The May 3 of each year, on the occasion of the patronal holidays, the The patronage of San Francesco di Paola on Italian seafarers, proclaimed by Pope Pius XII March 27, 1943 with the short pontifical “Quod sanctorum patronatus”.
After years of waiting, and thanks to the favorable weather conditions, the celebration has found its most authentic symbolic value. In the afternoon, in collaboration with the Port Authoritythe Italian Naval League he is Firefightersthe precious relic of Sacred cloak of St. Francis left the Sanctuary of Paola To reach the neighbor by sea Port of Cetraro.
A suggestive procession of boats escorted the relic along the Calabrian Tyrrhenian stretch, ideally recalling the famous Miracle of the Strait of Messinawhich for centuries has fueled popular devotion to the patron saint.
The crossing is not only a religious rite, but also a message of hope and protection for all those who live and work at sea, in the name of St. Francissymbol of faith and spiritual closeness to the maritime community.