By Kit Moore
More than a century of faith, food and tradition filled the streets around Sacred Heart Church this weekend as the parish celebrated its 114th annual Italian Feast.
The four-day celebration, held Thursday through Sunday, July 16-19, commemorated the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated July 16. The annual procession took place Sunday, with parishioners carrying statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. Anthony of Padua through the streets of the city.
The feast dates to the 14th century in Europe and honors Mary as the patron saint of the Carmelite order, a group of priests who lived on Mount Carmel in what is now Israel during the 13th century.
Sacred Heart Church has held a procession every year since the parish was founded in 1913. This year, the procession began at the church at 401 Ann St., continued down Washington Street and returned along Ann Street to the festival grounds.
There, attendees could enjoy live music, games, charity raffles and a variety of Italian food. While local restaurants such as Bivona’s Simply Pasta and Vesuvio’s Ristorante help with the event, much of the food is prepared by parish families.
Joe Bilello, one of the feast organizers, said fried dough remains one of the event’s most enduring traditions.
“We have fried dough at the end, which is a big tradition in the parish also,” Bilello said. “Some years, when this was not this big, all they did was fry dough in the lawn after the procession. So fried dough is kind of the anchor.”
The feast has grown significantly over the decades, but some traditions have evolved. The procession once followed a much longer route through the city but has been shortened in recent years to make it more accessible to older parishioners.
Many attendees have participated in the feast for decades. Carolina De Janeiro, a longtime Sacred Heart parishioner, has been attending for 55 years.
The celebration also draws visitors from outside the city. Pat Cooper, who lives in the Town of Newburgh and does not attend Sacred Heart Church, said he returns to the feast every year.
“It’s always a good time, it’s a great atmosphere, and I enjoy the people and the food and everything else,” Cooper said.
Saturday is typically the busiest day of the celebration, with activities running from noon to 10 p.m. This year, however, rain shifted the largest crowds to Friday.
“We had the busiest day we ever saw Friday,” Bilello said. “People just kept coming on Friday, and even yesterday with the rain it was still a successful day.”
Bilello said the organizers are grateful for the community’s continued support.
“We appreciate the community coming out and supporting us for so many years,” he said. “Each year we keep growing and growing, and we try to make it a nice event to bring the community of Newburgh and the greater Newburgh area together.”
Dining and Cooking