Silkwood came alive with the 73rd Feast of the Three Saints celebration

Story And Photos By Maria Girgenti

THE chant of Viva Sant'Alfio and the boom of daytime fireworks echoed throughout Silkwood last Sunday as thousands of devoted followers joined in the celebrations at the 73rd Feast of the Three Saints.

As Australia's most prominent religious and cultural festival, the small town came alive once again with the sights, sounds and smells of the Sicilian heritage.

This annual festival, held on the first Sunday of May, unites two towns separated by around 15,000 kilometres of land and sea with a devout faith.

Padre Aurelio Fragapane from Melbourne concelebrated the two Masses with local parish priest Father Kerry Crowley and Father Hilary

Flynn. Despite the overcast weather, miraculously, the rain held off during the procession and for the duration of the event.

The tiny rural town of Silkwood in North Queensland and the town of Sant'Alfio, located on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, both dedicate the day to the Feast of the Three Saints - Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino, an age-old tradition in Sant'Alfio, celebrating the three brothers brutally martyred in AD 253 for refusing to denounce their Christian faith.

The Vara first featured in the 1973 Three Saints festival and has been a central part of the annual event's procession since then.

The 'Vara' consists of a large baldachin, laminated in 18-carat gold, bordered with red velvet, and crowned by six richly decorated columns.

Construction of the Vara took place in Sicily, and Giovanni Grasso, a committee member, travelled to Sant'Alfio to discuss details of its construction.

Here, Giovanni met Monsignor Pelluzza, and both met with local skilled artisans commissioned to make a replica of the Vara, used for the Three Saints' Feast in Sant'Alfio, Sicily.

It took less than a year to complete Vara's construction.

The Catholic Sisters in Santa Venerina fitted beautiful gold embroidery above the underlying motif made by a goldsmith from Acireale.

Giovanni then arranged for his brother Ignazio Grasso to transport the Vara to Silkwood, Australia.

Giovanni Grasso, a life member of the Feast of the Three Saints committee, sadly passed away last year.

The Three Saints committee and its members are eternally grateful to Giovanni Grasso and all other members of the early 1970s for their efforts in ensuring the construction and commissioning of the 'Vara'.

This year's festival featured an English and Italian Mass, a solemn street procession of the statues accompanied by the Cairns Municipal Band, a spread of traditional Sicilian fare, and rides and amusements by Wonder Fair.

The celebrations culminated in dynamic fireworks which lit up the night sky, singing, live entertainment by

Santo Silvestro holding his 11-month-old grandson Graysen Gardiner at his first Feast of the Three Saints, with his two brothers Charlie and Vince Silvestro.