On October 26, members of Melbourne’s Spinete community gathered at St Kieran’s Catholic Church in Gippsland to celebrate their patron saint, St John the Baptist.
The Mass was celebrated in Italian by Father Christian Fini to honour the patron of Spinete, the small Molise town in the province of Campobasso.
Due to the bad weather, the outdoor procession was unfortunately cancelled. A shorter version was held inside the church instead, accompanied by a choir of ten singers and two musicians under the direction of Ines Albanese.
The blessing of the bread followed. Many parishioners travelled from Melbourne by bus, thanks to the excellent organisation of the Spinete Social Club.
After the liturgy, the community gathered at Dal Mondo restaurant in Traralgon, where fellow townsman Beny Albanese prepared a generous four-course lunch, including fried calamari, pasta and chicken. Guests were very pleased with both the menu and the service.
The afternoon was made even more enjoyable by live music from Felice Celima, Domenico Manzo and singer Anna Stipani, who also received warm thanks from the club.
The next gathering of the Spinete Social Club will take place on December 14 in Garfield for the annual pre-Christmas celebration.
