Delegation of Sicily

Palermo, January 2017 – During the month of January the always active Sicilian Delegation carried out numerous activities in support of the less fortunate.
On January 18 the regular distribution of products for infants took place in Monreale, as part of the program “Crumbs of health”. The Vice Delegate, Nob. Dott. Antonio di Janni and several Knights and volunteers distributed more than 120 liters of milk, diapers, 90 containers of homogenized baby food, cookies, pastries and 90 kg of pastina to approximately 50 children of needy families.

To assist several groups of seniors during a particularly cold season when temperatures dipped well below Sicilian averages, the Delegation purchased and distributed bed warmers to needy seniors living in senior care facilities or living in precarious conditions without heat.
On January 21 the Vice Delegate, always attentive to combining charity initiatives with cultural ones of the Knights and Dames of the Delegation organized the first concert of 2017, XI Concerto Season directed by Maestro Alberto Giacchino in the Constantinian Basilica della Magione in Palermo.
Soprano Dalila Alessandra Virga and guitar virtuoso Dario Cirrito performed Spanish music of the 1700s and 1800s.
At the conclusion of the performance, Mons. Salvatore Grimaldi, Constantinian priest and chaplain, together with Nob. Dott. Sergio Emanuele di Torralta, Knight of Grace, conferred the Sicilian Delegation’s certificates of appreciation to the two performers.

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Palermo, 23 December 2016 – Holy Mass for the Knights and Dames of Sicily was celebrated in the Constantinian Basilica La Magione in Palermo. During the celebration Mons. Salvatore Grimaldi, parish priest and Constantinian chaplain, spoke of the important work and assistance provided by the knights in the basilica and for the entire region thanks to their numerous activities.
Following Mass a concert of classical music in which the singers of the Solisti Operalaboratorio” Choir sang Christmas carols and the Ave Maria of various composers. The concert was followed by dinner in the adjoining hall. Proceeds were donated to the poor of the parish.
On December 25, as they do every year, the Knights and Dames, led by the Vicar Delegate Nob. Dott. Antonio di Janni, Knight Grand Cross of Grace, prepared and served meals to the elderly guests of the facility Opera Pia of Monreale. The Mayor of Monreale, Avv. Capizzi was also present at the event.

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The Sicilian Delegation has organized and carried out numerous activities during the month of December.
To share with the needy the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and commemorate the founding of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the Sicilian Delegation organized a meal for 70 needy people in the Oratory of “Suor Florenzia” in the Church of St. Francis of Paola in Catania. The parish priest especially appreciated the delegation’s initiative in preparing and delivering meals to the needy residents of the Civita area of the city who, for various reasons, were not able to attend the event.
As previously announced, the new project of Solidarity carried out by the “Constantinian Angels” to provide humanitarian aid to the homeless by bringing them moral and material support was repeated on December 14. On that evening over 50 packages of basic necessities were provided to the homeless leading to a touching and emotional exchange between the Angels and the needy.
The traditional distribution that is part of the project “Crumbs of Health” was carried out in Monreale also on the 14th. On that occasion, given the approaching Christmas season, in addition to such normal products for infants as milk, cookies, homogenized baby food and more, small children were also given panettoni and pandori along with best wishes for a peaceful Christmas with their family. The initiative Crumbs of Health was then repeated on the 17th in Noto at the soup kitchen of San Corrado and in Palermo.

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For more than a year the Sicilian Delegation has been providing help to the young child Salvatore Badagliacca, who suffers from a rare disease, the Arnold-Chiari malformation, a lack of development of the rear of the skull.
The Delegation has paid for several trips for Salvatore and his family to the Meier Pediatric Hospital in Florence for medical examinations. In January 2017 Salvatore will finally undergo surgery which we hope may cure his condition.
The Delegation, together with the Archbishop of Monreale, will be paying for his trip this time also and will provide additional funds to his family.

Palermo, 27 November 2016  – The Sicily Delegation donated a defibrillator to the Church of St. Francis of Paola to be used  for the needy in the Cardiology Clinic  operated by the Friars  of the Order of the Minims.   This clinic was instituted specifically to meet the needs of those who cannot afford the cost of medical care. At the conclusion of mass, the Provincial Father of St. Francis of Paola, Father Saverio Cento, Constantinian chaplain, accepted the medical equipment and thanked the Knights and Dames of Sicily for their commitment and for their many charitable activities.

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