91st Annual Bazaar
July 16 – 17, 2022
Thousands of people joined us for our 91st Annual Bazaar and Procession last weekend. It was a scorcher to be sure, but that didn’t stop our amazing volunteers and visitors from enjoying the sausage/meatball sandwiches, pizza fritte, old-school games, and overall fellowship. A quick rain shower offered some welcome respite from the heat on Saturday. The highlight of the weekend was the Procession, an Italian tradition in honor of our patroness, la Madonna del Monte Carmelo. Various Men’s Club members carried the statue of Our Lady through the streets of North Denver while Father Hugh led the faithful in a Holy Rosary. Members of Men’s Club, Altar & Rosary Society, and Servite Secular Order lifted their banners as well. Among the crowd, the Italian and American flags waved proudly. The Procession ended in the church with Benediction. Then, people started pouring in for the final day of Italian music, food, and fun.
The bazaar is our biggest fundraiser and allows us to operate throughout the year. More importantly, it is an expression of our Catholic-Italian tradition in honor of our patronal feast day — Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated on July 16th. We have been celebrating our feast day more or less in the same manner since our founding in 1894; however, it wasn’t until 1931 that the event became the church’s principal fundraiser. It was an honor to welcome everyone back to the feast. Grazie mille to all our volunteers and patrons who braved the summer heat to make our 91st Annual Bazaar a great success. Alla prossima!
Photos courtesy of Hank Fanelli where indicated.
