Allan Appel Photo
St. Andrew the Apostle prepared as always to go to sea to bless the fleet of ships in New Haven Harbor. But where were his usual ship and crew?
The vessel he had been borne upon every early June for the last decade became unavailable for this 113th local celebration of how Andrew interceded to rescue Amalfi from the Turks back in 1544.
Then a new vessel and crew, this one courtesy of the Sound School, rode to the rescue.
So on Sunday the statue and a dozen people came aboard the Island Rover, a 52-foot-long boat that usually serves as the floating classroom of the Sound School.
The connection: Sound School freshman Alexandria Abbagnaro is the daughter of Anthony Abbagnaro, a co-chair of this year’s St. Andrew’s Festival.
Three generations of Calabreses - Sr., Jr., and III — helped transport the St. Andrew’s statue from truck to boat.
The St. Andrew the Apostle Society men’s division and women’s division, the latter chaired by the indomitable Theresa Argento, have marked St. Andrew’s feast day for 113 years.
The society’s St. Andrew Festival street festival in Wooster Square begins this year on June 27 and runs through June 30. Click here for full program, which will also include the celebration of Argento’s leadership and her 90th birthday.
Flexibility
Crew members Pickering and Rea prepare to transport their first saint.
Sound School students Conor Pickering and Kelly Rea crewed the ship Sunday under the guidance of instructors and captains, Bob Boulware and Paul Morris, and teacher Steve Joseph.
“I’ll be handling the lines and doing deck watch, so no one harms themselves on the vessel, ” said Conor, a sophomore from West Haven and a serious young sailor.
Like St. Andrew, he expressed no nervousness as Captain Morris called out to him, “Ease on one,” and one of the tethering ropes was loosened in preparation for departure.
Boulware and Father Collicchio discussed just where the priest was going to stand to dispense the holy water from the squirt bottle Collicchio had prepared. Given the range of 50 to 100 boats queuing up for the blessing, would there be enough to go around?
“If I run out, I’ll make some more,” Collicchio assured the captain.
Boulware said this assignment was part of the vessel operations course taught at the school.
“We teach in vessel operations not just how to operate but working with the people, not just interdependence [of crew members] but flexibility,” Boulware said.
It was a first-timer for him and the captains as well to transport a saint, but the “no problem” spirit of Andrew was evident. All was cool and shipshape on a picture-perfect sunny afternoon.
Conor Pickering did the floatation device demonstration. Then he added for the visitors on board, “Keep your feet on deck,”
“Unless you’re levitating with some higher power,” added Steve Joseph.
The lines were pulled in and Kelly Rea maneuvered the Island Rover out where vessels of all kinds were already lining up in the harbor.
Faith Intact
In conjunction with Sunday’s blessing of the fleet, the Independent interviewed St. Andrew through the translation services of Frank Gargano, the president of the St. Andrew the Apostle Society.
Independent: I understand before your sea trip, you were transported over here from the clubhouse on Chapel Street in the back of a Ford F250. How was that ride?
St. Andrew: Couple of bumps when we hit Long Wharf. Being a fisherman and used to the sea, I didn’t mind the the bumps.
Independent: For last ten years or so, you’ve gone to sea to participate in the blessing aboard Caspar (“Cappie”) Amodio’s boat Knot Easy. This year it’s a new vessel, Island Rover, from the nearby Sound School. Are you comfortable with the change?
Captain Boulware and Father Collicchio discuss the supply of holy water.
St. Andrew: No problem.
Independent: No concern that the boat is being crewed by young students, sailors with relatively modest experience?
St. Andrew: No problem. Before your time, back in the 1960s, I used to ride on a 72-foot-long fishing boat. No problem.
Independent: Would you like to make any other comment?
St. Andrew: We have faith in the Lord.
“Join The Club”
Argento being welcomed aboard by Joseph.
As Argento accompanied the statue down the long pier to the Island Rover, she reminisced a bit. She joined the society when she was 13 years old.
“Your mother said, join the club. I joined the club. Back then, no one asked, ‘Will you?’” she said.
Argento said that ever since the first of thousands of Amalfitani arrived in New Haven, the feast day has been marked, and New Haven and Amalfi have become sister cities. The procession and festival waned after World War II. Argento and company revived it in 1975, and along with it the blessing of the fleet.
(Click here and here for previous stories of how St. Andrew’s image, along with St. Michael’s Catholic Church Father Ralph Collicchio, boarded the Knot Easy, sailed out to the queue of vessels in the harbor and performed the blessing on all ships, regardless of length, mode of locomotion, or religion.)