Angela Maione worked the counter as her husband, Giovanni, salted the fries fresh out of the fryer. As she took orders for fries, pizza, chicken tenders, and roast pork and broccoli rabe – her favorite, she said – she happily glanced at her counter companion, the reason for her hard work, and for the masses making their way here to Saint Mary of Mount Carmel Parish: the Blessed Mother, in the form a small statue.
“She’s in the stands with us, watching over us,” Maione said. “I love the Blessed Mother, and this is a way to show how much she means to me.” The 151st Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival – six days of celebration leading up to and continuing past her July 16 feast day – included Masses in various languages, adorations, a procession through the Hammonton streets and a carnival.
