On Sunday, 7 December 2025, at the Mother Church of Santa Maria Annunziata in Merì, near Messina, the solemn Rite of the Coronation of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Immaculate was celebrated, within the Eucharistic Celebration presided over by His Excellency the Most Reverend Cesare Di Pietro, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela, with the Parish Priest, Father Damiano La Rosa, Chaplain of Merit in the Constantinian Order, as concelebrant. The eighteenth-century statue was adorned with a precious crown and a silver halo dating back to the mid-eighteenth century and recently restored. Present at the solemn ceremony, at the invitation of the Parish Priest, was a representation from the Messina Provincial Section of the Eastern Sicily Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, led by the Secretary General, Dr. Michele Lauro, Knight of Merit with Silver Star.
The presence of the Constantinian representatives, in addition to being an expression of the welcome shown by Father La Rosa, is a sign of the Order’s veneration for the Virgin, invoked as Queen of Victories, and of its particular devotion to the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, formerly a national feast of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, of which she was the heavenly patroness.
The Parish Priest, Father Damiano La Rosa, the altar servers, and the Constantinian delegation gathered on the churchyard of the Mother Church of Santa Maria Annunziata to welcome Bishop Cesare Di Pietro, who, after receiving the parish priest’s homage, addressed a warm greeting to the Knights and the Dame present, and then received each of them individually. The Secretary General of the Eastern Sicily Delegation, Dr. Michele Lauro, Knight of Merit with Silver Star, conveyed to the prelate the greetings of the Delegate for Western Sicily, Nob. Attorney Ferdinando Testoni Blasco, Knight Grand Cross of Justice.
The Constantinian delegation then led the entrance procession, taking their reserved seats in the church on the Gospel side.
In his opening greeting, Bishop Cesare Di Pietro thanked the Parish Priest for the invitation and greeted the authorities, especially Mayor Felice Borghese, the Constantinian representatives, and the parish community.
Bishop Cesare Di Pietro then emphasized the importance of the Rite of Coronation, through which the Church recognizes the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Afterward, Parish Priest Father Damiano La Rosa expressed his gratitude to the Prelate for accepting the invitation and likewise offered his greeting and thanks to the Constantinian representatives, who had come to Merì to honor the Immaculate Virgin, patroness of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Bishop Cesare Di Pietro then presided over the Eucharistic Celebration, with Parish Priest Father Damiano La Rosa as concelebrant.
Nob. Prof. Salvatore Italiano, Knight of Jure Sanguinis, and Attorney Francesco Russo, Knight of Merit, read the First Reading (Is 11:1–10 – He shall judge the poor with justice) and the Second Reading (Rom 15:4–9 – Jesus Christ saves all mankind). The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 71 – Come, Lord, King of justice and peace) was sung by a chorister from the parish choirs that usually animate the liturgy. Parish Priest Father Damiano La Rosa proclaimed the Gospel (Mt 3:1–12 – Repent: the kingdom of heaven is near!).
In his homily, Bishop Cesare Di Pietro reflected on the meaning of the Scriptural passages heard in the Liturgy of the Word, recalling the image of the shoot springing from the old dried-up trunk—a messianic image of hope and of the new life reserved for all creation, redeemed and converted to Christ, in whom even the naturally hostile and dangerous temperaments of wild animals such as the wolf, lion, and serpent will be reconciled with the tenderness of the lamb, the meekness of the ox, and the innocence of the child.
For this reason, Bishop Di Pietro emphasized, during the Responsorial Psalm the assembly invoked the coming of the “Lord, King of justice and peace,” who has already accomplished Redemption. It therefore falls to humanity, as noted in the passage from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans, to welcome the Word and thus to welcome one another in a world entirely reconciled with God.
Recalling the imagery and words of John the Baptist in the Gospel passage, Bishop Di Pietro stressed the urgency of conversion, to which all people are called.
Finally, Bishop Di Pietro highlighted the perfection achieved by the Virgin Mary, who, by singular privilege, was preserved from the stain of original sin, but who, by her own will, became the most attentive and faithful disciple of her Divine Son, and thus became a collaborator of God in the outpouring of grace upon all humanity.
After the homily, Mons. Cesare Di Pietro performed the solemn Rite of Coronation of the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, placing upon the head of the venerated image the restored eighteenth-century silver royal diadem.
During the Offertory, Riccardo Millemaggi Palatini, Knight of Jure Sanguinis; Giovanni Picone, Knight of Merit with Silver Star; Salvatore Ciccolo, Knight of Merit; and Donatella Romeo, Dame of Merit, presented the gifts at the altar.
After the Eucharistic Celebration, at the invitation of the Parish Priest, the Constantinian delegation of Knights joined the Prelate for a buffet luncheon. The convivial moment provided a happy opportunity to strengthen the already cordial relations and to discuss plans for cooperation in the coming year. The Parish Priest expressed his hope for an ever greater spread of the Constantinian charism in the Tyrrhenian area of the Messina Section, while offering his fullest availability to the Eastern Sicily Delegation for the celebration of various feasts and for formation meetings.
