Tag Archives: Fr. Richard Fragomeni

Fr. Richard Fragomeni, the rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, has been known for weaving in stories about his mother and father into his homilies and using Italian traditions during Mass, but one thing he is most passionate about is the gift of music in Mass. With the recent renovation of the Shrine, located in Chicago’s Taylor Street Little Italy, one of Fr. Fragomeni’s main goals was to uphold and enhance the church’s acoustics to celebrate music in the highest regard. He is a gifted singer and piano player; something his mother, Mary, instilled in him since …

The Chicago-area Italian American community and its supporters pulled out all the stops in October, with celebrations taking place across the metropolitan area and throughout the month. As always, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans led the way, starting with an Oct. 10 flag-raising ceremony in Daley Plaza, followed by a reception at the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Next came a glittering Presidents’ Ball on Oct. 12 at the Chicago Cultural Center. Club presidents joined forces with elected officials from every level of government to officially welcome delegations from Sicily and Italy to the festivities, with …

With Jo Ann Serpico as its Woman of the Year, Casa Italia celebrated another hugely successful 50th anniversary gala. Friends from across the community flocked to Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village on Feb. 8 to honor Serpico, and the program book was filled with words of praise. “There’s nobody who works as hard on as many fronts as you do,” Casa Chairman Angelo Castanza wrote. “You set the gold standard for community leadership that we all aspire to.” The admiration continued to flow during the presentations that evening. “Where would we be without our dear friend Jo Ann?” asked …