I recently read about Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church (712 Montrose Street) in "Little Italy in the Great War: Philadelphia's Italians on the Battlefield and Home Front," by Richard N. Juliani.

In the U.S. Census of 1850 only 117 residents within the original City of Philadelphia and the districts of Southwark and Moyamensing were natives of Italy.

SMM's original parishioners were Northern Italian immigrants, e.g., from Liguria; later arriving immigrants from Southern Italy were provided (in 1897) Our Lady of Good Counsel Church (8th Christian).

My mother told me that as a little girl she was refused by a priest at St. Paul's (the Irish parish) to give a dying woman the last rites and told to go to SMM because THAT was the Italian parish.

In the basement - a statue St. Januarius (rt), Bishop of Carthage and Martyr. He is the principal patron of Marsico Nuovo, a town in the province of Potenza in the Basilicata region of southern Italy.

Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi (statue on left), was a Carmelite nun and mystic born in Florence, Italy in 1566 and died there in 1607. She was beatified in 1626.

Mystical ecstasy is the elevation of the spirit to God in such a way that the person is aware of this union with God while both internal and external senses are detached from the sensible world. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi was so generously given this special gift of God that she is called the “ecstatic saint.”

My brother, sister, and I went up winding stairs that delivered us to the sacristy with entry to the altar and the church proper. I could not help but be pleased surrounded by Italo-centric images.

The vestments were hung and ready for the next mass. In the year 2000, SMM Church was designated as a "worship site" and merged with St. Paul's parish (10th & Christian).

I had not been in a sacristy since my choir-boy days at St. Paul's Church when I was in 6th grade. I admired this drawing of the baroque St. Charles Borromeo (born 1538, Milan) Church in Vienna.

I found an actual picture of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Vienna: During the Milan plague and famine of 1576, Borromeo tried to feed up to 60,000 to 70,000 people daily.

In 1576 there was famine at Milan due to crop failures, and later an outbreak of the plague. Although the Governor and many members of the nobility fled the city, the Bishop Borromeo remained, to organize the care of those affected and to minister to the dying. He used up his own funds and went into debt to provide food for the hungry.

Another discovery was two containers of Eucharist wafers, which are made from wheat flour, oil and salt and do not contain a leavening agent, e.g., yeast, that would cause the dough to rise.

The setting of this painting interested me. Christ seems to be teaching as he walks leisurely through a forest. It feels more like a 19th century scene to me - probably the artist's intent to relate..

The interior Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church has a series of stained glass windows dedicated to specific parishoners with scenes from Christ's life in the lunettes above.

St. John, the only disciple that was at the foot of the cross, depicted here with the Blessed Mother and Mary Magdelene. John's gospel (19:25) states that Mother Mary's sister, Salome, was also there.

Above the main altar Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi in heaven with the banner, "Pati Non Mori," i.e., "Let me suffer and not die," her response when asked about her pain while critically ill.

While in pain SMM de Pazzi said, "Those who call to mind the sufferings of Christ, and who offer up their own to God through His passion, find their pains sweet and pleasant."

Statue of the Saint in St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi's (Italian) Church, Philadelphia (1900) from “The Life and Works of St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi,” Compiled by the Rev Placido Fabrini, Philadelphia, 1900, Translated from the Florentine Edition of 1852 and Published by the Rev Antonio Isoleri, Miss. Ap. Rector of the new St Mary Magdalen de Pazzi's Italian Church, Philadelphia, Pa, USA

Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi main altar with scenes of the Carmelite nun in the presence of Christ and the Blessed Virgin on the walls and the last supper below the altar.

What I found interesting about this rendition of the Last Supper was that it is made of ceramic tiles in the image of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, which is located on a convent wall in Milan.

"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci, painted between 1494 & 1497 within the framework of a major renovation of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie commenced by order of Ludovico Sforza in 1492.

Mary Magdalen de Pazzi professing her vows to Mary and Christ. At 16 she entered the Carmelite convent in Florence because she could receive Communion daily there.

St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi shown receiving communion from Christ.

The painting most likely refers to the fact that immediately after Mary Magdalen de Pazzi made her profession of vows she fell into an ecstasy that lasted about two hours. This was repeated after Communion on the following 40 mornings. These ecstasies were rich experiences of union with God and contained marvelous insights into divine truths.

Text: "Donavit R. Cahill" / "Forgive R. Cahill". "In Memoriam Filii Sui" / "In Memory of Our Son, 1891." Also, "INRI" - "Iesus Nazarenus Rex ludaeorum" / Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.

The Church's ceiling (center) portrays the Blessed Mother Mary ascending into heaven while the faithful below beseech her help.

Text: “Donavit” / Forgive. Julia Botto, in memory of her husband Andrea and son Augustini, 1891.

A version of the Pieta, a popular subject among European artists. It means Pity or Compassion, and represents Mary sorrowfully contemplating the dead body of her son, which she holds.

Text: Forgive. Joannes D. Raggio in memory of his son Raymond, 1891.

Above the chapel showing Christ on the cross and Ascending into heaven, the lunette shows Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi receiving the word/the truth directly from Christ.

Text: From the arms of his wife, Anna Frances, so in your charity pray for Filippo Rebola. Rest in Peace. Amen

An altar for St. Bernadette of Lourdes, a 14-year old French peasant girl, claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary in a grotto of a rock promontory near Lourdes.

This window, next to the rear balcony states: “Donavit” (Forgive). Julia Botto, in memory of her husband Andrea and son Augustini, 1891.

The lunette above the Julia Botto window shows a 12 year-old Christ teaching at the Temple in Jerusalem.

A feature that makes this beautiful, landmark church unique is its two balconies. The lower one is for seating, and the top one holds the typical organ and choir loft.

As I attended St. John Neumann High School, I was pleased to see a statue of the Bishop who designated St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi as the first national Church and Parish for Italians.

This alcove with candles contains a statue of St. Rocco (Roch), born in 1295. I always considered "Rocky" as a nickname. It was great to read about an actual Saint, as Rocco was stepfather's name.

The statue shows St. Rocco with a sore from when he contracted the plague. St. Rocco is considered the patron saint of invalids, of falsely accused people, and is invoked as a protector against the plague and all infectious diseases.

Me, my sister Maryanne and brother Vince. Although brother Anthony is not with us anymore, his spirit certainly is, especially remembered via the white statue of St. Anthony of Padua* in the basement.

*(See the 5th picture (above) for the white St. Anthony of Padua statue (2nd from left) with him holding young Christ in one hand and a lily in the other. This image can be seen throughout the small towns of southern Italy in churches and on the walls of homes and buildings..

What started out as an academic exercise in exploration and discovery evolved into a very personal connection to my cultural history, my family history, and my personal past. A truly great adventure!