Maria Assunta Society

Every August 15, since 1920, St. Michael's Maria Assunta Society celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to commemorate when God took her bodily from earth to heaven. The society originated from the Sicilian Tusani who migrated and settled in Pawcatuck. The first secretary recorded the observance of the feast and the purchase of a sta... tue, carved in Genoa from wood, and shipped from Palermo, Sicily, in the year 1935. Over the years the celebration has centered around a tradition of a special Sunday Mass and then taking the statue out of the church. After a brief ceremony, the procession begins marching through the streets with a band playing traditional music. Along the line of march, people stop the procession to give offerings in appreciation for favors granted to them by the Blessed Mother's intercession. Everyone is invited to march along in this procession to pay homage to her assumption into heaven. The Maria Assunta Society promotes the spiritual welfare and development of the people of Roman Catholic faith and gives honor and glory to the Blessed Virgin by celebrating her assumption every August.Read More