How Franklin Got It's St. Rocco's Feast

Originally published in the Observer as Hometown History #98

In the iconography and devotions of the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Rocco, as he is called amongst Italians, was venerated for his piety, ascetism, and for helping to protect people from plague. In other Catholic countries his name is spelled and pronounced differently. And, in Franklin, his name became affiliated with a long-running “Feast of Saint Rocco” summer festival held on the grounds near the Hayward Estate, owned for a long-time by the Church.

It all began, according to a Saint Mary’s newsletter and an article in the Boston Pilot, the region’s Catholic newspaper, way back in 1959, when local resident, Nick Verna credited the influence of Saint Rocco for his recovery from a serious illness in childhood. As a result, a paid for a statue representation of the saint which was placed on parish property and was not much noticed for nearly two decades. That is, until Rev. Michael Guarino took a look at the statue, learned about Verna’s story and had the idea of energizing the parish around the kind of religious, social, and cultural event represented by a traditional Italian festival.

With that simple start, a tradition was born. Food and fun. And, of course, some serious religiosity baked in as well. And while the carnival rides and games (similar in scope and scale to the current July 4 celebration on the Town Common, were a major draw for crowds, both locals and visitors fell in love with the food. Particularly in the early years, there was no end of talented local Italian cooks concocting all manner of specialties.

As families aged and moved away, some of the critical mass of local culinary talent went away, replaced by other kinds of foods and vendors. But at least one tradition lasted the entire 40 years, a DeBaggis family booth that delivered fabulous baked goods, an echo of the DeBaggis & D’Errico bakery that served that town for many decades.

As with many other organizations and activities that depend on volunteers, lots of them, the local “Feast” fell victim to the times. The founders either passed away or found themselves too old to keep up the pace and no younger people had come forward to carry the torch

So, in 2019, after much soul searching, the organizers and the parish declared 2019 to be their very last event. Those several days were savored not only by Catholics but by other locals for whom the annual event had been a touchstone for their families.

The Church continues a devotional tradition but the pastries and rides are now only a memory.

As for the statue, the Church planned to move it from its out-of-the-way corner, where it existed in close proximity to the fair, and into a more central site to perhaps provide inspiration to parishioners in the future.

* Italian Heritage Month was established by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.