Saturday afternoon (April 7th), the statue of the Madonna del Soccorso di Sciacca was translated from the Italian American Museum (155 Mulberry St.) to the Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood (113 Baxter St.) in Little Italy, New York. After ten years, the museum is closing for renovations and the statue, which once belonged to the defunct San Calogero Society on Elizabeth Street, has found a new home at the historic church. What’s more, it was reunited with the statue of San Calogero, which also belonged to the old society.

Arriving early, I had the opportunity to speak with several members of the newly formed Madonna del Soccorso and San Calogero di Sciacca Society. Full of fond memories about the old feast, they are very enthusiastic about starting up the celebration for their beloved patrons again and plan on organizing an annual Mass and block party on Elizabeth Street.