Saint Luigi Orione Celebrations

The Patron Saint of Marsica

The Saint Luigi Orione Celebrations are among the most deeply felt spiritual and civic events in the Municipality of Avezzano, in the province of L'Aquila, in the heart of the Abruzzo Marsica region. Every year, around May 16th—the saint's liturgical feast day—the city and neighboring towns gather to honor the figure of Don Orione, founder of the Little Work of Divine Providence and proclaimed patron saint of Marsica.

Remembering the 1915 Earthquake

The bond between Don Orione and Marsica is rooted in the tragedy of the earthquake of January 13, 1915, which razed Avezzano and surrounding villages to the ground, causing tens of thousands of victims. Don Orione rushed to the rubble to rescue the population and care for the orphaned children, a gesture of Christian charity that forever enshrined him in the local memory as a benefactor and the "father of Marsica." For this reason, since 2019, the Diocese of Marsi has also celebrated the Volunteer Festival on May 16th, recognizing the saint as a model of solidarity and the patron saint of volunteers.

A Journey of Faith and Memory

The celebrations span several days and involve the towns of Pescina, Avezzano, and Magliano de' Marsi. The heart of the festival is May 16th in Avezzano, featuring a solemn Mass at the Madonna del Suffragio Sanctuary, a procession with the saint's statue through the city center, and a civic ceremony in Piazza Risorgimento, on the cathedral square, where city and diocesan authorities pay public tribute to the benefactor of 1915.

• Solemn Mass featuring the Saint Luigi Orione choir
• Procession with the saint's statue through the historic center
• Civic tribute in Piazza Risorgimento with the mayors of Marsica
• Cultural and musical events, including concerts dedicated to composer Lorenzo Perosi

Culture and Territory

Alongside the religious dimension, the Saint Luigi Orione Celebrations offer workshops, theatrical performances, and musical moments that weave the saint's history with that of Marsica and its notable figures, such as the writer Ignazio Silone, who was born in Pescina. It is an opportunity to rediscover the identity of an Abruzzo territory defined by reconstruction and solidarity, and to keep alive the memory of those who, a century ago, were able to turn catastrophe into hope.