8 JULY 14 - JULY 20, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Italian roots on display at Giglio feast
BY JONATHAN SPERLING
EDITORIALBROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
The neighborhood may have
changed over the years, but
one Williamsburg tradition
certainly still remains.
The Annual Giglio Italian Feast
Spectacular kicked o on Wednesday,
July 5 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel
church, located at 275 North Eighth
Street.
The 12-day world-class festival,
which honors San Paolino with faith,
feasting and music, has deep roots in
Williamsburg’s Italian population.
“It’s a wonderful celebration of an
Italian tradition,” said Monsignor Jamie
Gigantiello, the parish's spiritual
leader, a Long Island City native who
attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel
as a child. “We had a terrifi c crowd
and wonderful mass. The church was
fi lled.”
The celebration fi rst began in 1903,
as a wave of Neapolitan immigrants
from Italy settled in Williamsburg
and brought the traditions of their
homeland with them.
During the celebration, a fi ve-story,
hand-cra ed tower featuring a statue
of San Paolino and a 12-member
brass band playing on a platform is
li ed and carried by a 125-man group
through the streets of Williamsburg.
In keeping with tradition, an honored
man of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel
parish uses a megaphone to call out
directions to the li ers.
Celebrants also re-enact the release
of San Paolino from captivity, which
includes the use of an ornate, custom
made ship docking on the street.
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by Arthur de Gaeta
Scenes from this year’s Giglio Feast.
“The neighborhood is di erent
than it was 30 years, but I know
some of the old timers are still
around,” said Gigantiello. “My
favorite part is being there every
night and seeing so many people
that come back to the neighborhood
to visit their roots, where they were
married, baptized and had children.
They reacquaint themselves with old
friends, family members, the neighborhood
and the parish.
“Even though it’s changed and old
people move out and new people move
in, the church has continued to be the
center of the community,” he added.
Golden hosts another informative senior fair
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUSBROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Informative was the word of the
day as State Senator Marty Golden
hosted his annual senior fair
on Friday, June 23 at St. Patrick’s Auditorium,
9511 Fourth Avenue. The
event included lunch, live music and
a wealth of information for seniors
from agencies such as the FDNY,
AARP and more.
Golden, who hosts the event regularly,
o ered around 400 seniors
the chance to take advantages of
services available to assist them
with prescription drug coverage,
personal safety and health.
“It’s an important event,” Golden
told this paper. “A lot of people live in
isolation and you want to make sure
they’re getting the right answers.
Some of them get depressed and lonely.
This gives them the opportunity to
go out and have exchanges with other
seniors.”
Along with having a chance to
mingle, the state senator also emphasized
the signifi cance of providing
vital information. “A lot of them have
issues such as rent control, owning
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Jaime DeJesus
State Senator Marty Golden with attendees at his annual
Senior Fair.
a home and not being able to pay the
taxes, or transportation with Access
a Ride,” he said. “We have one of the
largest senior populations in the
state living here in Bay Ridge and
Dyker. Brooklyn is number one
when it comes to seniors and they
have a lot of issues..”
“The seniors love it as it’s a very informative
event for the participants,”
added Bay Ridge AARP Treasurer
Patricia Killen. “We take care of
AARP information, knowing your
rights about Medicare, how to be
careful as a senior not to be hurt by
fraud. There’s been a lot of interest.”
Monsignor
Jamie
Gigantiello.