On a very warm Sunday afternoon, parishioners and volunteers were busy with “CincItalia, a festival at Harvest Home Park sponsored by St. Catharine of Siena Parish” at Harvest Home Park in Cheviot. At 2 pm, the festival came to a pause for the annual Marian procession and prayer service. Father Anthony Dattilo led the procession, which included St. Catharine Student Alumni,  and First Communicants from St. Catharine of Siena School.

The procession lasted for about 10 minutes, winding its way through the festival area winding up at the main stage. Schubert’s Ave Maria was played on the public address system as a group from Elder and St. Xavier High Schools carried the Blessed Mother.
Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Maria, gratia plena,
Maria, gratia plena,
Ave, Ave, Dominus,
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus,
Et benedictus fructus ventris (tui),
Ventris tui, Jesus.
Ave Maria!

Fr. Dattilo led an opening prayer with one of the First Communicants reading the second reading from the earlier Pentecost Mass, A reading from St. Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians.

1 COR 12: 3B-7, 12-13: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Fr. Dattilo began the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, with the First Communicant children taking turns reading the Litany.

The event concluded with reciting the Hail Mary. It was quite a moment on a summer afternoon to see the festival attendees pause and honor our Blessed Mother.