2.5 million euro, Santa Rosalia (Palermo)
150,000 e. San Giovanni (Turin)
100,000 e. Sant’Agata (Catania)
45,000 e. San Giovan Giuseppe (Ischia Ponte)

Every saint in Italy has his or her day — if they are the patron saint of a city it can also be a costly one. Topping the list of expensive venerated martyrs is Santa Rosalia of Palermo. The protector against plagues, epidemics and earthquakes as well as the patron of engaged couples, has been celebrated in mid-July for over 375 years. The three-day festival for the beloved "santuzza" features processions of holy relics and elaborate historical floats with a total cost of 2.5 million euro.
Turin, on the other hand, stretches out celebrations for St. John for 9 days with an industrial thrift typical of the city: between fireworks, concerts by youth orchestras and a parade in costume the city spent a modest 150,000 e. The most economical fete takes place on the isle of Ischia, where thanks to contributions of returning immigrants, the local government spends ‘only’ 45,000 e. Celebrations for these these feast days can often be more heartfelt than other religious holidays and are well worth taking in if you get the chance.

Related resources:
www.italiantourism.com/previss.html
For more on Italian celebrations: click on region of interest, then hit the ‘festivals’ link….

The Italian senate is bitterly divided over who will become the official patron saint of Italy. In the running are two much-loved saints, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Joseph, with the adoptive father of Jesus ahead three to one.

The new bank holiday must crowd into a calendar where most cities already shut down for the local patron saint (Milan for St. Ambrose, Naples for St. Gennaro, Bologna for St. Petronius, just to name a few) so for cost reasons, only one saint can be chosen.

The debate is drawn not across political lines but geographical ones — the three main proponents for St. Francesco all have their power bases in or near Assisi. The majority pushing for St. Giuseppe, on the other hand, has been accused of favoring the date over the saint: the new holiday would fall in the spring (March 19) as opposed to a less desirable one in the fall with St. Francis (Oct. 4). The doubling up of holidays has also been called into play — St. Joseph, also the patron saint of carpenters, is already celebrated in Italy as Father’s day.

Just which saint should be chosen to watch over computer programmers and guard against crashes has become a matter of debate in the Italian religious community.

St. Isidore of Seville, nominated two years ago, is a leading contender to be the protector of cyberspace. Vatican watchers say that Pope John Paul II should soon name the patron saint of Internet users and computer programmers. St. Isidore is said to have penned the world’s first encyclopedia, known as Etymologia. The 20-volume collection of writings on topics like art, medicine, history and theology to mathematics, literature, agriculture, war and cooking was written over 1,400 years ago.

Less than 7% of almost 3,000 Italians polled by Internet site, www.santiebeati.it however, chose him, preferring a little-known Italian saint. Some 32.58% nominated San Giovanni Bosco, as the guardian of the info highway. Bosco, born in 1815 and sanctified in 1946, was credited with rejuvinating the Church’s teachings for young people. Coming in a close second is the angel Gabriel, with 30% of preferences, who currently keeps watch over the radio, postal workers and stamp collectors.

Selecting a patron for the Internet another sign of Catholic Church’s growing appreciation for cyberspace. Pope John Paul II recently called it a "wonderful instrument" and said that the Church, in approach to the new technology, is "realistic and trusting."

www.santiebeati.it/patrono.shtml

A quick confession before taking the plane is the most popular reason for a visit to airport chapels, according to chaplains from 46 international airports.

The fourth annual meeting of Airport Chaplains was held recently in Rome, the seat of talks surrounding the church’s sexual abuse scandal. The on-the-go style of an airport chapel is in line with how many Italians practice religion today: 64% (age 11 and over) don’t have time to attend weekly mass and some 30% only go once a year.

"It’s a vast and forgotten sector of the church," said cardinal Giovanni Cheli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. "Airports, like naval ports, are a crossroads of faiths and religions and for this reason it’s important that the Catholic Church is present."

These havens for modern pilgrims, often hidden by duty free shops and hamburger stands, are present around the world — from Turkey to Costa Rica, from Portugal to Thailand. Catholic chapels are present in most main Italian airports, from Venice to Genoa to Palermo, and usually open 24 hours for last-minute prayers.

www.uli.it/aerocappellalinate/opere/opere.php
Take a virtual peek at artworks in chapel of Milan’s Linate Airport

If those who can’t, teach — the Benedictine nuns who give advice on sex and marriage have an advantage over other counselors. The nuns in Angri, province of Salerno, have set up an Internet site with illustrations of the reproductive cycle, abortion and contraceptives including the day-after pill and female condoms.

“Sexuality is one of the most potent and enriching energies people have,” declares the home page. The nuns also organize premarital courses and sexual Ed for adolescents as well as information on the Billings Ovulation Method for family planning.

While the information given is clearly in line with the Catholic Church, the site made news for the explicit nature of the explanations as well as an otherwise modern outlook on eros — "because sexuality is a fundamental component of (one’s) personality and a way of experiencing human love." ?1999-2004 zoomata.com

Zoomata is the brainchild of a bilingualjournalist based in Italy who thinks out of the box. This brain is for hire.