PITTSTON — The 97th annual procession honoring the Mother of the Rosary will wind its way through the streets of Pittston on Saturday, Oct. 6 beginning at 3 p.m. from the Orioles Park on Pine Street in Pittston Twp. The procession in Pittston is held at 3 p.m. to simultaneously be held with the procession in Montedoro, Sicily at 9 p.m.
The procession, sponsored by the Montedoro Society of Pittston, will constitute a two-day festival that begins Saturday with a dinner celebration at St. Joseph Marello Parish hall.
The Montedoro Society of Pittston was formed in 1916 as a fraternal and civic organization by immigrants who had come to this country from Montedoro, Sicily, to make their home in the Pittston area, and who, for the most part, worked in the coal mines in Wyoming Valley.
Among customs and traditions brought forward is the honoring each year with appropriate festivities of the patron saint of their native village. Thus in 1922, the immigrants from Montedoro decided to commission the construction of a statue of the Lady of the Rosary to be used during festivities that began in Pittston that year.
Funds for the statue were raised by solicitations sponsored by the Montedoro Society. The statue, made in Sicily, arrived in Pittston in 1922 and was originally housed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Francesco Castellino, 62 E. Railroad St., Pittston.
It was later brought to St. Rocco’s Church where it remained until its closing and is now housed at St. Joseph Marello parish.
The statue is beautifully adorned with handmade clothing in the tradition that began in 1922 by Salvatore Licata, deceased, and later by Rose Chiarelli, deceased. The statue is processed through the streets on a truck decorated by Dolores Infantino, wife of the late Joey “I” Infantino, for more than 50 years.
