As we discussed in class, although religion was a major part of Italian Harlem, it was the domus that was the focal point of the residents’ daily lives and it was the domus that they were always trying to protect. Religion, nonetheless, was what held the community together as it fit the structure of the domus perfectly. Beyond the individual domus of each family, was the general domus of the larger community, for which the Madonna served as the powerful women head. Like the young women of Italian Harlem, she was carefully watched over and protected as they physically brought her over from Italy and personally built her a church in the new land. But also like the women and mothers of the domus, she was responsible for all those in the domus and was a powerful figure. “Her power was located precisely in those areas the power of Italian women, in all its complexity, was located: the domus.” (206)
Most importantly, like the women of Italian Harlem, the Madonna held the community together. The festa, the annual celebration of this mother figure, played a key role in keeping the immigrants in good spirits and united. The festival marked a sort of stopping of time, where the pressures of money and jobs did not exist and participants celebrated through many hours of the day and night, often for several days. There were no boundaries separating participants based on Italian regions of origin. Vocational dividers were eliminated. Everyone gathered together for the purpose of showing gratitude towards the Madonna during this annual celebration. I can only imagine how much that meant to the community as its implications would be incredible in any setting and such events are not so common.
But aside from connecting the community, the Madonna held an important position as the mother of the mothers of several domuses. Where women held the power in an individual domus, the Madonna held power in the larger one, giving the women someone to lean on. Orsi describes accounts of Madonna’s influence on individuals and the community as coming mainly from women. Women are the ones who mostly shared these stories and turn to the Madonna in times of need as they are the ones originally turned to within the smaller domus. When they felt powerless to their individual domus needs, the Madonna gave them power. Therefore, they were the ones who participated in most of the festa rituals. I think the devotion to the Madonna that Orsi describes is a large part of the devotion demonstrated in any religion. The Madonna was a greater power on which they could rely in their difficult times. And in the same way that she was their rock in times of trouble, she was the rope that tied them all together and united Italian Harlem.
