Thoughts from Dr. Joe: Theories of a Madonna’s journey
Ioften meet Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti at Starbucks. He has coffee, I have tea. As the pastor of St. Bede the Venerable Catholic Church in La Cañada, he has a demanding schedule. Regardless, we find the time to talk stories of philosophy, spirituality and the Chicago Cubs. He’s an extraordinary man. In his presence I am awed by his strength of faith and purpose.
Last week Monsignor told me a story of St. Bede’s recent acquisition of a statue titled “La Madonna Della Pace (Our Lady of Peace).” I had a million questions to ask him; however, he had promises to keep. “Giuseppe, ciao,” he said, then disappeared. That afternoon he was joining a young couple in holy matrimony.
His story of the Madonna fascinated me, and I am compelled to tell what I can of it here. Throughout my life I have looked for the unusual; I’ve revered the mysterious. I find life to be infinitely stranger than anything the mind could invent, so the possession of knowledge does not destroy the sense of mystery. I am not a doubting Thomas. I’ve always adhered to the philosophy that all things are possible as long as you don’t believe they are impossible.
You are stuck with my version of Monsignor’s story. But isn’t that the nature of a story? In that light, it’s the only way it can survive.
In the 14th century, a statue, the Madonna Della Pietà, washed-up on the shores of Napoli. The shepherds who found her believed her appearance was a miracle. Attempting to understand a mystery they couldn’t explain, I’m sure they stared into the vast Mediterranean Sea to look for answers. They wondered where she had come from.
In the 14th century, the Ottoman Empire was vast, and the North African and Greek seafarers were still dominant. The Madonna could have come from any of those lands, but the Mediterranean has a thousand ports, and that adds to her mystery.
But how did she wash up on the beaches of Napoli? Did she accidentally fall overboard from a trading ship? Was the Madonna the only survivor of a shipwreck? Was she purposely thrown into the sea? The 14th century was a tremulous time of religious unrest. Was her appearance merely circumstance or was it a miracle? There’s often a fine line between these two theories.
In the region of Giugliano in Campania, La Madonna found a home at the church of the Annunziata. Giugliano is Monsignor’s childhood home, and the Annunziata was his church.
At the time Giugliano was in turmoil and fighting ensued. However, after she arrived in Giugliano, warring factions made peace. The villagers claimed it was nothing less than a miracle. As a result, her name changed to “La Madonna Della Pace (Our Lady of Peace).”
More than 700 years later, a replica of La Madonna Della Pace was presented to Monsignor in commemoration of his 25th year as a priest. She was brought by a delegation from Giugliano in Campania and arrived on Nov. 7, just before our election day. Now she resides at St. Bede the Venerable, my home church.
Together, the monsignor and I conjured up many theories. One theory is worth mentioning: Maybe La Madonna Della Pace came to America, to Los Angeles and then to La Cañada to bring the peace that we need. Our country is divided. We form factions that accentuate our differences and not our similarities.
Maybe La Madonna Della Pace came to show us the light. I like to think she did.
Sometimes miracles come into our lives out of nowhere. We can’t always understand them, but we have to trust in them. Typically, we question everything, but sometimes it pays just to have a little faith.
Let me leave you with some words from one of our most prolific, if fictional, philosophers — J.M. Barrie’s ever-optimistic Peter Pan. “All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”
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JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.
