Entertainment
7 February, 2025
Feast to celebrate 75 years
AN annual event that marks the Feast of the Three Saints – Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino – will celebrate its 75th anniversary this year.
The Feast, which is held on the first Sunday in May each year all over the world, is celebrated in our region at the small town of Silkwood (halfway between Innisfail and Tully) and is considered to be one of the largest religious and cultural festivals in Australia.
The festival in Silkwood came about after Rosario Tornabene made a promise to God that if his wife Alfia, who was dangerously ill while giving birth to their daughter, would recover, he would have the statues of the Three Saints brought to Australia.
In 1950, Mr Tornabene donated the statues of the Three Saints to St John’s Parish Church at Silkwood, sparking the first celebration of the Feast of the Three Saints in Australia.
The Feast of the Three Saints began as a predominately Sicilian Roman Catholic celebration and is important in both the religious and cultural lives of its devotees.
The Feast has continued to be held annually for the past 75 years due to the dedication of many people, in particular the committee members who work continuously through the year.
This year’s anniversary event will be held on 4 May and celebrated by Bishop Joe Caddy (AM).
This religious festival is founded deeply in the European tradition and attracts not only Italian devotees but also people from varying cultural backgrounds as well as many Australians, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.
