The Naples and Campania Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George regularly provides service at the Fraternal Soup Kitchen “Locanda San Vincenzo de’ Paoli” of the diocesan Caritas in Nola, on a bimonthly basis during the third week of the month. This service—part of a broader series of initiatives undertaken by the Delegation to offer a modest contribution in support of those in need and the less fortunate—normally involves Constantinian Knights together with volunteers from the Parish of the Collegio (six female volunteers serve in the kitchen and two volunteers are responsible for meal packaging).

On this occasion, however, the service was not carried out according to the usual bimonthly schedule, but rather in response to the needs of the soup kitchen, which—due to an emergency shortage of volunteers—requested an extraordinary shift on the first day of the year 2026, the Solemnity of Mary, Most Holy Mother of God, a day traditionally spent celebrating the New Year with family. Nevertheless, the emergency faced by those in need remains. Hardship and charity do not take holidays.

In response to this request, several Confrères immediately made themselves available to carry out this praiseworthy charitable service. The service shift was undertaken by Dr. Giuseppe Russo, Knight of Merit, who, with a spirit of Christian charity, attended to the needs involved in the preparation and distribution of hot meals to those who frequent the “Locanda San Vincenzo.”

Later, Prof. Valerio Stefano Sacco, Knight of Office, stopped by to offer his greetings and, if necessary, to assist with the service. Together with Dr. Giuseppe Russo, he is responsible for maintaining relations with the diocesan Caritas, the “Locanda San Vincenzo” soup kitchen, the parish priest, and the volunteers of the Parish of San Felice Bishop and Martyr, known as the Parish of the Collegio.

The soup kitchen service consists of the preparation and distribution of hot meals in disposable trays, which guests collect and take to tables already set with disposable tableware. In addition to on-site meal distribution, takeaway meals are also prepared by volunteers for certain families. These meals are packaged with food quantities proportionate to the number of family members, placed in containers and personal bags that are sterilized by volunteers prior to reuse, and then carefully prepared and delivered to the recipients. This allows families in difficulty to continue experiencing the special moment of the daily meal while preserving their privacy and family unity.

The Fraternal Soup Kitchen

The Fraternal Soup Kitchen “Locanda San Vincenzo de’ Paoli” is located behind the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Nola and is overseen by Father Enrico Tuccillo, assisted by the administrator Dr. Francesco Esposito and Dr. Domenico Alfano. With the help of volunteers working in the kitchen and cleaning services, they prepare over 100 meals each day, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for those in need.

The parish came to be known as “del Collegio” because the parish church was attached to the College and Convent of the Rocchettine Sisters, Canonesses Regular of the Lateran, until its suppression shortly after the Unification of Italy. This occurred under the law of 7 July 1866, which suppressed religious orders and corporations, and the law of 15 August 1867, which provided for the liquidation of ecclesiastical property, the suppression of all monasteries, and the seizure and incorporation of their assets into state, provincial, or municipal property, many of which were subsequently sold.

Both the church and the monastery became municipal property and, until the beginning of the last century, formed a single architectural complex. In 1913, the Municipality of Nola decided to open the present-day Via Ciccone, alienating portions of the buildings and gardens on which new structures were constructed, thereby dividing the church and the convent into two separate buildings. The convent, later transformed and expanded, was assigned to house state elementary schools, a function it continues to serve today as the Second State Primary School District “Maria Sanseverino.”