St. Bede Catholic Church:St. Bede to Host Italian Festival Sunday

With planning all behind, the Italian-American community at St. Bede the Venerable Church will hold its second annual “Festa Italiana” (Italian Festival) March 18.

The festival, tied into the feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Italy, will feature a special healing and anointing Mass which will be held at 11 a.m. and celebrated by St. Bede pastor Monsignor James Gehl.

Immediately after the Mass, members of the St. Bede Parish community and friends from the La Cañada Flintridge community will gather in the parish hall for Italian entertainment and a lasagna luncheon.

As is the custom in Italy — and in the Italian-American communities in the United States — a table laden with food and baked goods prepared by members of the parish will be offered for sale. This St. Joseph’s Table is legendary, and the money raised from the sale is reserved for the charities of the Italian Catholic Federation, the sponsor of the Table.

According to Gehl, this second annual event is expected to top last year’s event. The pastor is urging all members of the parish and the community to attend the special Mass, where emphasis will be made to pray for those who are suffering from illness or who just wish to receive the special anointing for healing offered by the priests of the parish.

“This is an open event, and we are looking forward to seeing people gather at St. Bede this year, people from the community who wish to share in the anointing and healing and the Italian festival,” said Gehl.