FAITH AND VOCATION IN SANTA BARBARA

20th POETRY RECITAL TO REMEMBER ANGELINO CUNSOLO

Santa Barbara VM Patroness of Paternò venerated all over the world, is celebrated as a religious cult on December 4th of each year. This year many traditional activities that revolve around the Saint have been obscured due to the coronavirus pandemic to avoid gatherings, a possible condition of contagion, among many a poetry recital in honor of Santa Barbara now in its 20th edition, conceived and organized by devoted journalist Prof. Angelino Cunsolo, who passed away two years ago, continues his vocation and moral legacy his son Dr. Rosario Cunsolo and the whole family (wife, sisters and mother).

Prof. Angelino Cunsolo was born in Biancavilla on 7 February 1928 at the venerable age of 92, at 10 he moved with his parents to Paternò, which became Elective Homeland, from a literary amateur following his brother, journalist and writer, he passed as a journalist to “La Sicilia” collaborating for about 30 years. Tired of writing what was asked of her, she decided to regain possession of her freedom, write according to conscience and so she founded her newspaper “La Gazzetta Dell’Etna” which kept him alive for 25 years. He starts alone and with a few friends, but he soon became the protagonist of the news on duty, one of the most read newspapers in the whole Etna area, he dedicates himself to historical research to dust off characters who have given prestige to the city of Paternò and its surroundings, to the forgotten villages including Ragalna, to politics and various surprising investigations for their unusual rigor and precision, in this field he will acquire a competence that has no equal, never neglecting the lyrical compositions dedicated to Santa Barbara.

He was never rich in money, but in culture “Yes”, in fact, in addition to his career as a teacher in mathematics and physics, he devoted himself to the most salient facts of Paternò. Angelino never failed to dream of writing the lyrics dedicated to Santa Barbaruzza on the evening of the feast day and for 18 editions to the Santa Barbara festivity he managed to involve dozens of poets (about 30-50) who each wrote his own poetry and recited it in church with the support of the pro tempore parish priest, most recently Don Salvatore Magrì. In those days the press dedicated a lot of space to the publication of the religious event, “Recital of Poems” and above all to the motivations of the same, from prayers, thanks or requests for grace. We feel obliged to reiterate every well done by Prof. Consolo, we remember him for his contagious vocation to the family, witness of many cultural, historical and art events, published in his newspaper “La Gazzetta dell’Etna” for his love for the city of Paternò, a man of culture and above all a friend.

It is equally beautiful, just this year that the usual ceremony between us poets could not be celebrated, to receive a free booklet offered by the Cunsolo family, a collection of poems written by Prof. Angelino Consolo dedicated to Saint Barbara.

Carmelo Santangelo