[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 24, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SAINT CIRO SOCIETY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 1998

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention the 
100th Anniversary of the Saint Ciro Society. The Saint Ciro Society 
will be celebrating this memorable occasion on Saturday, January 31st.
  The Saint Ciro Society was founded in 1898 by Italian immigrants, 
many of whom came from the small town of Marineo in the Province of 
Palermo. Saint Ciro is the patron saint of Marineo and it was only 
natural that these immigrants would dedicate their association to the 
Saint to whom they were so devoted. In time, the Saint Ciro Society 
became the place where these immigrants could go and not feel isolated 
by language barriers and discrimination. It was a touch of home in a 
far away place.
  As time passed, enough money was raised to make it possible to buy a 
site where they could go and feel accepted and share their experiences 
of living in a foreign land with their fellow ``paisans.'' Eventually, 
a chapel was built where Saint Ciro could be venerated. Gathering at 
their site on Gaston Avenue in Garfield, New Jersey, members of the 
Saint Ciro Society pray in the chapel where masses are often celebrated 
by local priests in addition to priests visiting from other countries.
  The Saint Ciro Society has a long history of association with Our 
Lady of Mount Virgin Church as well as aiding numerous charities. The 
society has donated close to $25,000 to help build a church in the 
Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), where the Adorno fathers have a 
mission supported by the organization. The Saint Ciro Society also 
supports the Collegine Sisters in Tanzania and Father Salerno's mission 
in Peru. Additionally, the society has raised $15,000 to help acquire 
and send a much needed ambulance to the town of Marineo.
  The charity of the Saint Ciro Society is not limited to just foreign 
countries. In 1996, $8,600 was donated to having a shrine installed in 
honor of Saint Ciro and in helping to defray the costs of renovating 
the organization's church. Always an integral part of the community, 
the society helps all those in need by helping to pay rent or medical 
bills and, every year at Christmas, the society collects food for the 
needy. Over the past two years, the collected food has been brought to 
the food pantry at Mount Virgin.
  As a valued member of the community, the Saint Ciro Society provides 
yearly scholarships to worthy Italian-American students, one each from 
Garfield and Lodi High Schools. One year the society also provided a 
mobile mammography unit to help screen for breast cancer and stands 
ready to do it again.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me, our colleagues, the members of 
the Saint Ciro Society, and the community of North Jersey, in 
recognizing the many outstanding and invaluable services provided by 
the Saint Ciro Society. It is only fitting that we honor the society on 
the occasion of the 100th Anniversary.

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