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CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Brooklyn's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast celebrates towering Giglio tradition
Under the blazing July sun on Sunday, more than 100 men hoisted an 80-foot wooden tower into the air, swaying to the rhythm of a live brass band. Known as the Giglio, the towering structure is the centerpiece of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast, a tradition brought to Brooklyn by Italian immigrants more than a century ago, and one that traces its origins back over 1,000 years to Nola, Italy. Head Capo Danny Vecchiano led the procession like a general commanding a small army. The capo's role is to coordinate the massive lift and guide the men carrying the several-ton structure through the streets of Williamsburg. "This is the epitome of being an Italian American in Brooklyn," Vecchiano said. "This is the greatest show of faith. This is the greatest show of family, of tradition, of our heritage." Supporting Vecchiano was a team of lieutenants, responsible for executing his commands and maintaining the Giglio's balance as it moved down the street. "The lieutenant's job is to take the directions from the capo, relay them to the men, and then help the capo direct the Giglio down the street, keep it straight and let the men know what's going on," said Mark Mascioli, one of the lieutenants. Vecchiano is a local high school principal. He said his students contributed to the towering structure that looks like a work of art. "I had students involved in painting the Saints on the Giglio and doing some work here in the church. They came here on Saturdays to help. So it was very cool," he said. Each capo serves a two-year term and is responsible for the design and operations of the Giglio. Many participants wait decades for the honor. This year marks the end of Vecchiano's tenure. Despite the oppressive summer heat, the lifters worked together to carry the structure. "My dad did when he was a kid, now me and my brothers, we do it in my family," said lifter Andrew Conce, explaining the intergenerational nature of the tradition. Hundreds of spectators lined the streets to watch the spectacle, which commemorates Saint Paulinus of Nola, a fifth-century bishop who, according to legend, offered himself into slavery to save a widow's son during a pirate invasion. "So many memories with our family and I'm so proud to keep this tradition going," said lifter Craig Addeo Jr. For Addeo and others, the event is more than a religious ritual, it's a celebration of identity and community. "My dad lifted the Giglio from 1940 to 1970," said Craig Addeo Sr. Attendees said the spectacle blends the sacred and the joyful. "There's something comical and also very beautiful about the whole thing," said attendee Matthew Falcone. "My parents got married right in this church, and we got married there as well. So it's just tradition and good food," said Susan Millan. "Every year is different. Every year you get the chills every time they sing the songs, so it's just amazing," added volunteer Angelina DiGioia. This year's final day of the feast also paid tribute to past capos, referred to as "old timers," and marked the ceremonial hand-off to a new leader. "This tradition will carry on long past us," Vecchiano said. Thousands of people with ties to Brooklyn, many of them returning from across the country, reunited in Williamsburg for what has become one of New York City's most iconic ethnic and religious festivals. Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.
Time Out
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A huge Italian street festival is taking over Williamsburg this week
Williamsburg smells like sausage and peppers again, which can only mean one thing: the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast is back, and it's bigger, louder and more delicious than ever. Now in full swing through Sunday, July 20, this 12-day celebration is one of the city's most vibrant and historic street festivals—a dazzling mashup of old-world tradition and neighborhood block party. At the heart of it all is the Giglio: a 70-foot wooden tower adorned with angels, flowers and saints, carried through the streets by more than 100 men to the soundtrack of live brass bands. (And yes, there's also a boat. Long story.) The tradition stretches back to 1887, when immigrants from Nola, Italy, settled in Brooklyn and brought their devotion to San Paolino with them. Legend has it that Paolino, a 5th-century bishop, offered himself into slavery to save a widow's son and later returned home to a hero's welcome, greeted with lilies, or 'gigli,' from his grateful townspeople. Over time, those lilies became a soaring tower and the feast became a spectacle of faith, food and community. Today, it's still anchored by the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where generations of Italian Americans (and now just about everyone else) gather to dance, pray and indulge. The Giglio itself is lifted several times over the course of the festival, with the biggest and most theatrical hoist happening this Sunday. But the party doesn't stop there. There's a smaller Giglio just for kids today, and Wednesday marks the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated with a special afternoon Mass and a procession through the neighborhood. For night owls, Thursday's after-dark Giglio lift is a can't-miss spectacle, lit by streetlights and powered by cheers from the crowd. Each day brings new live performances and endless snacks—from crispy zeppole to overflowing sausage rolls. From morning Masses to late-night performances, the streets are alive with music, lights, and the constant whirr of carnival rides. Kids line up for games, old-timers swap stories over espresso and everyone makes time for a fried zeppole (or three). It's chaotic, joyful and unmistakably New York.
Los Angeles Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Canva's CCO Rob Giglio on Business Growth and the Future of Work
Canva is growing fast in the business world and it's down to two things: new 'doc types' and business features, according to Chief Customer Officer Rob Giglio. Giglio says Canva Sheets and Canva AI are allowing users to create different types of content like whiteboards, documents, presentations and social media posts in one place. This is streamlining workflows for companies. 'Canva has introduced the kind of features that businesses expect and need, like Single Sign-On (SSO), brand kits, user provisioning and approval workflows,' said Giglio. 'These factors are really driving [Canva's] adoption into businesses.' Canva's AI is broad, going beyond text prompts. Giglio said Canva AI uses multiple models for different experiences, citing the popular background remover as an example. Other AI features include text generation, whiteboards to presentations, language translation, image scaling and video creation via Google's V3. Canva Code even allows users to build widgets and interactive experiences via text prompts. Looking forward, Giglio is most excited about product innovation around marketing and sales workflows. He says Canva Sheets is making the entire marketing process from creation to analysis better, with the recent acquisition of Magic Brief for content performance data. Video editing is another area of focus, with increasing adoption for social media and marketing. 'We like to think of it as where creativity and productivity meet,' Giglio said, highlighting Canva's broad but effective features for different business functions. Finally, Giglio said Canva is committed to the future workforce. He noted that AI, cloud platforms and multi-device access are now expected by the next generation entering the workforce and Canva wants to be the platform of choice as businesses adapt to these changing demands.
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Meet the heaving, huffing ‘lifters' who hoist the 4-ton Giglio at Brooklyn's wild bacchanal: 'By the time the day is over, you're just dead'
Everybody loves a par-ayyy-de. An Italian Brooklyn tradition for over a century, Williamsburg's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast draws hundreds of thousands to an annual bacchanal of sausage, peppers and spectacle, courtesy of the festival's main character — the gigantic Giglio, a four-ton, 72-foot statue 'danced' through sweltering streets by a team of 120 men known as 'lifters.' 'Few places on Earth still have anything like this — people come from all over to see it, and we're getting bigger and bigger every year,' Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, a longtime organizer of the high-in-the-sky happening, told The Post of the event — which kicks off for nearly two weeks on Wednesday, July 9, for its 138th edition. 19 'Lifters' hoist the statue during the 2004 event. Matthew McDermott 19 The Giglio towers over the large crowd gathered below for the 2009 festival. 19 'Few places on earth still have anything like this — people come from all over to see it, and we're getting bigger and bigger every year,' Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello (pictured) told The Post. KEVIN C DOWNS The dancing of the colossal Giglio, taking place several times over the course of the festival, began in Williamsburg in 1887 — continuing a 1,500-year-old tradition brought to America by Italian immigrants from Nola in the Campania region that honors Saint Paolino. As legend has it, aside from renouncing his riches, Paolino once exchanged places with a young prisoner in the first century — and the masses have been going to great lengths to honor him ever since, often flaunting his trademark lilies. ['Giglio' — pronounced jeel-e-o — is the Italian word for 'lily.'] 19 Joey Aragona stands near the statue of St. Paulinus of Nola at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Stefano Giovannini Paying tribute to a saint isn't all fun and galamad, however. 'By the time the day is over, you're just dead — your body is just exhausted,' fifth-generation 'lifter' Joey Aragona, 32, told The Post of the heavy task of carrying the statue around in sometimes punishing July heat. 'It's both a joy and a penance' 19 Willy Grillo shows how the 'boat' is lifted outside of Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in preparation for the event. Stefano Giovannini Not that there's anything wrong with that, he hastened to add — calling the procession 'a very proud thing to be a part of.' In fact, Aragona has been on the team since childhood — continuing a tradition started by his great-great-grandfather. 'I started lifting the Kid's Giglio when I was 4 years old,' he said, referencing a much smaller tower created for the young participants — who then subsequently work up the ranks to become festival 'capos' and 'lieutenants' as future adults. 19 A 'lifter' strains to carry the Giglio during the 100th-anniversary celebration in 2003. Helayne Seidman 19 Musicians serenade as 'lifters' do their thing. Freelance 19 Some 'lifters' start carrying from a young age. LightRocket via Getty Images As a band plays, helping lift the massive tower is both a huge honor — and a major challenge. 'Basically, it's both a joy and a penance,' said Pat Fevola, who has been a 'lifter' since 1976. He's so devoted to the tradition, he got inked with a tattoo of the Giglio on his left forearm. 'All of the lifters become family,' he told The Post of the intense experience, which includes devotional masses. 'That's why we call it Christmas in July.' 19 'Basically, it's both a joy and a penance,' said Pat Fevola, who has been a 'lifter' since 1976. Stefano Giovannini 19 Fevola is so dedicated, he even got a tattoo of the tower along with the words 'Always Under.' Stefano Giovannini 19 The ornate Giglio is shown under construction before this year's festival. Stefano Giovannini Formerly made of wood, the Giglio has been composed of aluminum since 1966. It takes approximately 300 hours to build a new one each year. Construction typically begins back in October. The Gig gig is big 19 The Giglio towers over the festival crowd in this file photo. Freelance 19 Members of a brass and reed band are seated at the base of the massive statue in 1987. Getty Images The feast proudly marches on, despite recent seismic shifts in the neighborhood's longtime Italian influence. Last year, nearby Frost Restaurant (open since 1959) shuttered. Just last month, Napoli Bakery (founded in 1981) also closed its doors — both part of a woeful city-wide trend of beloved Italian-American businesses packing up and leaving NYC. 'There was a time there when interest in the feast was winding down,' admitted Monsignor Gigantiello of the effects of gentrification on the neighborhood. 19 Hoisting the Giglio is a tremendous group effort. Helayne Seidman 19 Attendants prepare to move the Giglio in 2021 after a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Corbis via Getty Images Now, however, thanks to social media, he explained, the event is drawing 'record-breaking crowds' — with an average attendance of approximately 100,000 festival-goers per year. That makes it the second-largest Italian feast in New York — behind Little Italy's long-running San Gennaro Feast, which pulls in a million or more visitors at a pop. 'It used to be that we put up posters and sent out mailers to addresses of the parishioners to invite people,' Gigantiello said. 'Today, people from all over are hearing about it online and want to come and see what it's like.' 'I always say I'll get in trouble, but I think we're the best one because it's still a neighborhood feast,' the proud Father boasted. East Harlem also has a Giglio event of their own. Founded in 1908, that one happens in August, albeit over a single weekend Over in Massapequa, they're also preparing for a much smaller Giglio Feast at the end of July. The Williamsburg street festival even serves as a homecoming for the neighborhood's former residents. 'The tradition has lasted so long … due to it being the central point of our Italian community for over a century,' festival lieutenant John Perrone told The Post. 'Many of us return from other areas — Queens, Long Island, New Jersey — to continue the tradition on our native streets,' he said. Aside from the people, even the streets that line the festival have transformed over time. Gone are the quaint two-story homes, with luxe apartment towers now popping up like lilies in their place. 'It has become much more challenging with all of the new construction, with new people moving into the neighborhood who don't like the noise and the interruption in front of their door,' Gigantiello confided. Aside from the throngs of crowds and music, the festival also features carnival games and rides. 'But we try to be good neighbors. Rather than fighting with them, we try to engage with them,' Gigantiello said. 19 Preparations begin outside the church as a helper carries a statue of St. Paulinus of Nola. Stefano Giovannini 19 Fevola has a collection of Giglio T-shirts. Stefano Giovannini 19 A band serenades the crowd as 'lifters' move through the street in 1987. Getty Images 'When a building goes up, I'll talk to developers and landlords and explain to them we've been doing this for 100 years.' Said lifter Fevola: 'People might complain, but it's like moving next to a firehouse and you get mad when the sirens go off at night.' Ciao down 19 The event is a huge celebration every year. Helayne Seidman Longtime feast vendors who have been serving the festival for generations include Dee Best Zeppole, which has been fried up and doused with powdered sugar by the local Donatelli family since 1923. There's also Lucy's Sausage and Peppers, another longtime NYC festival mainstay. This year, entertainment will be provided by the likes of 'America's Got Talent' finalist Sal 'The Voice' Valentinetti and Bruce Springsteen cover band Promised Land. Parlaying its recent success and storied history, this year Gigantiello and his team published a book through the church reflecting on the tradition: 'Mt. Carmel Brooklyn: The Heart and Soul of America's Feast.' Featuring a treasure trove of archival photos, the volume will naturally be available during the festival. As for the confab's future, Gigantiello pledges: 'The feast is secure as long as the Parish is there.'
Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Students complained about Bloom Trail teacher years before sexual assault charges brought, records show
Years before a former Bloom Trail High School teacher was charged with sexual assault of a student, District 206 fielded complaints of his inappropriate conduct, according to records obtained by the Daily Southtown. Ronald Giglio, of Cedar Lake, Indiana, was charged last year with felonies in both Indiana and Illinois after being accused of starting a long sexual relationship with a former student when she was 17. Records obtained from District 206 show Giglio was placed on paid administrative leave for an investigation on the same day the district was served with a lawsuit, May 14, 2024. The school board voted to terminate his employment July 8, 2024. In February 2021, a person stating they were a parent of a Bloom Trail student sent the district an anonymous email listing concerns with Giglio's behavior. The parent claimed to have contacted Bloom Trail Principal Glynis Keene with concerns in December 2020 and wanted to know why Giglio was still teaching. 'This teacher, in my opinion, is unprofessional in the way he relates to the students,' the parent wrote, adding she got 'bad vibes from him' when she was in the room while her daughter participated in his class remotely. The parent said Giglio repeatedly referred to his students with pet names including 'Babe,' 'Honey' and 'Sweetheart' and told students when they did not have school the following day that he would be available to 'hang out' with them on Google Classroom. 'I heard him ask a female student for her phone number,' the parent also wrote. 'I felt that was very inappropriate and encouraged the student to tell her parents. The parent is non-English speaking or I would have notified her myself.' The parent claimed to have also asked District 206 parents and former students about their experiences with Giglio, hearing 'many stories' that included Giglio sending students inappropriate text messages and calling them after they graduated to try and date them. An attorney for District 206 declined to comment on their investigatory efforts into potential misconduct, citing pending litigation. In a letter addressed to Giglio May 15, 2023, the district summarized a conversation officials had with Giglio the week before 'to discuss allegations brought to me by several female students regarding your treatment of girls in your classes.' The letter, signed by Keene, District 206 Superintendent Lenell Navarre and Assistant Principals Stephen Had and Timel Moore, said Giglio used his back office as a 'cool down space' for students who are upset and offered them snacks. He agreed to no longer bring students into the office, the letter said. 'You should not be alone with students, unless in an open, public area,' the letter stated. 'For staff safety and that of the students we must be mindful of the situations we put ourselves and them in. Staff should not put themselves in a position that is open to interpretation.' About a year later, Giglio's former student who met him in 2001, sued the school district. The lawsuit alleges staff and administrators at the school knew or should have known about the inappropriate sexual relationship and said the woman was a victim of a known preventable hazard that school and district officials 'created and allowed to continue,' alleging breach of duty by the district. The lawsuit and subsequent criminal cases brought against Giglio are pending. More complaints about Giglio's behavior resurfaced in the weeks following. Math teacher Brian Stipp emailed Keene May 20, 2024, about reports 'some of my students shared with me today.' One student reported Giglio telling her she was beautiful and sexy Stipp said the student told him she had told two other adults but didn't believe 'anything was done with that information.' 'The student shared that she felt scared to come forward with the information because 'they could do something to me,'' Stipp said. On the same day, an anonymous group of 'community members of school District 206' sent a letter to board members explaining concerns about the lawsuit and requested the board take specific steps to handle concerns brought about Giglio. The group attached the parent letter sent to district officials in 2021 and said Giglio was placed on administrative leave in 2017 after the 'teammate and friend' of a member of the group came forward with a complaint about him. He later returned, the letter said. The parents asked the district to provide documentation of every misconduct report involving Giglio since he began work for the district, or a statement there were no such complaints. The group also requested Giglio not be paid during his administrative leave for the investigation into the lawsuit and that an investigation be launched regarding Keene's knowledge of sexual harassment by Giglio. 'We go to school, send our kids to school and keep them in a district under the assumption that those in power at these schools have their kids' best interest at heart and that they are safe,' the letter said. 'We have not seen any evidence to support this assumption thus far in regards to Ronald Giglio.' The district received another email May 24 from a former student who graduated the year before and said Giglio was her civics teacher when she was a freshman. She said he called her and other students 'babe,' 'honey' or 'sweetheart' and would touch her as she was walking in or out of the classroom. 'He would touch or run my back, my shoulders, and once he even grabbed me by the hips to move me out of the way,' the former student reported. She said on a day when she was feeling ill, rather than sending her to the nurse, Giglio told her to go sit in his closet and shut the door on her in the dark, suggesting she play with a set of 'meditation balls.' The former student added, 'myself and other students would complain to other teachers at how he made us feel uncomfortable, and they would respond with 'oh he's just being friendly.'' She said she heard rumors of Giglio asking students for their phone numbers and trying to contact them after they had graduated. 'I wanted to share these experiences as I know how awful I felt and dreaded going to his class,' the former student said. 'I hope that justice is served for those who are speaking out as they had all tried to tell the principal and staff at Bloom Trail at one time or another.' According to court records in the criminal case brought against Giglio in Illinois, a student who met Giglio in 2001, during her sophomore year of high school, began using Giglio's classroom to store her belongings and then the two started communicating online 'on a daily and nightly basis.' The following school year, Giglio began practicing soccer with the student after school. Prosecutors said while they played soccer, Giglio began touching the student, including rubbing against her and touching her butt over her clothes. He then allegedly kissed her after someone scored a goal, and the two continued to engage in sexual contact multiple times in Giglio's classroom. On May 3, 2002, when the girl was 17, Giglio drove her home to Schererville, Indiana, because he wanted to see her in her prom dress, prosecutors said. The girl said her parents weren't home and the pair went inside and he pushed her onto a bed and got on top of her, according to prosecutors. The former student, who filed a lawsuit earlier this year, told police she and Giglio engaged in sexual activity on numerous occasions in Illinois and Indiana. The relationship continued for years until the she disclosed it to a therapist and realized what Giglio did was wrong, prosecutors said.. She recorded a conversation with Giglio in April, played for the judge during a court hearing July 2024, because she said she was scared Giglio and his sister were threatening her after she went to the high school with her allegations. Giglio denied on the recording threatening her and pleaded with her that he had not been 'grooming' her and that she was just as much in this as he was. She told him she was a virgin and had never slept with anyone before they had sex ahead of her prom, and he responded, 'you are right, but don't act like for a second that you didn't know what you were doing the entire time,' the recording showed. He then admitted on the recording that what he did was wrong and said he regretted beginning a relationship with her. The woman told Giglio that his sexual abuse of her has continued to cause her severe emotional distress. 'You don't understand how much this has ruined my life,' she said on the recording. If found guilty in Illinois, Giglio could face between four and 15 years in prison. In Indiana, he would face a maximum of six years in prison.
