The Italian Festival returns to the grounds of St. Anthony of Padua Parish on June 7, looking almost identical to previous years but with a few differences. The main difference will come right at the beginning of the festival. The feast day Mass, with readings and music in Italian, and procession of saints will take place on opening day, at 12:30 and 2 p.m., respectively, said Anthony Albence, a member of the festival steering committee. Those previously had been held on the closing Sunday, with shortened hours for the event.
The procession harkens back to the original spiritual roots of the parishioners, Albence said. A lot of processions in Italy were dedicated to the patron saint of a region or village.
“It’s changed over the years, certainly, but we still have families are tied to that historically,” he said.
