On Sunday 26 May 2024, after the solemn Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity presided over by the Bishop of Sulmona-Valva, the procession in honour of the Holy Trinity walked through the city streets of Popoli. The rite saw the participation of many brotherhoods from different locations in Abruzzo, as well as mayors and civil and military authorities. Inevitable, among crowds, were the batteries of fires and the traditional “race” with the statue of the Holy Trinity along the treacherous flight of steps to return to the church of the same name, where for centuries it has been jealously guarded with devotion and laudable commitment by the Archconfraternity.
In the morning the shooting of firecrackers began the celebrations, with the band tour of the “Giuseppe Ragni–Città di Termoli” wind orchestra, which ended in the evening with the band concert and the midnight fireworks show.
As proof of the importance of this tradition for the faith and identity of the people of Popoli, the Bishop of Sulmona-Valva, the Most Reverend Michele Fusco, also participated in the procession, accompanied by the Parish Priest of Popoli, Father Gilberto Uscategui; by the Parish Priest of Corfinio, Father Vincenzo Paura; and by the Parish Priest of Raiano, Father Daniele Formisani. “The Bishop greeted the leaders of and the return of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, which was already present in Popoli until the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1860. A brief but interesting piece of news, especially because it is about to create new organizational structures,” observed the Lieutenant for Southern Peninsular Italy of the Constantinian Order’s Royal Commission for Italy, H.E. the Marquis Don Pierluigi Sanfelice di Bagnoli, Knight Grand Cross of Justice, in reference to the Order’s Delegation of Abbruzzo and Molise.
