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News and Events ~ July 2010

News from the Society:

San Vincenzo Restoration Project

A Priceless Relic - While examining the statue at St. Joseph’s Church, Mr. Anthony D’Ambrosio, president of D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Studios, examined what is thought to be the 1769 relic of San Vincenzo that was sent to Craco before his body was brought there in 1792.

After a visit earlier this year to St. Joseph’s Church in New York to view the statue of San Vincenzo it appeared some restoration might be needed. The Board of Directors authorized a project to undertake an evaluation of the statue. In conjunction with Fr. Walter Tonelotto, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, arrangements were made to have D’Ambrosio Ecclesiastical Studios, Inc. inspect the statue of San Vincenzo and evaluate what might be needed.
In June, a group of Society directors and volunteers met with Mr. Anthony D’Ambrosio to get his recommendations about the statue. After his inspection of the 109 year old statue he recommended a minimal cleaning of the figure and the other objects in the case. He also recommended covering the rear brick wall of the case with an appropriate cloth draping. A decision was made to replace the cape on the statue with one of a turquoise blue color that matches the cape on the original relic in Craco.
As a follow up to the inspection, photographs of the San Vincenzo relic and his case in Craco were sent to Mr. D’Ambrosio so fabrics could be selected. This Society project represents a significant step in preserving one of the unique relics connected to our roots in Craco and Lower Manhattan. The history of the saint, the statue, and the Cracotan devotion to the saint is available in the Society publication, San Vincenzo Martire and the Crachesi in Two Worlds.
To underwrite the preservation work we are announcing the establishment of “The San Vincenzo Fund.” This fund will be maintained separately from the Society’s general treasury and it will be used for this project and the restoration of other Cracotan relics.
Contributions can be made to the San Vincenzo Fund by check or online. Information about how to make a contribution is shown below.
Please consider making a contribution to preserve your heritage and history.

Checks:

"The Craco Society San Vincenzo Fund"
The Craco Society
14 Earl Road
East Sandwich, MA 02537 USA

Contribute on-line

Click on the contribute on-line box above and enter the Society’s email address in the “To” email box: memberservices@thecracosociety.org. Then fill in the remaining information.

News from Craco

The initial feed back from the Society group now in Craco is extremely positive. An email update from Joe Rinaldi reports, “Everything so far has been fantastic. Torre Fiore is spectacular, people are saying it is paradise, more than exceeded anyone's expectation. The food at Torre Fiore is ALL local - we haven't stopped eating since we arrived.”
Referring to their first visit to Craco on Sunday,”... everything went fine, people were still emotional about being there - we definitely need to go back on Thursday with more time to walk around.” The email came in on Monday as the group was on their way to Ferrandina to tour an olive oil press.
Tuesday found them on their way to Castelmezzano, and then a visit to Craco Peschiera before taking a tour of the famous Amaro Lucano factory in Pisticci Scalo. With two more visits scheduled to Craco during the remainder of the trip, the group will have ample opportunity to see the town and relatives there .
Details about the trip and an update of happenings in Craco will be presented at the 4th Annual Crachesi del Nord America Reunion on August 6-8 at the Villa Roma Resort in the Catskill Mountains.
Make plans to attend and share the event.

Society News

The results of the 2010 Craco Society survey reveal that members value the monthly newsletter, the website, and access to genealogy records. As these communication channels take on more importance, our original email listserv and Facebook group have less of an impact on our members.
Future projects were prioritized by member responses in the following order:
1. Collect the stories of the generation that immigrated from Craco. (Some suggested that we could highlight these stories and other Cracotan stories in our monthly newsletter.)
2. Seek 501 C3 status, allowing tax deductible donations and possible charitable work for Craco residents.
3. Restore Cracotan relics, such as the San Vincenzo statute in NYC.
4. There was also an interest to encourage Italian language classes and a youth exchange program with Craco.
There were some suggestions in regard to the yearly reunion. Since the first reunion in 2007, we have held the Craco Society reunions in the New York state area. Members from other areas suggest we alternate meeting sites and/or hold regional meetings for members.
Our members have a diverse set of skills they are willing to invest into the Craco Society.
As our organization progresses, we will count on our membership to bring creative suggestions and opportunities for growth to our current and future members. Please do not hesitate to contact the Board of Directors with any ideas or projects you might have in mind: memberservices@thecracosociety.org

San Rocco

The 121st Feast of San Rocco will be celebrated in New York City on Sunday August 22, 2010.
This historic event, sponsored by the San Rocco Society of Potenza, has wide support and participation. It is one of the few Italian feasts that continues to be celebrated in the traditional fashion. Starting at St. Joseph’s Church, which also houses a statue and relic of San Vincenzo Martire the Patron Saint of Craco, the San Rocco feast begins with a special noontime Mass.
Then San Rocco’s veneration continues with his statue being carried from the church in a procession through the historic streets of Manhattan's Little Italy.
The Feast of San Rocco is widely celebrated in Southern Italy explaining one of the appeals this event has for so many.

So mark your calendars and plan on supporting this most worthwhile cause.

July in Craco Vecchio

Harvest

• Grain

• Fave

• Ceci

• Figs

• Prickly pears

This is another busy, but rewarding month for threshing the grain, and finalizing the cultivation of fave and ceci.

To thresh the grain, the grain has to be separated from the chaff. In the 1950s, mechanical threshers were introduced to the area (it was difficult to get these machines onto the farms due to lack of roads and hilly terrain). It's a pretty slow process by today's standards, where self-propelled combines comb up swaths of wheat and spew the separated grain into trucks travelling alongside. But the mechanical thresher was a magnificent improvement over the arduous task of flailing the grain by hand.

For the fave and ceci, horses will be used to trample over the dried crops to separate the legume from the plant. Farmers rely on the presence of a strong wind to blow away the plant and leave the legumes behind.

By July, all fig trees are full of sweet, ripe fruit.

Click here to view A Year in Craco. Events in Craco for every month are listed. Thank you to Joe Rinaldi in Canada for his contribution to this page.

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