Come one, come all! Everyone is invited to the beautiful Novena to Saint Peter, which begins tonight at 7pm at the American Legion Hall.

The Novena Ladies have been working for months organizing and preparing for the celebration. Annually, they create a brand new backdrop for the stage at the Hall. This year’s depicts the Blessing of the Fleet, which will take place on Sunday, June 28th, at 3pm.

For every Fiesta, and under the guidance of Jean Linquata, the Novena Ladies make exquisite pins for the gentlemen to wear. On Friday night, Jean, Grace Cusumano, Anne Sanfilippo, Caryn Ryder, and Faye Quinlan were sewing, cutting, and assemblying the pins. One colorway, which changes every year, is for the Fiesta Committee members. The red, white, and green colorway is worn by the gentlemen who carry the statue of Saint Peter on their shoulders during the processions.  Jean inherited the tradition of making the pins for the Committee members from her husband Michael’s  Aunt Josie and then she added the tradition of making pins for the statue carriers. We recorded Jean sharing the story for our forthcoming documentary Saint Peter’s Fiesta. In addition to making the pins for Gloucester’s Saint Peter’s Fiesta, the Novena Ladies also make several hundred pins for Boston’s North End Feast of All Feasts, otherwise known as Saint Anthony’s Feast.