1915, there was a great exodus of the small mountain town of Montefalcione. The nine day voyage into America, via steerage, cost a whopping thrity-five dollars, which many families struggled to raise in order to send their eldest son to America. He, in turn, would work and help his siblings make the same voyage into the land of the free.
The majority of the people fled to Boston and settled in the lower end of Endicott Street and it's surrounding area in the North End of the city. Many rented rooms from relatives while others grouped and shared apartments.
Work in this new country was very obtainable, but because of the langauge barrier and the lack of experience in any field they settled for jobs as laborers, ditch diggers and menial jobs others wouldn't do. Some went from job to job and many found stable employment in surrounding cities and towns.
As time passed many went to night school on North Bennett Street to learn history and language in preparation for their Citizenship. Many began to date and marry, but all of them settled either on or around Endicott Street. This to them became their own little Montefalcione.
Sundays, after church people would gather at the corner of Endicott and North Margin to discuss their week, their lives and renew friendships. In 1909, a large group of these, new found immigrants, all got together and rented a store, a stone throw away from where they would congregate. That would be the birth of Ciciolo de Amici di Montefalicone (The Circle of Friends of Montefalcione). The pack numbered thirty-five, but this number would soon grow as another paisani would come to America.
In 1910, after much discussion of bringing some old world home to their new homeland, the group wished to have a feast for their patron St. Anthony. They raised the money among themselves and cast in Naples by the same people who created the statue Montefalcione but at 3/4 the actual scale.
The start of World War I stopped immigration and many returned to fight for Italy. This also delayed the completion of the beloved statue. When the war ended the statue was still at the statuary in Naples. It took nearly a year and a half to finally have it shipped. On it's arrival it was housed in Saint Leonard's lower church. From its inception to its final completion, it took nine years to have the statue made, shipped and delivered.
Plans were under way to have a procession in a part of the North End on the same day the feast was held in their hometown, the last Sunday of August 1919. One concern was how to illuminate and decorate the area for the feast to take place. It was decided that they would purchase strings of lights and the members would do their own decorating. For a week prior and after a full days work, members would work through the night stringing and wiring these lights. Member's wives would ban together and prepare food for the workers many of who had to leave and go to their regular jobs.
The Roma band was contracted to play for the procession and a Saturday night concert. A city makeshift bandstand was decorated, as was an extended storefront, which was to house the statue overnight. On Saturday night, at 6:30 pm, the Circle of Friends gathered at Endicott and North Margin Streets and began the march up to Keaney Square around Prince Street to St. Leonard's Church. At approximately 7:00 pm the statue was taken in procession with the members and families carrying lit candles up to Hanover to Parmenter Streets, Salem to Cooper Streets and then to Endicott.
On Sunday, in Saint Leonard's Church, High Mass was celebrated and the life of St. Anthony read with all the members and paisani present. At 2:00 pm in the afternoon a procession commenced having the same roue as the year before with the addition of little Prince to North Square to Moon Street onto Fleet and on it's decent to Endicott St. by 6:00 pm. This route continued for nearly forty years. North Street was never a part of the parade route over some petty feud with several members of both organizations, as to who had the larger of the two feasts.
The first feast yielded very little in cash. The total amounted in just over one thousand dollars with the addition of some jewelry. At 10:00 pm the statue was returned to the church. This style of feast continued until 1925 with each year increasing in crowds, alms and jewelry. These donations were given in thanks for favors asked and received for lack of money in order to give a token of value. A cape was designed and the jewelry attached, as the accumulation grew a bridle was attached to the cape.
It was the feast of 1928 that St. Anthony met his first challenging obstacle. Now that a professional decorator was hired and the feast was in it's growing stages, things were running more smoothly, however a new Pastor felt very strongly that the church was entitled to the funds generated from the feast. At the end of this feast year the custom of the stripping of the statue began. It was at this point the Pastor made his thoughts clear and a confrontation with the feast committee began that the statue was impounded at the station one on North Street. Well, this caused quite a commotion. However, when resolved the Pastor refused to have the statue housed at the church. Instead, it would now be temporarily housed at the home of a member who had room to keep it until a more permanent site could be located. It remained there in his care until he died in the 50's.
The Circle of Friends had to work quickly to avoid any more embarrassment. In their next meeting, it was decided to rename the organization Saint Anthony of Padua di Montefalcione, a new charter for the organization as well as a new statue. The new statue was purchased from Daprato statuary in Charlestown and at this time was decided to purchase a smaller statue of St. Lucy who's feast is held each Monday after St. Anthony in Montefalcione.
The two statues were housed at the home of another member who lived on North Washington Street and remained there until the begining of the feast each year on Friday and Sunday nights. In the upcoming years, St. Lucy had no procession at all. She would just sit in the flower garden at Thatcher Court.
The stigma of the so-called scandal was evident for the next few years. In fact, because of it, the feast ran either in the red or just cleared expenses. The differences were recovered from the member's pockets, which, with the depression was a hardship for many. The organization was housed in a variety of stores on lower Endicott St. where their Sunday morning meetings continued through 1930s, 40s, 50s.
By this time, many of the original members were begining to age and become weak. Many of their children became members and the young blood pumped in new energy to the organization and it's feast. As the 1930s approached the feast was growing and was attracting several vendors who sold tonic, balloons, ice cream and light refreshments. Every sixth year when the feast falls on Labor Day weekend a procession was held for St. Lucy who would follow the same route as St. Anthony.
So every sixth year it would be a double feast that ran two and one half days. The crowds began to grow and so had the feast, but along came World War II and many of the youth were off to war and no feasts were held between 1942 and 1944 Several members lost children in the battlefields of Europe and the South Pacific.
The war in Europe ended in June 1945 and ended in the South Pacific on August 15, 1945. In thanksgiving, the members motivated themselves and put a feast together in the matter of three weeks and were celebrating on the last Sunday of August their tradition of Montefalcione. With the return of there service men from war, many with wives and many preparing for marriage, the membership was on the rise as the youth now grown men were planting their own roots.
This was the beginning of the varied expanse of the membership. With members marring into other races, religions and ethnic groups the organization was sporting members with Irish, Polish and Portuguese names. Also, all regions of Italy were being represented such as, Anzano, Bonoverto, Sicily, Rome, Parma, Geneva etc. There is still a scattering of first generation Monte's left but thankfully second and third generations are following.
The feast of 1948 turned out to be a glorious one indeed. The sight of 10,000 yellow and red roses illuminated the streets of the North End. It seemed to turn Endicott Street and all it's companion streets into a false daylight. This was the first year vendors had traveled from New York, via trucks, to this little town to celebrate the feast with their famous snowballs. Tons of paper and streamers came flying from rooftops on both sides of Endicott Street.
By 1948, there was a discussion of starting the feast of St. Anthony on a Friday rather than a Saturday. There was also talk of St. Lucy's Monday feast turning into a nightime celebartion and returning it to a day feast every sixth year. Not long after, this talk became reality and was huge success. So much so, that a society was formed in honor of the saint. Children and wives of the members formed the Society for St. Lucy. The new blood instituted what became the four day feast. One draw back was the large attendance at these events. It made it more difficult for the procession of the saint to proceed and was causing members to return later and later. At this point, the procession time was pushed up to one pm extending the hours of daylight for the parade, but the return to Endicott Street was still made in the dark.
It was the feast of 1951 that put speculation of feud to rest. With the destruction of the west end, the Sicilian feast had a shorter route. They had never come through the lower North End to Endicott or any surrounding streets nor had St. Anthony ventured North Street or the lower end of Fleet Street. Through a personal friendship of the president of both societies the beginning of 1952 changed the face of both parades. The fisherman marched down Endicott, up Prince to Salem to Cooper and then resumed the usual march. St. Anthony in turn, marched from Richmond, took the turn on North Street and up Fleet. Rather than the whole parade into North Square, just the statue and the Roma Band marched to the Church to a sound of bells. The organization began the open door policy to all societies, which still exists today.
As in the past, many members were off to war again in 1951. Korea's police action sent many into uniforms, but the feast continued as usual, while others were serving their country. The feast was getting larger and more expensive, each Feast Committee tried to do the best and leave a lasting image. By 1956, the company doing the decorations knew that no one had a choice because he was the only decorator around and began to double his price. Well, the members, as well as some of the organizations, began to rebel and some found a decorator from Beverly Massachusetts who also had a band. He did the decorations for several feasts, but that was seen as a disaster. The chapel wascovered in dining room wallpaper and the bandstand in flowers bedroom wallpaper. The members, quickly motivated an older member and his sons to make up some decorations of their own. What they came up with was arches of lights, which were very similar to the decorator's lights. The feast had been saved.
The following year,the decorator decided he was going to run a feast of his own. It would run a total of seven days and would be located on Hanover Street. A statue, that had been known to shed actual tears, would be coming from Italy to be honored at this feast. Many remember the feast as Our Lady of Tears. The feast was to be held the last Sunday of August. Not to be intimidated, the members of St. Anthony have made their usual plans and the two feasts ran simultaneously. On Sunday, both parades took off at one pm. The glitch was that they used the same route as St. Anthony did, but in reverse.This caused the parades to crisscross through the North End. Spectators didn't know which procession was which. St. Anthony got back really late that night, but yielded its largest sum to date. As it turned out, the opposing feast had not made enough money to even pay for the bands, permits, or even the light bill they had generated. Again, St. Anthony survived and the feast continued growing.
In the mean time, the organization purchased 203 Endicott Street, a former pool parlor with a hall that locals used for dances. The building needed a lot of repair, the constuction of a chapel, a clubroom and a sanitary facility. The members who had trades as carpenters and electricians volunteered their services and what they could not do they contracted out.
So it was that at the termination of the feast of 1958. St. Anthony and St. Lucy passed in the night and St. Anthony went to his new home while St. Lucy went to her outdoor chapel in preparations for the next days parade. After 39 years after it's founding, St. Anthony and St. Lucy now had a home of their own.
The older members were beginning to loosen their reigns and the younger generations were being elected and holding office. Each newly elected president and the officers brought their own style in, expanding the annual feast. Each feast committee strove each year for a better and larger feast. They also started instituting new programs such as, gathering members and families at summer cookouts, conducting an annual banquet and a family and fraternity.
They in there own way and style spread the homage of St. Anthony to an all time high and it was starting to reach proportions to where it was becoming a concern. Vendors were numerous and the outside youth saw an opportunity to profit by selling illegal beer and liquor. This became a concern for the local inhabitants.
In the late fifties, a new Pastor was named for St. Mary's Church and was a bit resentful that the services were not being held at his parish where it abutted the area of the feast. His show of objection was to forbid the attaching of lights and guide wires to the Church's property. So for two years, there was a gap of illumination from Thatcher to Cooper Street and from Endicott through Thatcher Court. Two members of the society obtained the permit that requires the signature of the Pastor to allow the lights to hang on the Church's property. In hopes of getting him to sign, they invited the Pastor for dinner. After some home made red wine, the Pastor signed the permit and Endicott Street was once again illuminated.
Weather has always played a great part of any feast and can either make or break it. In 1957 the procession started off under cloudy and drizzly weather. By the time the procession reached Prince street at North Margin the heavens opened up and it rained like a windswept gale. The officers and the feast committee decided to return to Endicott Street and cancel for the day. The following week-end was Labor Day week-end and the bands had no other prior commitments, so they promised to return that week-end.
As we came into the sixties the organization was attracting more of the local youth and membership was edging to one hundred members. The feast was getting larger, vendors and amusements were beginning to reach one hundred and the expenses were growing higher and higher. The alternate decorator folded his business after five years, so they had to turn to the original decorator who was asking for such staggering amounts it nearly wiped out any assets that were donated to the orginization's charities.
The fiftieth anniversary was upon us. In 1969, a large feast with a different type of enterainment was initiated. An outdoor Mass by a local Bishop born on Endicott Street said the Mass. A communion breakfast was held for all members and a procession began at noon. During the absence of the procession live entertainment would continue throughout the day until the procession returned. One thing that was omitted was all the paper confetti cascading on Endicott Street at the statue's return because charcoal grilles and open fires were ow being used by vendors and small fires kept breaking out.
One year in the early 70"s, a good size fire began when one family decided to cascade confetti and in the panic a small fire broke out and someone called the fire department. Just imagine Endicott Street with thousands of people, a procession and the fire department. As funny as it seems now it was sheer chaos at the time.
The countries bicentennial in 1976 turned the feast of St. Anthony into a red, white and blue mood. St. Anthony ribbons, as well as the members badges and a majority of the decorations sported the country colors. The feast was being advertised on radio, television, newspaper and the people from out of state were running bus trips to transport people into the North End. Membership was growing, but the fleeting original members were passing on the great feast of St. Anthony.
Expenses were increasing and the days of one thousand dollars per feast were increasing to five, ten, even twenty times higher with each passing year. The owner of the decorations passed on and the baton was passed to his son, who at an early age passed away suddenly. The family sold the decorations and St. Anthony lost out on the bid to own them. The dilemma was now the same as the first year. Who and how would they decorate for the feast of St. Anthony? The members faced the challenge and many remember the construction lights and the blue cloth bandstand and chapel decorated with aluminum foil.
This display motivated one of the members to spend his winter nights in the Prince Street garage and shape the chapel we see and know today. The second year, he constructed the bandstand that has served well over the last twenty odd years. He was to begin designing arches and lights, but as fate would have it, he passed away suddenly and with him went the idea of the new lights. The feast committee began to pursure other solutions. This brought us into a decorating company who designed Christmas decorations. It was this solution that brought the event of red and silver garland lights. They served us well, but the weather was the villain and they lasted about ten years.
The gold and amber lights with the images of St. Anthony and St. Lucy in the middle were purchased in the mid 80's which was when St. Anthony as the representation of immigrantions customs of ethnic customs in Washington D.C. at part of the Smithsonian Institute of summer programs. The feast of 1987 was another of our drizzle Sunday's, but not enough to cancel. The procession of umbrellas and the yellow and green raincoats was an unforgettable sight. Every once in a while a downpour hit and fortunately those in the procession would be close enough to another societies quarters that they would enter to have the down pour pass and strip the statue. The rain had added so much weight to the ribbons and the money attached that the carriers were struggling. Several members ran relay carrying the money in trash bags through the streets to the club headquarters to dry out. The biggest tragedy of the procession was the coat of gold, being old, wet and somewhat fragile began to rot after it dried out. A member donated the time and material to assemble another but was not ready to accompany St. Anthony to Washington DC.
The Smithsonian transported the statue, bandstand and chapel to Washington along with a large contingent of members via plane and bus. There, they quartered and fed them. Others arrived on their own and it turned out to be a large representation of people marching in the parade around the mall with the other organizations who attended. Being the Fourth of July most everyone flew home on the 5 pm flight, the others returned later.
The feast, this particular year with all the publicity amassed one of the largest crowds in years. Over one hundred vendors hawked their wares from food, clothing, furniture sold out. Program books were a new arrival as well as Saint Anthony bread. Several celebrities were in the parade, the local Miss America, a daughter of a member and the Philip Morris Man.
The nineties continued and the chapel got a face lift when a handful of members spent winter nights in the garage repainting and repairing what damage had occurred on the trip to Washington, as well as the storage in the garage. Some new illuminaion was purchased for the side streets, but the Amber and Gold garlands with portraits have become a symbol over the last fifteen years. Our new committee is now in the process of major repairs not only to club quarters, but also in search of new and better decorations, but this takes time and money. The main priority of the organization is to it's charitable donations, which over the years have awarded scholarships to local youth, to high schools, local sports teams, the four parishes of the area as well as the Old North Church, the orphans at the Italian Home, local senior citizens, the cancer, the heart, Jimmy fund, muscular dystrophy and other charities.
We have celebrated our eightieth anniversary with a new chapel, new spirit, new blood and energy of our members to continue what was started way back in 1919. As we enter the twenty first century the founding members and all those who have preceeded us must be looking at us and saying"A job well done." They must feel the pride at the way they inspired its new followers over the eighty years and those yet to come. Sure there were many mistakes, but with the guidance of out patron the correst answer will shine thru. Personally, I feel that the youth will be the continuing lifeline of this organization. What has been documented here, is its trials and barriers that it's overcome and may reoccur again.
In reflection, I remember myself and my siblings all dressed as Franciscan monks carrying a white lily marching. The hundreds of men and women walking, some barefooted, carrying candles, imploring for a favor or a miracle. The older members in the 30s and 40s dressed in the Sunday's best marching with their reversible badges one side. One in white the reverse in black for when they attended the funeral of a passed brother. The torch light parades when Saint Anthony came out on Saturday nights and his return on Sunday evenings.
The legacy of thirty five from Montefalcione has been carried proudly and each succeeding committee as well, to those who gave their lives and tie, always in attendance and active members. Yes, like any other organization, there are the almost members, who show up once a year to be seen and wear a badge, but let us not forget those whom worked tirelesly to maintain the values of the organization. Lastly, as I approach my flickering years I look at all the eager young faces who will follow and keep strong the traditions and standards of the society my congratulations.
I dedicate this to the original thirty five and my parents who were of it all and the two members who urged me to write this. May they all rest in peace.
