Account of the activities carried out by the Constantinian Order in the province of Syracuse

Account of the activities carried out by the Constantinian Order in the province of Syracuse

9 January 2009. The Constantinian Chaplain Don Vincenzo Marino presented an account of the activities carried out by the Constantinian Knights and Dames in the province of Syracuse throughout the year. The presence of the Constantinian Order in Syracuse dates back to 2006 when the first five Constantinian Knights were invested into the Order during a ceremony that took place in the Parish Church of Saint Anthony of Padova that from that moment has become the spiritual site of the Constantinian Knights and Dames from Syracuse. During the past year the Constantinian Knights and Dames in addition to the commemorative ceremonies and monthly Masses, have also carried out various charity activities. According to the Gospel” I was in Prison and you came to visit me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was hungry and you fed me” (Matthew 25,35,35-36) the Knights and Dames offered their assistance to the prisoners of local house of detention by sending them clothes, hygienic sanitary equipment and accessories for daily living. Our confreres from Syracuse have also re-established the old custom of visiting the Relics of Saint Lucy Martyr, Patron Saint of Syracuse that are kept in the prison. As a matter of fact, this tradition was interrupted in 1990, when an earthquake seriously damaged the historical Borbonic prison of Ortigia and the detainees were moved to a prison out of town.Among the other activities carried out during the year were a fundraising concert in favor of the sick and the elderly in the parish church of Saint Anthony during which toys were distributed for needy children and a donation of a tabernacle to the harbor office of Syracuse.Particular thanks were expressed from the local authorities to to the Constantinian Knights Sergio Petruzzello and Leonardo Pace.