Friday, June 30, 2006

Italian "City" Social Clubs to Survive ???

The ANNOTICO Report

 

The Italian American Community lacking a National unifying  Communication component, seem very unaware of the enormous numbers of Italian Social Clubs in SO many towns and cities, and often a number of such clubs in the same city, coalescing around the descendents of towns and cities in Italy.

 

The following article discusses just one of those Social Club, the San Manghese Society of Stamford, Connecticut, that has connections with the town of  San Mango sul Calore in Italy with a population of 3,000.

 

To me, the big question is, Will these Clubs learn to develop activities that will attract the young Italian American, so that these Clubs will not become extinct, but will perpetuate the Connection with their "Sister City" and will teach the young Italian American about the rich Italian History and Culture. 

 

THREE Epochs (1) Magna Grecia, (2) Rome (3) The Renaissance (more accurately - The Rinascimento).

It is difficult to conceive of Western Civilization without Italy's Foundation and Rejuvenation.

 

A second Step would be to have these Social Clubs inter connected to benefit from their combined knowledge, efforts, and successful events/activities.

 

MEMORIES OF ITALY BIND MEMBERS OF A CENTURY OLD SOCIAL CLUB

The Boston Globe

By Vesna Jaksic,                                                            

The Advocate  |

June 29, 2006

STAMFORD, Conn.

As elementary school classmates, Vincenzo Catino and Emilio Coppola shared a wooden bench and countless pranks.

They sometimes dipped the hair of the girl sitting in front of them in black ink. Other times, they were the subjects of embarrassment, such as when their teacher made them wear donkey signs on the school balcony for not doing their homework.

Now in their mid-60s, Catino and Coppola still enjoy sharing jokes and memories about growing up in San Mango sul Calore, a southern Italian town in the province of Avellino. Like an estimated 500 families, they emigrated from the picturesque town decades ago and built their new lives in Stamford.

For many former residents of the town, the common tie has been the San Manghese Society. Originally formed to offer health insurance and help immigrants settle, the society celebrated its 100th anniversary with a picnic and Mass in honor of its founders.

The society, which runs activities out of the San Manghese Social Club on West Avenue, helped many Italians assimilate in their new homeland. As the number of new immigrants dropped and the membership grew older and became more established, the society mostly has served as a social tool and a bridge between the younger generations and their ancestors' roots.

"My father was born there, so for me, it's to keep the tradition going," said Duilio Faugno, 37, the first U.S.-born president of the San Manghese Social Club, which was formed in 1948 and works with the society.

The club has 80 men as members, most of whom are also in the society. Fifty women -- mostly wives, but also some daughters and other relatives of the male members -- belong to the St. Manghese Women's Auxiliary.

Auxiliary President Pat Coppola said the women's group allows members to learn about their husbands' or fathers' hometown.

"It's a way of making sure my children understand where their father came from, to be proud of where they come from," said Coppola, 57, who is not related to Emilio Coppola.

Catino, 65, who has been presiding over the society since January, said it is uncertain what will happen with the organization in the next 100 years. Immigrants are no longer coming from San Mango sul Calore in large numbers, and the membership is aging, he said.

"We need to give the younger generation the responsibility," he said.

But whether it's younger members such as Faugno, a self-employed architect, or retirees such as Catino, men of all ages like to drop by the clubhouse to play cards, drink espresso or cheer Italy in a World Cup soccer match.

"You come here, you find all these people, your friends from your hometown," said Coppola, 66, a retiree whose sons took over his construction business. "It makes you feel at home."

Coppola immigrated to Stamford in 1959 because his uncle was here. Like many Italians, he came to Ellis Island in New York City on a boat ride that lasted more than a week. Eight years later, his classmate Catino moved to Stamford and the two were reunited like many families from San Mango.

"(My father) brought us over here and said 'This is the land of opportunity, but I have to go back to where I came from,' " Catino said.

His parents died in 1980, when an earthquake destroyed 85 percent of the town and killed 730 people, according to a newspaper article from that time. Members of the San Manghese Society said the earthquake is an example of an event that spurred them to raise money to help their hometown. The town's population has returned to about 3,000 since the tragedy, and the place quickly regained its charm, members said.

"It's beautiful," said Coppola, who last visited his hometown in 1993. "You go on top of the piazza and you see a 360-degree view."

In Stamford, the club's largest event is the annual feast in honor of St. Theodore, the patron saint of San Mango, which is held in August. The event, which includes food, music, a parade and rides, costs about $75,000 to organize, a big change from the $566 the founders spent on the first feast in 1906, according to minutes from a meeting.

Catino said it is hard to believe he presides over a 100-year-old organization, believed to be among the area's oldest. He has not been back to his hometown in 25 years, but said he still has a strong attachment to it.

"Nothing is better than the place that gives you birth," he said. 

 

The ANNOTICO Reports are Archived at:

Italia USA: http://www.ItaliaUSA.com (Formerly Italy at St Louis)

Annotico Email: annotico@earthlink.net