San Gerardo Maiella Patronal Feast

A neighborhood festival in the heart of Casilino

The San Gerardo Maiella Patronal Feast is the most cherished event in Casilino 23, the popular district located in the Prenestino-Labicano area, within Rome's Municipality V, the capital city of the Lazio region. Every year, in the second half of October, the square in front of the church on Via Romolo Balzani fills with lights, stalls, and chairs: for a few days, the neighborhood feels like a small town, with its own procession, communal tables, and fireworks.

The Saint and his devotion

Gerardo Maiella was born in Muro Lucano, Basilicata, on April 6, 1726, and died at just twenty-nine on October 16, 1755, at the Redemptorist convent of Materdomini in Caposele. Beatified by Leo XIII and canonized in the early 20th century, he is universally invoked as the protector of mothers, expectant women, and children: this is why his feast, set for October 16, has always had a familiar and intergenerational character. In Rome, this devotion arrived with the families who populated the new Muse district in the 1970s and has remained ever since.

Half a century of community

The parish was founded on October 11, 1976, when Father Benito Caschetta celebrated the first mass in a prefabricated building under the 'G' building; the Vicariate of Rome formally established it in April 1978. The actual church, designed by architect Aldo Aloysi, was built between 1980 and 1981 and consecrated in March 1982 by Cardinal Ugo Poletti; in 1994, John Paul II assigned it a cardinal title. Among the most cherished memories of the neighborhood are the visit of John Paul II in November 1992 and that of Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1996.

What happens during the festival

The program, curated by the parish together with neighborhood groups, combines religious and popular elements. During the festival days, the following usually take place:

• Novena and solemn masses in the church of Largo San Gerardo Maiella, with the main celebration on the Saint's day;
• the procession with the statue of San Gerardo carried on shoulders by the group of bearers through the streets of the district, often accompanied by an auxiliary bishop of Rome and a brass band;
• recreational games and sports competitions for children, traditionally at Villa De Sanctis park;
• evenings in the square with popular cuisine, music, and dancing;
• the tombola (bingo) with prize draws and, as a grand finale, a fireworks display.

The bearers, the heart of the procession

The group of bearers is the soul of the day: they are men and women from the neighborhood who take turns under the saint's platform, in what the parish describes as "an act of devotion passed down from generation to generation." They do not consider themselves mere carriers of a statue, but representatives of the hope, memory, and affection of the entire community. Participation is open to anyone who wishes to join, upon contact with the group leaders.

2026, a doubly special year

The 2026 edition takes on particular value: it marks both the 50th anniversary of the parish's foundation (1976-2026) and the 300th anniversary of the birth of San Gerardo Maiella (1726-2026). The parish community has announced special festivities for the month of October; the detailed calendar will be released by the parish in the preceding weeks.

Why it's worth attending

Those looking for the Rome found in guidebooks won't find baroque monuments here: however, they will find a real festival, where the square is still the place where the neighborhood recognizes itself. It is an excellent way to understand how the Roman suburbs function when they decide to tell their own story, amidst popular devotion, home cooking, and fireworks over the apartment blocks.