Delegation of United States of America

On Sunday, October 1, 2023 (Rosary Sunday, commemorating the Co-Patroness of the Constantinian Order) several Knights represented the Delegation which was honored to be invited to assist at such an auspicious occasion, the Dedication of the new Diocesan Shrine of Blessed Carlo Acutis in Brick, New Jersey, in the presence of the Blessed’s own mother.

The Principal Celebrant was His Excellency, Bishop David O’Connell, C.M., Ecclesiastical Knight Grand Cross of Grace of the Order.

Following the Mass those present were able to greet Blessed Carlo’s mother Antonia, who carried the relic of her son to the shrine chapel following the Mass.

On Wednesday, September 13, 2023, the American Delegation began the various liturgical celebrations of the Order’s Titular Feast, the Solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. First Vespers of the feast were celebrated in the Church of Saint John Cantius in Chicago, followed by the investiture of several new Knights and the conferral of the Bronze Benemerenti Medal of the Order, presided by the first Subprior of the Delegation, Bishop Arthur Serratelli, and followed by a festive dinner. The last of the Delegation’s observances was the Votive Mass of the Holy Cross, celebrated on Saturday, September 16 by the second Subprior, Rev. Edmund Luciano for the New York area Knights.

On September 19, 2023, the American Delegation observed the feast of Saint Januarius (San Gennaro), a patron saint of the Constantinian Order, with participation at the Solemn Mass and procession in New York; and in Tampa, Florida with Vespers and a spiritual conference on the life and devotion to the Saint given by Fr. Richard Gennaro Cipolla, Ecclesiastical Knight of Grace. H.R.H. the Grand Master conferred the Cross of the Order upon New York’s image of St. Januarius, during a special visit in September, 2018.

On Friday, July 21, 2023, the American Delegation held its annual Summer Cocktail Reception Gala to benefit Catholic Education, the relief of persecution Christians and the ongoing restoration of the ancient Roman Church of Saint Agatha of the Goths. Present for the evening, besides the Delegate and Vice Delegation of the American Delegation, were His Beatitude the Syriac Patriarch, the titular Cardinal of Saint Agatha, the Prior and the Subpriors of the Delegation, and three other Bishops, as well as Knights and Dames of the Delegation and many other guests. The meal and addresses were complemented by Neapolitan musical entertainment.

On Sunday, March 26, 2023, the American Delegation of the Dynastic Orders of the Royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies was honored with the visit of the Grand Chancellor of the Orders, H.E. Don Francesco Ruspoli, Prince of Cerveteri accompanied by his wife, H.E. Donna Angelica Ruspoli, Princess of Cerveteri.
A Solemn Mass to pray for the repose of the soul of the late Grand Master, HRH Prince Ferdinand of Bourbon-Two Sicilies for the Fifteenth Anniversary of his Death, was celebrated in the Dominican Church of Saint Vincent Ferrer in New York, attended by many Knights and Dames assisting in choir presided by the Grand Chancellor, with the Vice Delegate of the Delegation.
Following the Mass, the Knights and Dames were joined by the Delegate of the American Delegation of the Savoy Orders, and the Co-Hospitaller for the New York City area of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, for a ‘Pranzo Costantiniano’ luncheon.
Also present for the Mass and luncheon were three religious of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, a Congregation founded in 1997 now numbering over 150 Sisters. The Sisters, who will begin teaching in the new academic year at Sacred Heart School in Gallup, New Mexico, a challenging Native American mission, received an initial contribution of $5,000 from the Delegation, which is committed in a particular way to the support of Catholic Education and the relief of persecuted Christians.
During the luncheon, the Bronze Benemerenti Medal of the Constantinian Order was conferred upon Prof. Gaetano Cipolla who for over 50 years has promoted the historic culture of the Two Sicilies in the United States, especially with the study of the Sicilian language through the Arba Sicula organization.
The Grand Chancellor was able to address the Knights and Dames present, conveying the closeness of His Royal Highness the Grand Master, the other Officials of the Orders and the Grand Chancery.