‘Esto Dignus’

SPARTA  Living up to its motto “Esto Dignus” which translates to “Be Worthy,” the St. Kateri Columbian Squires here reached out to help a city thousands of miles away following a devastating earthquake in Norcia, Itazly.

The Squires at St. Kateri, whose members range in age from 10 to 18, led the effort to help the town, where many buildings were destroyed in the earthquake last fall.

Jack Lubertazzi, a squire member, who is a junior at Pope John XXIII High School here, said, “The people of Norcia were suffering and had lost everything and anyone who saw the images of the earthquake damage would be moved to act.”

The earthquake hit on Oct. 30 causing major structural damage to most of the city including the Basilica of St. Benedict, the Church of St. Francis and many other historic buildings. More than 14,000 people had to move out of their homes and many are still staying in temporary housing or with family members in other towns. Hundreds of businesses were shut down and the entire Umbria area has been dramatically impacted by the earthquake. Despite the major damage, there were no fatalities and most injuries were minor.

Nick Cutrone, adviser to the St. Kateri Squires and a member of the St. Kateri Knights of Columbus Council 13677, traveled to the area just three weeks before the earthquake on a pilgrimage with his family. “It was a beautiful medieval town,” Cutrone said. “It was unbelievable to think it would be hit by an earthquake just three weeks later.”

Witnessing the spiritual significance of Norcia because of the presence of the Benedictine monks in the city, Cutrone spoke about the pilgrimage with the squires. The Basilica of St. Benedict, is also the traditional birthplace of St. Scholastica and more than 50,000 pilgrims visit the area every year.

Lubertazzi and fellow Squire John Zoetjes led the fundraising campaign for the Italy earthquake relief at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish here. During the months of November and December, they raised money at the parish following Masses and through family and friends. Nearly $1,400 was raised and several parishioners made online pledges totaling another $600. The N.J. Knights of Columbus also made a significant donation to help with this effort.

“It somewhat made it personal to help Norcia and seemed a lot closer to home,” Lubertazzi said. “I also visited the Umbria region back in 2012 during a parish pilgrimage for the canonization of St. Kateri Tekakwitha and seeing the devastation of such a beautiful region was tragic. Another reason why I wanted to help has to do with my heritage and my religion. My paternal great grandparents came from Italy and were devout Catholics. This was a way to honor both aspects of my background.”

In April, rather than wiring the donations to Italy, Cutrone returned to Norcia to personally deliver the donations. They donated a portion of the funds to the Benedictine monks of Norcia and the remaining proceeds to the “I Love Norcia” non-profit relief agency that is helping homeowners and businesses to rebuild.

Touched that a group of young people from New Jersey would help a city so far away, the Norcia Mayor invited Cutrone to speak at the press conference. “They were very moved and thankful to the Squires and parishioners of St. Kateri for our love, prayers and support,” Cutrone said.

It is that reaction that makes Lubertazzi and Zoetjes, feel proud to be Squires. Zoetjes, a sophomore at Blair Academy in Blairstown, said, “As a squire, we are taught to honor three main aspects of service: service to your, family, faith, and community. By being taught these things we are shown how the importance of helping others really benefits yourself and your outlook on helping others.”

Lubertazzi said, “I joined shortly after my 10th birthday, which is the minimum age to join. My older brother was very active and was even chief squire of our circle, so I wanted to join from that time. When I was younger, taking part in the Squires activities was fun because it was social. Now that I have been a Squire for almost seven years, I see the good that we have done in our own community and in this case, outside our country as well.”

The effort to help Norcia will continue until August to assist the thousands of residents awaiting help to fix the buildings and homes damaged. The monks of Norcia are still working to rebuild the monastery and living quarters for the monks and Benedictine nuns.

[Donations can be made to: St. Kateri Squires Norcia Relief Effort, and mailed to 427 Stanhope Road, Sparta, N.J. 07871 (in memo line, note “Norcia Earthquake Relief.”)]