Festive Sunday for two city parish communities, that of Montepiselli and that of San Domenico al Dazio, who celebrated their respective religious anniversaries with prayer, processions and moments of popular participation. Two different events, but united by a deeply rooted devotion and a strong sense of community belonging.
In Montepiselli, where there is the only diocesan church initially dedicated to the Madonna del Rosario and which Archbishop Angelo Paino then wanted to name after Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, the feast of Saint Teresa has renewed a tradition made of faith and symbols. During the celebration there was no shortage of the traditional shower of rose petals, a sign of a particularly heartfelt devotion towards the saint of Lisieux. The tradition of the novena and the blessing of roses can be traced back to the request made in 1925, the year of Saint Teresa’s canonization, by the religious father SJ Putigan, her devotee, who asked for a rose as a sign of grace. Since then the flower has become one of the most recognizable symbols of devotion to the saint. The community accompanied the celebration with prayer and procession, entrusting to Saint Teresa the intentions for the people affected by wars, for young people and their families, for the sick and for those who experience conditions of loneliness and hardship. At the end of the procession, in the churchyard, the traditional fireworks display was renewed, the final moment of the day of celebration.
On Viale Regina Elena, however, the community of San Domenico al Dazio experienced a particularly significant celebration on the occasion of the feast of the Madonna del Rosario. For the Dominican fathers and the faithful of the neighborhood it is an anniversary deeply linked to the history of the Dominican presence in the city, a presence that over the centuries has represented not only a religious reference, but also a social and cultural presence. This year the festival has taken on an even more particular value because it coincides with the centenary of the laying of the foundation stone of the church of San Domenico. An anniversary that does not just concern a religious building, but tells a piece of the city’s history and the journey of a community that, over time, has built relationships, memory and belonging around the parish. The history of the Dominicans in Messina has its roots in the historical presence of the Order in the city, from the original headquarters near the Tirone until the suppression of the religious orders in 1866, after the Unification of Italy, and the subsequent return and transfer to the current headquarters of the Dazio. This year the celebration also marked a particularly significant innovation: for the first time since the post-war period the simulacrum of the Madonna del Rosario was carried on the shoulders of the faithful. Previously, in fact, the imposing statue was transported on a pickup truck. The return to shoulder transport has thus added a further element of participation and involvement of the community, giving the procession an even more popular and shared dimension. Before the departure of the procession, the traditional blessing of the roses took place in the churchyard, distributed by the hundreds even in the days preceding the celebration. The flower, once again, was the external sign of a devotion deeply rooted in the territory. The procession crossed the streets of the district, led by the parish priest Father Francesco Narcisi, together with the religious community, the faithful, the pastoral workers and the scouts of Masci Messina 5 and Agesci Messina 3. During the journey the community prayed, entrusting the main intentions of the day to Mary and Saint Teresa of Lisieux: peace for the people affected by wars, the protection of young people and their families, closeness to the sick and to those who live in solitude and hardship.