[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E865]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE ST. SEBASTIAN PARISH ON THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                          ST. SEBASTIAN FEAST

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2011

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to extend my sincere congratulations to the St. Sebastian Parish as 
they celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the St. Sebastian Feast. This 
wonderful annual celebration has become one of Middletown, 
Connecticut's most beloved community events. This is a remarkable 
milestone and I am proud to have this opportunity to commemorate this 
very special anniversary.
  The Feast of St. Sebastian is a blend of faith, culture, and 
tradition. The three-day event reconnects city residents to their 
Sicilian heritage. The tradition dates back to 1414, when it is said 
that a statue of St. Sebastian washed up on the shores near Melilli, a 
small town in Sicily. No one could lift the statue except for the 
residents of Melilli, and they carried it to a place where they later 
built a church in the saint's name.
  In the early 20th Century, immigrants from Melilli moved in large 
numbers to Middletown and soon there were enough families there to form 
a vibrant and close-knit Italian community that desired its own place 
of worship. Through a massive fundraising effort, the donation of 
materials, and the labor of masons, plasterers and stone carvers, the 
Italian community realized the dream of its own church, a significant 
local cultural symbol and the only Italian national parish in the 
Diocese of Norwich. The Feast of St. Sebastian was first celebrated in 
Middletown in 1921 and proceeds from the feast's early years helped 
finance the building of the church.
  Today, the Feast is run by a committee of dedicated congregation 
members and proceeds continue to benefit the church. Carnival rides, 
traditional Italian fare, and musical entertainment are part of the 
festivities, but the heart of the event happens Sunday, when, after 
Mass, the church's statue of St. Sebastian is carried in a procession 
and I Nuri, a group dressed in white with red sashes, run barefoot or 
in socks in a show of devotion for the saint. The procession has grown 
to include hundreds of people and, as you might imagine, it is an 
extraordinarily beautiful demonstration of faith and culture.
  It is events like the Feast of St. Sebastian, those forged in the 
bonds of family and community, which allow generation after generation 
to understand and celebrate their shared heritage. They enrich our 
communities as well as renew our commitment to faith and family. I am 
honored to stand today to extend my warmest congratulations to the St. 
Sebastian Parish and its many families as they celebrate the 90th 
Anniversary of their Feast of St. Sebastian. The Feast is a real 
community treasure and I wish them all the best for many more 
successful years to come.

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