Festivities in Honor of Blessed Giovanni Liccio

A centuries-old devotion in the heart of the Madonie

The Festivities in Honor of Blessed Giovanni Liccio are the most cherished patronal feast in Caccamo, a picturesque medieval village in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, dominated by its famous Norman castle. Every year, on the last Sunday of May and the following Monday, the town gathers around its primary patron and protector: the Dominican friar Giovanni Liccio, born in Caccamo in 1426 and remembered as the "preacher of Sicily".

Who was Blessed Giovanni Liccio

Born to Giorgio and Teresa Faso, around 1442 the young Giovanni took the Dominican habit at the Santa Zita convent in Palermo, under the guidance of Blessed Pietro Geremia. A tireless preacher and founder of convents, in 1487 he established the Santa Maria degli Angeli convent in Caccamo, where he served as prior and master of novices. He died on November 14, 1511, in the odor of sanctity, and numerous miracles were attributed to him. Pope Benedict XIV officially approved his beatification on April 25, 1753; the following year, in 1754, Archbishop Filippo Lopez established the translation of the relics, which is still commemorated every May.

The Octave and the May Festival

The festivities open with the octave: seven days of celebrations at the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, during which the faithful recite the Chaplet and sing the ancient verses that have always accompanied the devotion of the people of Caccamo. White lilies, a symbol of purity, are placed under the altar of the Blessed. On the penultimate Sunday, a short prayer procession moves the urn from the chapel to the high altar.

On Monday, the solemn day, masses are held hourly throughout the morning, accompanied by the festive ringing of bells and cannon fire. In the late afternoon, around 6:00 PM, the Archbishop of Palermo presides over the solemn Eucharistic celebration; around 7:30 PM, the Solemn Procession of the Reliquary Urn begins. The 19th-century silver urn, containing the remains of the Blessed, is carried on the shoulders of a multitude of the faithful, many of whom wear the Dominican habit as a vow or act of devotion. The procession winds through the main streets, passing the Church of the SS. Annunziata and Piazza Duomo, before reaching the Rabbato district, where the Saint was born and raised, concluding with a final blessing and the cry "Long live Blessed Giovanni!".

A festival that crosses the ocean

The cult of Blessed Giovanni Liccio has followed the Caccamo diaspora to North America: communities dedicated to him have existed in Chicago since 1924 and in Guatemala. For this reason, the Caccamo festivities maintain a strong emotional bond with emigrants and their descendants, who often return to the town specifically for the May festival.