We are happy to share that our friends in West Philadelphia were successful in revitalizing a long-lost saint procession: San Donato’s Church, an Italian National Parish has been closed for many years, yet a strong push led by the Society of St. Frances Cabrini of Philadelphia (https://www.thesocietyofstfrancescabriniofphiladelphia.com/) has brought forth some promise by virtue of their October 10th Mass and procession for their patron, San Donato along with their patroness, Santa Francesca Saverio Cabrini. The church has recently undergone some significant restoration thanks to the financial and physical generosity from Philadelphia’s Italian Catholic community. The church is now opened for certain occasions; a huge step in the right direction for keeping the church opened indefinitely. The Society of St Frances Cabrini of Philadelphia, a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization’s goal is to ensure that the sacred historic St Donato Church remains a Roman Catholic sacred space, in order that it will serve as a dedicated shrine to St Frances Cabrini and St Donato.
San Donato has significant history in the Italian American community as it was once ministered by Saint Frances Cabrini. Mother Cabrini, as she is affectionately known, ministered to the Italian speaking people of Philadelphia and lived in this Italian enclave of Overbrook for a short period of time where she was able to also found an orphanage just up the block from the church. Many Italian organizations support this community in their enduring quest to maintain their church as the spiritual foundation of multiple generations of West Philadelphia Italian Americans who descended from immigrants who hailed from different parts of Southern Italy. One such organization which attended October 10th’s Mass and procession is the Italian Cultural Center of the Delaware Valley (https://iccdelval.org/).
Raymond Guarini
Italian Enclaves Historical Society
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