Three centenarians will be among those celebrating La Festa Italiana’s annual Italian-language Mass on Sunday at 10 a.m. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, one block away from the festival.
After Mass, members of the Italian Colony of St. Lucy will carry her statue to the festival grounds.
Mary Marino and Rosann Zaleski, who are both 100 and have been part of every La Festa, will be among those carrying the offertory to the altar. One of the priests concelebrating Mass will be the Rev. Joseph J. Adonizio, who is also 100.
The Italian Mass is one of the most cherished traditions of La Festa, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Priests and volunteers from Italian parishes played a prominent role in founding La Festa in 1976.
The Rev. David P. Cappelloni, La Festa chaplain and pastor of St. John Paul II Parish in Dunmore, will be the principal celebrant. La Festa Mass creates “a very warm and wonderful feeling” of connection for Italian Americans, he said.
“It reminds them of a time when grandparents and parents were freshly from a different country and they came here with high hopes and expectations of having a better life,” Cappelloni said, “because many of the immigrants from Italy were very poor” or escaping repression.
Cappelloni is hesitant to say that he is very fluent in Italian, although he can celebrate Mass and carry on conversations. He learned from his four immigrant grandparents and his parents. “When they didn’t want us to know what they were talking about, they spoke Italian,” he said. “Which is why I learned how to speak Italian, because I wanted to know what they were saying.”
Scranton Bishop Joseph C. Bambera will preside and give the homily, which will be in English.
The featured soloist will be T.J. Capobianco of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The choir of St. John Paul II Parish will be accompanied by additional musicians.
Ashley Yando-DeFlice will be the cantor and the leader of prayer.
The Scriptures will be read in Italian by Anna Gallo and in English by Joseph F. Saporito Jr.
The prayer of the faithful will be offered in English and led by Diane Alberigi, Frank T. Blasi and Frank Castellano.
In addition to Marino and Zaleski, the offertory gifts will be presented by La Festa founder Bob W. Pettinato, Robert Mazzoni and Sister Catherine Iacouzze, M.P.F.
Flag bearers will be Mike Linko, Dino Darbenzio and Rich Pirrami.
Patrick Caramanno, Joshua Cillo, Carmen DiPietro Jr., Jonathan A. Eboli, Stephen A. Eboli, Richard Garofalo and Joseph Wentline will be the ushers.
Mass will be broadcast live by CTV and on the diocesan website, in addition to social media. It will also be available on demand after the live broadcast concludes and later rebroadcast on CTV.
Board members, committee volunteers and civic officials associated with La Festa Italiana, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding, raised the Italian flag on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)
Lackawanna County Commissioner stops for a photo with board members, committee volunteers and civic officials associated with La Festa Italiana, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding, at the flag raising on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (CHAD SEBRING/STAFF PHOTO)