America Lodge OSIA #1609

About Us

2008-07-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

America Lodge #1609 meets monthly at the Community Center of La Habra, 101 La Habra Blvd, usually on the third Sunday of the month. Since times and locations are sometimes changed due to unforseen circumstances, anyone wishing to attend should consult the CALENDAR OF EVENTS listed in this blog.

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For questions involving membership or any other matter contact us at -
america_lodge.osia@yahoo.com

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Lodge Officers

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President---------------------------Raymond Eknoian
Vice President--------------------Victor Zappia
Past President--------------------Frank Iannuzzi
Orator--------------------------------Giovanni Cartusciello
Recording Secretary------------Ann Eaton
Financial Secretary--------------Yolanda Campanelli
Treasurer---------------------------Annette Zappia
Historian----------------------------Barbara Eknoian
Trustee------------------------------Angie Cimarusti
Trustee------------------------------Linda Enneman
Trustee------------------------------Lou Pontrelli
Trustee------------------------------Helen Zappia
Trustee------------------------------Nick Zonni
Mistress of Ceremony----------Josie Granata
Mistress of Ceremony----------Rachael Cianfrini
Guard--------------------------------Cathrine Montgomery
State Deputy-----------------------Richard Salvatore

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La Voce
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America Lodge distributes a monthly news letter to its members called LA VOCE (The Voice) which lists various activities and other information.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

2008-07-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

BUON CAPODANNO (HAPPY NEW YEAR)

REGULAR MEETING

January 18, 2009 2:00 pm

Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631

REGULAR MEETING

February 15, 2009 2:00 pm

Community Center
101 La Habra Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631

REGULAR MEETING

March 15, 2009 2:00 pm

Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631

PASTA DINNER

April 19, 2009 2:00 pm

Community Center
101 La Habra Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631

REGULAR MEETING

May 17, 2009 2:00 pm

Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631
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REGULAR MEETING
June 14, 2009 2:00 pm
Women's Club
200 W. Greenwood Avenue
La Habra, CA 90631
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REGULAR MEETING
July 19, 2009 2:00 pm
Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631
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Corn Festival

August 8, 9, 10, 2009

El Centro Lions Park

201 N. Cypress Street

La Habra, CA 90631

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PANCAKE BREAKFAST AND REGULAR MEETING
August 16, 2009 11:00 a.m.
Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631
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REGULAR MEETING
September 20, 2009 2:00 pm
Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631
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REGULAR MEETING
October 18, 2009 2:00 pm
Women's Club
200 W. Greenwood Avenue
La Habra, CA 90631

ANNIVERSARY DINNER DANCE

November 8, 2009 4:30 p.m.

Westridge Country Club

1400 S. La Habra Hills Drive

La Habra. CA 90631
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POT LUCK AND FOOD DRIVE AND REGULAR MEETING
November 15, 2009 1:00 pm
Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631

TOYS FOR TOTS

December 6, 2009 1:00 p.m.

Joanne Coccia Lodge Hall

9420 Sierra Avenue

Fontana,CA

Bring an unwrapped gift worth at least $12.

Tickets are $14 at the door.

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REGULAR MEETING
December 20, 2009 2:00 pm
Community Center

101 La Habra Blvd

La Habra, CA 90631

History

2008-07-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

L'Ordine Figli d'Italia in America

The Order of the Sons of Italy in America

Spearheaded by three Italian gentlemen, Giovanni Marvino, Rinaldo Jalabella and Hugo Di Giantomasso, the America Lodge had its inception on November 29, 1931 in the community of Montebello, California.

Although research into the lodge's history is a work in progress, veteran members relate that from its inception, the lodge thrived well over the years but diminished in membership with the approach of the nineties. By 1996, Annette Zappia and Connie Funare led the move of the lodge to La Habra, California where its membership has grown to well over a hundred and continues to flourish.

ANNO DOMINI MMIX

2008-07-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

By Salvatore Di Vita

With the month of June upon us, we find ourselves halfway through Anno Domini MMIX (year of the lord 2009), marking off the days of the calendar. The story of how our present day calendar came about is an interesting and complex one. Although many cultures have had their own method of measuring time, the Romans were quite instrumental in putting it all together.
Today we follow what is known as the Julian or Roman calendar and here’s why. Legend has it that as far back as the eighth century B.C., Romulus, the first king of Rome, introduced a calendar based on ten months and only 304 days. What is strange is that 61 days were basically ignored and occurred sometime during the winter season. The fact that any civilized entity was able to stay in existence century after century is something short of a miracle although it has had its ups and downs. Their calendar however was something of a disaster.
Sometime around 45 B.C., along with social disorder and political strife, Roman politicians had fiddled with the calendar so much that it became a total mess and as a result the year had 445 days. Mamma mia! By the time Julius Caesar consolidated his power, he had his hands full. But soon after invading Egypt, he found himself surrounded by the world’s foremost experts of astronomy. The Egyptians were able to calculate the length of the solar year to 365 days and six hours. Julius Caesar then took full credit for the work done by the Egyptians and implemented what became known as the Julian calendar. Ah, but he wasn’t finished. Remember those 61 days that weren’t being used? Well, Caesar took those previously abandoned months and stuck them at the beginning of the year. Finally, each month had 30 days except for five months which had 31 days. All together they totaled 365 days. Alleluia!
All went well for a while until Julius was assassinated. After his death, his grand nephew Octavian and his best friend Marcus Antonius took a 30 day month and set it aside in honor of Julius. But since both Octavian and Marcus felt that a month honoring Julius should have 31 days, and not wanting to disrupt their new solar calendar, they simply took one day from February and left it with only 29 days. After Octavian became emperor of Rome, the Roman senate granted Octavian the name, “Augustus”, meaning, “exalted one”. Now there’s no doubt that Augustus was indeed feeling quite exalted, because he decided to name a month after himself. There was nobody around to stop him. Uncle Julius was dead and Augustus was in charge. He therefore took the month following July and called it August. But he still wasn’t happy because the month following July had only 30 days. Well, what else could he do but revisit February and snatch another day. February was now left with only 28 days.
End of story, right? No! Remember, the Egyptians calculated the solar year as consisting of 365 days plus six hours. Eventually a decision had to be made as to what to do with these six extra hours. As it turns out, the powers that be multiplied the six hours by four and came up with a product of 24 hours, a whole extra day. “No problem,” they said, “We’ll just collect these six hours each year and after four years we’ll tack them on to February.” In Italian it’s called “anno bisestile” but in English it’s called “leap year”.
Well, we finally reached the point where everyone is happy, right? Wrong! When I was 18 years of age, back in Brooklyn, N.Y., I happened to be visiting a friend whose mother was celebrating her 12th birthday. That’s right, her 12th birthday. She jokingly lamented that as a child she had to wait four years for each birthday because she was born on the 29th of February. She was actually 48 years of age. Kind of interesting , huh?

A Week of Heavenly Bodies

2008-07-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

By Salvatore Di Vita

Many Italian-American children learned to recite the days of the week in Italian even though they never learned much else of the language. As a child, I was proud of the fact that I was able to pronounce the words domenica, lunedi’, martedi’, mercoledi’, giovedi’, venerdi’, and sabato. And from that time on, I knew them and used them when necessary.

But it was later, after studying Italian, that I discovered the significance of those words. To explain, we need to go back to about 250 BC. You see, the ancient Romans were an enterprising bunch. After conquering Greece, they helped themselves to everything they could get their hands on, including the Greek gods… and oh yes, the goddesses too, (No sexism here). However, not happy with the Greek names for their gods (and goddesses), the Romans renamed them in Latin.

Although there were many gods, only seven in particular served to name the days of the week. What is more, they translate quite easily into Italian: They are Luna – lunedi’, Mars – martedi’, Mercury – mercoledi’, Jupiter – giovedi’, Venus – venerdi’ and Saturn – sabato. They ‘re the same heavenly bodies we often see when looking upward. How strange it is to realize that the ancient Romans left us a legacy of names for each day of the week. Ah, but what happened to Sunday ?

Well, Sunday seems to have undergone a kind of modification through the years. To begin with, we must remember that Sunday is considered to be the first day of the week and Saturday the last. The Hebrews, recognizing Saturday as being the seventh day and wishing to honor God in their own way, followed closely the passages in the book of Genesis which narrate the creation of heaven and earth by God in six days. It then goes on to say, “And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it,… and He rested from all His work.” Therefore, the day which they call the Sabbath was set aside as their holy day.

The Romans, after converting to Christianity and in response to the Sabbath, were believed to have changed the first day of the week from “Dies Solis”, day of the Sun, to “Dies Dominus”, the day of the Lord, or as the Italians call it, “domenica”. Sunday, or “domenica” , therefore, became the Christian holy day. After all this, I kind of chuckle when I think of the relationship between days and planets, especially when I read the book title, Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars . You see, I was born on a Tuesday, “martedi’.

Ahh, those Romans! Ya gotta love ‘em!

Il Presepio

2008-07-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

By Salvatore Di Vita

On a clear cold night, shepherds could be seen keeping vigil over their flocks, while in a nearby cave a man and woman gaze upon a tiny figure lying in a manger. In the cave with them are several townspeople who have come to praise the new king. A small shepherd boy, trying not to be a bother, stands on tipped toes and stretches his neck to look over Joseph’s shoulder in hopes of getting a glimpse. There are also a flute player, an artisan and blacksmith to name a few. And there within plain view of the manger can be seen three great figures in royal attire, kings all three on their knees bearing gifts.
The date was December 24, 1223. Those in the cave are members of the village of Greccio, in the region of Lazio, Italy, brought together for the first re-creation of the birth of Jesus Christ by a monk known as Francis from the town of Assisi.
The idea first came to him on the grassy hills outside of Greccio where it was quite common to see shepherds tending their flocks. Francis often walked these hills watching this almost biblical scene and what he saw inspired him. He would re-create a scene depicting the birth of Jesus Christ as a way of conveying the ideas of Christmas as well as promoting the Christmas spirit to an illiterate congregation. To do this he recruited townspeople and had them dress in biblical garments and he placed them in and around the cave on the outskirts of the village. He also added farm animals for authenticity. In the manger was a life-sized wax figure of the infant Jesus. It was truly a sight to behold, and the event stirred much curiosity and interest across the land.
As the years passed, word of the nativity scene began to spread. On Christmas Eve, families traveled far and wide to witness the spectacle. Over time, the nativity scene, or presepio, as it is called in Italy, grew in popularity. Other towns began featuring them and soon, people had individual nativity scenes in their homes by using wood-carved figurines. Before long the Christmas nativity scene had spread throughout Western Europe. As Catholicism flourished worldwide, so did the concept of the nativity.
Today in practically every country in the world, the nativity scene is used in the celebration of Christmas by Catholics and Protestants alike. Children from one generation to the next attach themselves to these toy-like figurines and take pride in knowing the names of each character assembled around the manger.
And it all happened because a Franciscan Friar, by this simple act and a desire to teach, had set into motion a chain of events which created a phenomenon that even he would probably never have imagined.

BUON NATALE!

THE LAND OF THREE COUNTRIES

2008-07-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

By Salvatore Di Vita

Italy is truly the land of enchantment and the world-famous producer of architects, scientists, navigators, explorers, poets, playwrights, artists, musicians, composers, master vintners and masters of the culinary arts. However, the Italian peninsula is also a phenomenon in and of itself. Many people are surprised to learn that the peninsula is comprised of three separate countries. Within the country Italy there exist the countries of San Marino and Vatican City.
Near the end of the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the Italian Renaissance there existed approximately 250 city states. Italy was different from other countries such as France or England which had strong central governments. Essentially, these city-states were considered independent countries which governed themselves and competed against one another for land and power through the use of armies and mercenaries.
San Marino is believed to have been founded about 350 AD and had the good fortune to stay out of wars and feuds. It has survived attacks from other city-states, the Napoleonic Wars, the unification of Italy, and two world wars. San Marino is the oldest republic in the world and became part of the United Nations in 1992. Since it is one-tenth the size of New York City, one might want to use a good magnifying glass to search for it on a map. You’ll find it tucked between the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche, a short distance inland of the Adriatic Sea.
You’ll find Vatican City along the Tiber River in the city of Rome, which seems to be the strangest phenomenon of all, since it is a country within a city. If San Marino’s claim to fame is being the world’s oldest republic, Vatican City’s claim to fame is said to be the world’s smallest country. Emperor Constantine, after officially recognizing Christianity with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, began construction of a great church in 324 AD. However, it wasn’t until February 11, 1929 with the signing of the Lateran Treaty between the Holy See and the Italian Government that the Vatican became a separate country. So, if you’re visiting, don’t try mailing a post card from Vatican City using Italian stamps or vice-versa. It simply won’t work.
And of course, our third country is Italy, a land diverse in its various regional customs, dialects and dishes. It is also a land of archeological discoveries, yielding a treasure-trove of many cultures down through the ages and revealing a long history for the world to contemplate.

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A PIECE OF WOOD

2007-04-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A PIECE OF WOOD
By Salvatore Di Vita
Carlo Lorenzini was born of humble parents in Florence, Italy in 1826. His father was a cook and his mother a servant. He was the first of ten children. He studied in the seminary to become a priest, but after finishing his education, he began to write for a news paper. He wrote under the pen name of Collodi, taking the name of the town where his mother was born. Carlo Collodi took an interest in politics and like a true patriot, in 1848 he defended Tuscany in a revolt against its Hapsburg rulers and in 1859 fought again in the war between Italy and Austria. He later took an active role in aiding Garibaldi’s men in their struggle toward the unification of Italy. His passion, however, was to be a writer.
He wrote several stories, but success seemed to elude him until he came across an old discarded piece of wood and thought of its significance. As he contemplated the wood, an old legend came to mind. It was a legend which dated back to the Renaissance and told of an oddly-shaped slab of marble so long and narrow that it was thought to be unsuitable for sculpting. It was actually considered to be a piece of junk which was rejected by every sculptor who saw it, except one, Michelangelo. Michelangelo stared at it for a long time, and then smiled as if recognizing an old friend. He then eagerly accepted the marble and began chipping away, eventually releasing his “David” from within.
As Carlo Collodi thought of the legend, he knew that he was no Michelangelo, but as he stared at the wood, he murmured the words, “C’era una volta un pezzo di legno” (Once upon a time there was a piece of wood), not realizing that he had uttered the first words of what was to become a literary classic. In a manner similar to Michelangelo, Carlo Collodi created, from his imagination, a piece of wood, then with a stroke of his pen created an old carpenter who carved the wood to release his “Pinocchio” from within. It was to be a story meant for children though it would be read and enjoyed by children and adults alike. It is a story in which the old wood carver, after finding that his creation could walk and talk, adopts him as his own son, loving the boy unconditionally even though the boy is selfish and ungrateful. It is a story which weighs not only moral values but the qualities of one’s soul which define humanity.
In the original story, Pinocchio is not the innocent, cute little naïve character that Walt Disney makes him out to be. In the original story he is irresponsible by choice. He is lazy, refuses to go to school and is always ready to take the easy way out. The size of his nose reveals that he is a liar. He even kills his conscience the cricket by smashing him with a hammer. But the old wood carver loves Pinocchio so much that he gives up everything to go in search of him. Then, through one misadventure after another, Pinocchio comes to realize what it means to be human. Humanity, he learns, is not bestowed through a mere physical makeup of flesh and blood. To be truly human, one must have compassion, humility, selflessness and love and he realizes that anyone lacking these qualities would be nothing more than a discarded piece of wood.
Through the years, the lessons taught by this story have been discussed by many scholars and philosophers. Pinocchio has been published throughout the world and translated into more than eighty languages. After sending in the final installment to his publisher in 1883, Carlo Collodi wrote other stories, but never achieved the perfection he had attained in Pinocchio.
Quite often, the study of literature reveals some hidden secrets of its author. Although he may never have confided in anyone, there seems to emerge a strange truth revealing a profound loneliness with which he lived, for he never married and never had children. Carlo Collodi died in Florence in 1890.
When analyzing the story of Pinocchio and its author, one cannot help but suggest that the lonely old wood carver he wrote about was a literary depiction of himself and Pinocchio the imaginary boy to whom he gave his unconditional love.