Long before multiculturalism formed part of Australia’s identity, Italian Catholic migrants in Sydney were finding ways to preserve the faith and traditions they had brought with them. One of them was Giuseppina Palise from Salina in Italy’s Aeolian Islands.
She commissioned a statue of La Madonna del Terzito with the Christ Child to help preserve the deep Marian devotion of her home village.
Crowned with a halo of stars and resplendent in blue, gold and rose-coloured robes beneath a processional canopy, it was shipped from Italy to Sydney and unveiled at Gladesville in 1931 by the pope’s representative in Australia at the time, Apostolic Delegate Archbishop Bartolomeo Cattaneo.
For 95 years it has been a focal point of the annual feast of La Madonna del Terzito (Our Lady of Terzito) thanks to the work of an association by the same time led currently by Anthony Cincotta. On 26 July, members joined parishioners at Our Lady Queen of Peace church in Gladesville for the feast celebrations which opened with Mass celebrated by assistant parish priest Fr Daniele Sollazzo FMVD.
A Marian procession followed with the praying of the Rosary around the church and school grounds, accompanied by the Maltese Concert Band, and concluding with Eucharistic adoration and Benediction.
Present was Our Lady of Terzito Association secretary Janet Rocca – Giuseppina’s great-niece. For Rocca, the annual feast naturally weaves into her own family story as generations of her family have honoured Our Lady in this way.
“I remember as a child my grandmother always called it simply ‘the Feast of Our Lady,'” she tells The Catholic Weekly.
“You could tell how important it was because she prepared food for it just the same as she did for Christmas and Easter.”
She believes the tradition has endured for so long out of a deep, shared love for Christ’s mother.
“I think Anthony summed it up beautifully at one of our committee meetings when he said, ‘We’re all here because we love Our Lady,'” Rocca says.
“It’s an expression of thanks for all she’s given us and done for us.”
In his homily, Fr Sollazzo reflected on the example of King Solomon, who asked God not for riches or power but for wisdom to serve his people faithfully. He reminded the congregation that life’s greatest treasure is neither wealth nor success but friendship with Jesus Christ, encouraging the faithful to make time for prayer despite the distractions of modern life.
“The greatest treasure we may ever find is friendship with God,” he said.
Sharing his own vocation story, the priest spoke of discovering God’s call while praying before the Blessed Sacrament and described Mary as a loving mother who accompanies Christians through every stage of life, always leading them to her Son.
Present in spirit though unable to attend the celebration, was the association’s oldest living link to its origins. Josie Virgona, Rocca’s aunt and a niece of Giuseppina, stood on the wharf as a young girl to welcome the statue of La Madonna del Terzito when it arrived in Sydney in 1931. She turns 102 this month, her remarkable life spanning the entire history of the devotion in Australia.
Members Tony Agostino and Frank Rando were awarded life memberships on the day recognition of their years of dedicated service to the association. But Rocca says the feast now draws people beyond the association itself.
Planning for the feast begins months in advance and continues throughout the year with fundraising events to support the association’s work. And committee members will soon look ahead to the centenary celebrations in 2031. For Rocca, however, the greatest achievement is the faith being passed from each family and generation to the next.
“It’s a lovely example of people from coming together because of one deep purpose,” she says. “We’re all here because we love Our Lady.”
La Madonna de Terzito’s journey from a tiny Italian island to Sydney
The devotion to La Madonna del Terzito can be traced back to the island of Salina in Italy’s Aeolian archipelago, north of Sicily.
A version of the local tradition explains the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a woodcutter in the early 17th century near the site where the Sanctuary of La Madonna del Terzito now stands.
A church was later built and became an important pilgrimage site for locals. As thousands of southern Italians migrated overseas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they carried the devotion with them.
One of them was Giuseppina Palise. Fearful that Italians settling in Australia might lose touch with their faith and cultural traditions, she commissioned a statue of La Madonna del Terzito and arranged for it to be shipped to Gladesville.
The statue was solemnly unveiled in 1931 by Archbishop Bartolomeo Cattaneo, the Apostolic Delegate for the pope at the time, at what is now Our Lady Queen of Peace parish. The Our Lady of Terzito Association was established to promote the devotion and organise the annual feast.
