24-05-2025
Sister cities: Carrying parts of Gubbio through Jessup on St. Ubaldo Day
When teams of runners careen through the streets of Jessup on Saturday for St. Ubaldo Day's iconic Corsa dei Ceri, they aren't just carrying their saints, they're carrying pieces of Gubbio.
In a tradition observed only in Jessup and Gubbio, Italy, runners, or ceraioli, carry statues of St. Ubaldo, St. Anthony and St. George perched atop tall, wooden, candlelike pillars called a cero, as they navigate through the hilly streets of Jessup for La Corsa dei Ceri. With the Family of St. George unveiling last month a new, roughly 6-foot-tall cero handcrafted in Gubbio, all three families will be using statues and saints made in Gubbio, said Curt Camoni, a board member with the Family of St. George who has been running in the Race of the Saints since 2001 — a year after the tradition was revived in Jessup.
'It definitely brings a closeness (to Gubbio),' Camoni said.
Gubbio is Jessup's sister city.
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Statues from the Family of San Giorgio, Sant'Ubaldo, and Sant'Antonio are presented in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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The upper level of the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center where artifacts are kept. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Dave Valvano, member of the family of The Family of Sant' Antonio, discusses some of the historical items that are part of Saint Ubaldo Day in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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President of the Saint Ubaldo Society Scott Hall and member of the family of The Family of Sant' Antonio Dave Valvano stand in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center as they describe some of the items used during Saint Ubaldo Day in Jessup Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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A few of the first class relics that make up the cultural significance of Saint Ubaldo Day sit in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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President of the Saint Ubaldo Society Scott Hall points out some of the artifacts that make up the cultural significance of Saint Ubaldo Day in Jessup Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Shown here is the former cero that was used by The Family of San Giorgio and will be replaced with a new one. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Flags representing the three families are secured to the roof of the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Statues from the Family of San Giorgio, Sant'Ubaldo, and Sant'Antonio are presented in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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The celebration of St. Ubaldo Baldassini began in Gubbio in the 12th century; Italian immigrants brought the tradition to Jessup in 1909. The tradition had a hiatus in1952 and resumed in 1976, followed by another hiatus from 1990 to 2000.
The Family of St. George was the last family to still use a locally made cero, Camoni said. With their new cero — a gift from Gubbio — the family will preserve their previous cero inside the St. Ubaldo Society Cultural Center, 310 Third Ave., Camoni said.
'They generously created and gifted these items to us,' Camoni said. 'It really is best of both worlds. We feel a very personal attachment to everything we use.'
The ceri from Gubbio are the same as the ones they use in their race, just smaller, Camoni said, explaining runners in Gubbio don't have to worry about hitting wires like Jessup.
The Family of St. Ubaldo and the Family of St. Anthony each received a new cero from Gubbio in previous years, and during last year's St. Ubaldo Day, a large group of attendees from Gubbio saw the Family of St. George's cero and promised to send a new one, he said.
'It just was an amazingly generous gift,' Camoni said.
The Lackawanna Energy Center then covered the $2,500 shipping costs from Gubbio to Jessup, he said, lauding the natural gas-fired power plant for its support.
Because the statue of St. George is seated on a horse, it's the shortest of the three saints, Camoni said. To offset that, the new cero is slightly taller, bringing it more in line with the others, he said.
'It's going to be beautiful,' he said. 'I can't wait to see the pictures where they're running, and you could see all three in line.'
On Saturday, the only non-Gubbio items carried by the runners will be the stangas, or the H-shaped platforms that rest on their shoulders, with the ceri and saint statues on top of them, Camoni said. The entire setup weighs 400 to 500 pounds, he said.
Asked whether they would ever use stangas from Gubbio, Camoni pointed to the sentimental value of the generations of runners who have used their current stangas.
'That's the part that actually comes in contact with the ceraioli, the runners, and there's some really good people that are no longer able to touch that,' he said. 'Knowing that they were in contact with that, that one day a year, you get to feel them kind of with you. It's super important.'
Both Camoni and St. Ubaldo Society President Scott Hall pointed to other important items from Gubbio used in Jessup, including a large statue of St. Ubaldo that is paraded before the race, which was handcrafted and painted in Gubbio; a relic with a piece of St. Ubaldo's lung, which Hall said is supposed to have a healing effect for those who are sick; and elements of the child-sized version of the race on Sunday called the Ceri Piccoli.
Each year, Gubbio also ships Jessup hand-painted vases with the names of each family's captain, or capodieci, Camoni said. In one of St. Ubaldo Day's more compelling scenes, called L'Alzata, or the raising of the saints, team captains toss the water-filled vases into the air, shattering them on the ground before their teams hoist their saints into the air.
'The connection to Gubbio is stronger than ever,' Camoni said.
Getting a piece of the vase is supposed to bring good luck for the year, Hall said.
At the end of the race, the capocetta, who is selected by the capodiece, uses a hatchet from Gubbio to remove a pin disconnecting the cero from the stanga, Hall said, explaining each family has its own hatchet.
Hatchets used in Saint Ubaldo Day that were made in Gubbio, Italy are secured to the wall of the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Hall called it a great honor to participate each year and carry on the tradition that came over from Gubbio.
'It's not about one person, one family,' Hall said. 'Rain or shine, the ceri will rise, and we are going to honor St. Ubaldo (Saturday) through the streets of Jessup.'
La Festa dei Ceri schedule
St. Ubaldo Day festivities begin early Saturday morning, continuing throughout much of the day in Jessup's boroughwide celebration.
6-7:45 a.m.: Drummers will commence at 6 a.m. from the St. Ubaldo Cultural Center, 310 Third Ave., and walk through the town to wake up dignitaries for the day.
7:30-9: The Valley View High School band will process through the town playing music for the community to enjoy.
8-8:30: Those participating in St. Ubaldo Day's events will meet at the top of the hill of St. John's Italian American Cemetery entrance on Primo Saldi Drive for a procession into the cemetery, which begins at 8:05 a.m. The Rev. Andrew Kurovsky will perform a prayer service with a wreath laying in honor of past runners.
8:40-10:15: A breakfast will be hosted by the St. Ubaldo Society at the cultural center for participants and dignitaries, with a flower pinning, or Mazzolino di Fiori, ceremony for runners.
10:30-11: A Mass in honor of St. Ubaldo will be held on the steps of the cultural center.
Immediately following Mass – 11:20: All runners are asked to assemble inside of the cultural center to remove all needed artifacts used during the Corsa dei Ceri; the saints will leave the chapel and be placed on a carrier to lead in the procession to the old St. Mary's Church, 517 Third Ave.
Immediately following the exit of the saints-11:45: Extended procession of saints, ceri and all runners to the old St. Mary's Church.
Noon: L'Alzata, or the raising of the saints, at St. Mary's Church.
12:30 p.m.: Each saint will be paraded through town, stopping at the homes of past runners.
2: All ceri will be placed together on lower Ward Street.
4-4:15: Runners, dignitaries and guests will gather at the St. Ubaldo Society Cultural Center in preparation of the large statue of St. Ubaldo.
4:20 p.m.: The large statue of St. Ubaldo will leave promptly at 4:20 p.m., processing the race route in reverse. The St. Ubaldo Society invites all who wish to carry the large statue to do so respectfully.
5:20: A short run from lower Ward Street to the start of the Corsa dei Ceri.
5:30: La Corsa dei Ceri begins, starting on Powell Avenue and winding through town, ending in Veterans Memorial Field.
Following the end of the race, a procession with all artifacts used throughout the day will proceed back to the St. Ubaldo Society Cultural Center. When they arrive, all artifacts will be placed in their resting position until next year, and once the large St. Ubaldo statue is in place, a closing prayer by Kurovsky will take place followed by singing.
La Corsa dei Ceri route
To follow the race, there will be multiple stops along the route. Stops will be at, in order:
1. Powell Avenue and Ward Street
2. Mylert Street and Short Street
3. Grassy Island Avenue and Ward Street
4. Church Street and Center Street
5. The S-turn at Church Street and Front Street
6. Church Street and Lane Street
7. Church Street and Third Avenue
8. The ceri will then turn to run up Church Street
9. Church Street and Erie Street
10. Erie Street
11. Conclusion at Veterans Memorial Field
