Fiesta Mass in St. Peter's Square returns with enthusiasm
Jun. 27—Hundreds celebrated an outdoor Fiesta Mass in St. Peter's Square at 10 a.m. Sunday for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic putting St. Peter's Fiesta on ice in 2020 and 2021.
"It's unbelievable after two years of not being able to do it because of COVID. This is very emotional for everybody right now and I think it's what the city, honestly, the city needed this right now. It brings people together," said Anthony Giacalone, an honorary member of the St. Peter's Fiesta Committee.
The Mass was followed by a procession of the iconic statute of St. Peter and various other saints carried on men's shoulders through the heart of America's oldest seaport.
The parade kicked off at St. Peter's Square and went up Washington Street by the American Legion post. The procession made various stops along the way, including at Saint Ann Church on Pleasant Street and Our Lady of Good Voyage on Prospect Street, before heading down Main Street and back to the square.
The sound of bands playing, shouts of "Viva San Pietro!", and plenty of confetti filled Washington Street as the parade turned down Prospect Street.
At the start of Mass on a hot morning under blue skies, nearly every chair was filled under the two canopies set up to provide shade.
Many sported the ribbon of the 95th anniversary of St. Peter's Fiesta, which this year had three years on it — 2020, 2021, 2022 — symbolizing the two years that celebration was on hiatus plus the year Fiesta was reborn.
At the start of Mass, the Rev. James "Jim" Achadinha, pastor of the Catholic Community of Gloucester and Rockport, told worshippers, "What an incredible day that we can gather here after two years and many ways of waiting for this moment, that we can gather to celebrate and honor San Pietro, St. Peter our patron, our friend."
Achadinha blessed "these days of festivities, these days of which we have gathered in so many different ways, for our races, for our Greasy Pole, for the entertainment and the rides, for our opening ceremony, for the Novena at the Legion, and this morning here at this Mass. We know that this is not possible without the dedication and the love and the hard work of the St. Peter's Fiesta Committee," Achadinha said.
While a more formal Blessing of the Fleet was scheduled to take place at the Fishermen's Memorial on Stacy Boulevard on Sunday afternoon, the pastor read out a list of the vessels that make up Gloucester's commercial fishing fleet, asking those gathered to say a "Hail Mary" for their crews and families "so they continue to have incredible catches and always come home safely to this harbor."
"It was amazing," said Giacomo Romeo of Gloucester about the return of the Mass and Fiesta. "I mean, being together with everybody again definitely sheds light on how much we've missed all this. It's a moment that you'll never forget."
Mayor Greg Verga, about to step off in the parade, said Fiesta was going well, despite concerns about what might happen after a three-year break. He said he spoke with a group of police officers the night before who told him there were no issues, "just the usual minor stuff."
"It brings joy to my heart," said former Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken, who was standing on Washington Street greeting those in the procession. She was mayor during the height of the pandemic when two consecutive Fiestas were canceled, "because the fact is, we all need a little bit of faith."
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or eforman@gloucestertimes.com.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or eforman@gloucestertimes.com.
