Figure 1.--This is clearly a religious procession, but I am not sure what the occassion is. It could be First Communion. but I do not understand why only one boy is doing his First Communion. The photogrph looks to have been taken in the late 1950s. A Catholic reader writes, "This procession looks to me more like one held at Corpus Christi than a First Communion. The canopy carried in the background that covers either the holy communion or in this case a figure of a saint makes this very clear to me. The boy in white suit would be a child carrying flowers (like girls do as well) and not a First Communion participant. Click on the image fir a fuller discussion.

Religion has been a very important part of Italian life. The history of Italy has for centuries been affected if not dominated by the Papacy and the Catholic Church. This began to change after the Reformation, although Italy remained Catholic. The French Revolution brought many new ideas into Italy. Most Italians describe themselves as Catholic, although many are today non-practicing. The popularity of Scocialist ideology has been a factir here. Italy today is one of the least religious countries in Europe, although most Italians commonly identify themselves as Catholic. Manu Italian boys have served as altar boys, although boy choirs have not been common in the modern era. It is interesting to note that in Italy with one dominant religion that has often been supported by the state, the status of the Church has steadily declined in the modern age. In contrast, in America wiyhout an established church, religion is a major factor in the national life.

History

Religion has played an important role in Italian history. Christianity was a creature of the Roman Empire. It developed within the Empire although it was at times severely repressed. It became the stsate religion of the Empire. Christianity not only survived the fall of the Empire, but was adopted by the Germanic Tribes who conquered the Empire. Italy became the center of Catholcism in Europe because of the growing primacy of the Papacy. The Papacy also controlled a secular state in central Italy around Rome and was influential even in the other Italian states outside its secular control. Both Byzabtium and the Arabs at times controlled parts of Italy and Sicily, but the Catholic Church emerged as the sole religion of Italy with the exception of small Jewish communities. The Papacy achieved such strength by the the turn of the second millenium that they vied with the secular power of the Holy Roman (German) emperors. It was at this time that the Papacy conceived of the Crusades to liberate the Holy Land, inspiring an outpouring of religious devotion throughout Europe. The Renaissance first appeared in Italy, profoundly affecting intelectual thought. Italy never, however, experienced the Reformation. Rather the Inquisition and Counter Reformation kept Italy thoroughly Catholic. The Napoleonic Wars introduced liberal ideas to Italy, but the Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna reimposed conservative regimes the and Catholic Church. The liberal movement for religious freedom was less intense in Italy than the rest of Europe. Conflict developed between the Papacy and the new kingdom of Italy, but the Catholic Church remained influential as it did even during Mussolini's Fascist regime. The Church signed a Concordont with Mussolini's Government. Since World War II, Itly like most of Europe has steadily become increasingly secularized.

Religion in Modern Italy

The decline of religion and religiosity in modern Europe is an interesting topic. Italy is an especially interesting aspect of overall trends in Europe because the Church was once such an important force. The position of the Church changed after World War II with a new Consitution. The experience of World War II rather than legal cobstitutionsal changes may have been a key element in this shift. It is a general phenomenon throughout Europe. The role of the Church in the lives of individuals has changed markedly. The Communist Party after the War became a major force in Italy. Even so, most Italians even Communists had their children do their First Communion and were married in churches. It is interesting to note that in Italy with one dominant religion that has often been supported by the state, the status of the Church has steadily declined in the modern age. One report we read suggests that only about 10 percent of Italians now regularly attend church, although most Italians continue to identify themselves as Catholic. In contrast, in America without an established church, religion has remained a major factor in the national life although has also been affected by secluralizing trends. The long term impact of this de-Christianizing trend is yet to be seen.

Altar Boys

Seving as an altar boy was a common experience for boys throughout the first half of the 20th century. Boys wore black or red cassocks and white surplices. In Italy traditionally altar boys wear black or red cassock (talare) and surplice (cotta). The boys here in cassocks and albs are altar boys participating in a religious procession (figure 1). Their dress looks identical to that worn by Catholic altar boys in America. Notice that unlike the priest there is no hat or cap for the boys. I am not sure how common it is today for Italian boys to serve as altar boys. The declining role of the Church in national life has probably affected this traditional experience for boys. We auspect that many boys are no longer as interesed as they once were and their parents less inclined to encourage them. Until very recently only boys were allowed to serve. In recent years this experience has been opened to girls. I'm not sure when this happened, presumably the 1990s. We are not sure why the Church allowed this. Changing attitudes toward men and women are a factor. We suspect difficulties recruiting boys may be another factor.

Choirs

HBC has little information on Italy. Curiosly in a country with a rich musical tradition, including choral music, there appear to be no well known boy choirs. HBC has attempted to reserch the subject of Italian choirs. Apparently in Italy the notion of boys' choirs is now unknown. There are, however, children's choirs made up of both boys and girls. HBC would be very interested for any insights that Italian readers can offer.

First Communion

First Communion was a major event in the life of Italian children. Almost all Italians are Catholics. Most Itlaian boys thus have First Communions. Unfortunately, HBC has little information on First Communion in Italy. We also have have virtually no Italian images, let alone specific Italian first communion suits. Wedo note some rather stylish First Communion suits. Hopefully Italian visitors to this site will provide some insights. Italy is a country that HBC has had trouble obtaining information about.

Confirmation

Processions

The procession is a historic tradition of the Catholic Church. The most important one is the procession in the solemnity of "Corpus Christi" (Latin for Body of Christ), or "Corpus Domini" (Latin for Body of the Lord). This feast is a special celebration of sacrament of Eucharist. The feast was introduced in the Latin Liturgy by the Pope Urban the 4th in 1263, with the bull "Transiturus". The feast takes place traditionally on Thursday, eleven days after Pentecost. Today in many places it is celebrated on Sunday, fourteen days after Pentecost. This is the only procession that takes place everywhere in the Catholic Church. However there are many other processions according with local traditions. There are processions for the Good Friday and for feasts of the Virgin Mary or Patron saints. In Italy there are many processions, especially in the South. Today there are fewer in the North. This reflects the relative importance of the Catholic Church and other historic traditioins in the more modern, secular north. An Italian reader writes about the procession photograph on this page, "This procession looks to me more like one held at Corpus Christi than a First Communion (figure 1). The canopy carried in the background that covers either the holy communion or in this case a figure of a saint makes this very clear to me. The boy in white suit would be a child carrying flowers (like girls do as well) and not a First Communion participant.

Patron Saints

Italy has two patron saints, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Francis of Assisi. Possibly no other figure in Catholic history is venerated as is Saint Francis. St. Francis is known for his love of nature and all God's creatures and is the patron saint of animals and the environment. In addition to the national patron saints, each church in Italy also has a patron saint. And each year thare is a celebration of that saint in which he is especially venerated by the parisioners and local community. This includes taking the statue of the saint taken outside and paraded around. Some of the celebratiins are quite elaborate and play an important role in community celebrrations. Hopefully our Italian readers can tell us more about these celebrations.

Special Rites

Many churches celebrate special rites. There are many local traditions. There are also more widely celebrated rites that are not mandatory. On Maundy Thursday a Mass is celebrated in the evening in the Catholic churches. It is the "Lord's Supper". During this Mass the priest can wash the feet of twelve men or boys. This is not a mandatory rite, but there is in many churches (especially in the parishes). Before the rite the priest reads the Gospel according John (13): "He rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist."

Weddings

Most Italians have Church weddings regardless of the extent of their relgious convictions. This was cerainly the case before the 1947 Constitution, but even continues to be the case today. There was of course a wide range of Church weddings. Some were quite formal affairs with very elaborate formal clothing. Others held by families of modest incomes were much less elaborate affairs. We do not yet have a great deal of information on Italian weddings, but have begun to collect information.

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Created: June 1, 2004
Last updated: 10:17 PM 4/17/2010