Following the weekend of local feasts for Our Lady (Maria Santissima Incoronata, Madonna del Sacro Monte, and Madonna della Fontana), a barrage of feasts are on the horizon nationwide. If you missed the aforementioned feasts, non ti preoccupare—attend next year, but don’t let that be a reason to miss the upcoming ones.
An excellent resource for upcoming feasts can be found at Italian Boy Summer. Per the page:
“Italian Boy Summer is a lifestyle page for an Italian summer. Italian Boy Summer is particular: we drink wine, play bocce on the beach, make pizza—and most importantly we go to Italian feasts. Those kinds of pleasures are not the hallmark of every other summer, and we gather here to celebrate them.”
Per their page, their values are rooted in:
“Catholic faith”
“Italian heritage”
“A good time”
As they explain, they are “rooted in Catholic faith—Mass, parish life, prayer, and the moral imagination that nourished countless Italian families and neighborhoods.” They also emphasize honoring “the language, food, music, patron saints, and street feasts that make Italian heritage vivid, particular, and worth passing on.”
Perhaps most refreshingly, they also recognize something many Italian Americans already know instinctively: feast days are joyful. Per their page, “Summer is the season of Feasts… and now it’s time to enjoy ourselves and rejoice in the risen Christ.”
Founded in MMXXII (2022), Italian Boy Summer describes itself as having begun “as a small circle of friends mapping feasts and sharing playlists.” Today, it continues as a growing community centered around authentic Italian summer traditions, feast culture, and Catholic identity.
A newly released feature on Italian Boy Summer for those looking to embrace and preserve Italian traditions is their section dedicated to learning the Rosary. The website features a very user-friendly way to follow along, making it approachable both for those already familiar with the devotion and for those learning it for the first time.
In many Italian families, the Rosary was more than simply a prayer—it was a rhythm of daily life. It was prayed at kitchen tables, during processions, in parish halls, and before family statues of Our Lady. By presenting it in an accessible format, Italian Boy Summer helps reconnect a new generation with one of the most beloved traditions of Italian Catholic life.
Across the country, feast season is beginning to awaken. Statues will once again be adorned with flowers and ribbons, brass bands will echo through neighborhood streets, candles will flicker before images of Our Lady and the saints, and families will gather around tables overflowing with food and stories.
Whether you attend for the devotion, the music, the food, or simply to reconnect with your roots, make it a point this summer to attend at least one Italian feast. Bring your family. Stay for the procession. Say a prayer. Support the parish hosting it. These traditions continue only if each generation chooses to carry them forward.
And perhaps most importantly: don’t simply observe from the sidelines. Participate. Feast culture was never meant to be consumed from a distance—it is something lived.
Finally, be sure to check out Italian Boy Summer out on Instagram at:
Website: italianboysummer.com
Instagram: italian.boy.summer & italian.girl.summer!
Pages feature feast updates, Italian summer traditions, Catholic culture, music, food, and content centered around preserving and celebrating the richness of Italian heritage and faith.
Preghiamo is the news and communications arm of the Apostolato Italiano dell'Arcidiocesi di Newark (Apostolato.org).