A Sunday of faith and participation accompanied the communities of Pace and Gravitelli Superiore, united by the feast of the Madonna delle Grazie. Processions, prayer and tradition marked a day lived by the faithful, with the two neighborhoods gathered around their respective simulacra.
Greetings from the sea to Peace
In Pace the central moment was that of the procession, with the artistic simulacrum of the Madonna placed on the throne emerging from the church in the Grotte district and pushed by the bearers, followed by families, young people, children and elderly people; many accompanied the procession, while others awaited the passage of the Virgin from the windows and balconies of their homes. To frame the party, the sea, an element that has always accompanied village life.
The ships’ sirens greeted the exit of the simulacrum from the church, followed by the music of the Faro Superiore band and the first fireworks at sea. Leading the Grotte procession is the parish priest Don Francesco Venuti, who entrusted the young people, families, the sick and those experiencing situations of loneliness and difficulty to the Madonna. Prayer was also raised for world peace, in a celebration that combined the religious dimension with the participation of the entire village.
In Gravitelli the archbishop’s mass and the flight of the angel
Celebration also in Gravitelli Superiore, where the Madonna delle Grazie is the heart of a tradition deeply rooted in the community. Before the procession, the mass was presided over by Archbishop Giovanni Accolla. At the end of the celebration, the simulacrum was carried along the streets of the neighborhood, accompanied by large numbers of people. A journey shared by several generations, in which the community has renewed its trust in the Madonna.
Leading the community is Don Alessandro Marzullo, who for the first time accompanied the faithful on the journey to the celebration. At the end of the procession, in front of the church, the traditional flight of the angel took place, one of the most awaited and evocative moments of the celebrations, sealed by the singing of the Ave Maria.