ChristianBlessings

JULY 4, 2026 / SETYOURPATHSSTRAIGHT

“Children are a heritage from the Lord…” Psalm 127:3

It was 1891. October. She lived in a high mountain-top town called a “fortified city” – built in the 1600s.

Nothing really changed there. Even in nearly three centuries. The provincial-minds in this provincial Sicilian city had much in common. Very poor. Exceedingly proud. Inextricably bound by religion. Faith that costs them. Family Always. Heritage. 

Always that.

Sicily. A country of many bloodlines. Forever land-conflicts and a monarchy that struggled with annexation to Italy. Roots of Catholicism ran deep mixed with a miasima of centuries old influences from other cultures (the Saraceans/Moors, Africans, and Greeks). War torn. Damaged. Deep into the 20th century its greatest export was its people.

A simple life. A conflicted life. A tough life. Made for survivors. And some thrivers. One cannot judge. The human desire to live on to the next day runs strong and swift. 

And so, the circumstances which led to the most difficult secret choice is unknown. It matters not if it was illicit in the eyes of the church. Or if it was an act of force.

It matters that Concetta found herself 9 months later with a 2 – day old son with no way to care for him or explain his life to others. 

And so the choice was made. Release this tiny babe to the church. A port in the storm. For foundlings. And there he was. In the hands of Providence.

And that is where the story really starts.

It was in today’s vernacular a janitor who found him. Tucked away. Still in the “pannolino bianco” he was dressed in. Safely laid in a cub-bard drawer which doubled as a bassinet.

How long had he been unattended? Only God knows. But angels walk this earth- especially watching over the wee ones, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” – Psalm 91:11

In this case – the angel was a gentleman worker who gathered up the baby and took him to the magistrate. The “state” took the child, assigned a wet nurse and caregiver and in his wisdom, the judge named the child.

Gaetano (John) Vivadio. (God Lives).

The babe grew to a boy. The boy to a young man. 

And then life again intersected with his mother. 

At 17 she took him back. She could no longer deny her mother’s heart. Concetta claimed Gaetano as hers. We don’t know if she stayed in his life periphery all those years. We do know that the secret she kept for 17 years was, by her choice, announced to the world! She made it official. Twice! Because the courts had to refile mistaken paperwork (see some things never change!)

Now we must stop and consider Concetta. In her time. In her world. To admit to this parentage. A child outside wedlock. She performed an act of boldness, of courage. This act – which as Providence would prove – led to the founding of a multi-generational family of Sicilian Americans.

Then, at 20 something Gaetano left his wild and mountainous Sicily for the seemingly only chance he had. America. And Concetta’s legacy went with him. He also left deep poverty. Threats of fascism and ultimately, the destruction force of communism.

Alas, within the next few years – Sicily would lose her sovereignty and her monarchy.

And Concetta’s son, former soldier from a war-torn country saw the truth of his situation. An orphan in his birth country. Would he be an orphan in his new one?

So in 1914, Gaetano was “welcomed” into the port of New York. With Lady Liberty staring down at him, Gaetano never looked back. He was an American now. Never mind that his new country expected much from him. The most common English phrase to him in that day was likely, Italians need not apply… But he was tough. He had skills. And he understood hard work and was not afraid of difficulty. After all – he was Concetta’s son…

Gaetano met a girl. Settled down. Married. Raised nearly half a dozen children. All in the shadows of the millworks of Massachusetts. He was a stone mason. Reserved but quietly strong – yet tragedy followed him again and at some time in his new life – he lost his vision due to an old war wound.

His wife Grace – stepped up to the plate and provided for their large family at a time when women in the work force with equal rights was not even a whisper on the tongues of the government class. 

She too, a Sicilian. We called her Big Nana Who’s Little. She was a matriarch in all sense of the word. But that’s a different story…maybe I will tell later.

But the reason I share this story is because it is also an American story. And not unlike many immigrants, Gaetano’s history remained a mystery for generations. And because he loved his bloodline so much – Concetta’s great great Grandson was driven to find out.

And now in the tale, it can be emphasized how one choice for life can bless generations to come. It’s just true. Even in the hard choices – if they reflect His choices, God will use it for a best future.

We are called to trust and believe in God’s eternal plan for His children – whether we see the fruits in our lifetime or not. This is the essence of our faith – and God honors those who honor Him. In that, He promises to bless the generations to come because our ancestors also chose Him.

It has been five generations since Concetta kept her secret. She believed in life. She yielded to that strange resonance in her spirit to find her son again. At much personal cost. And her hard choice resulted in the ever-enlarging American family I am proudly part of now.

Indeed, our God is a God of second chances. For Concetta. For Gaetano. For you and me. If Gaetano had never been adopted. Never had the chance to come to America. Never worked hard, played hard and never set the example of American exceptionalism to his next generations…oh what a different past and future there would be in this family. 

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. Psalm 16:6

It has been four generations since Gaetano trusted God’s plan too. His first-born son, begat a first-born son, who had a first-born son who chose a wife, and God gave them two “suns.” All very proud Americans. 

All because of Concetta. Indeed, children are heritage from the Lord. Amen and praise God from whom all blessings flow – Amen.

May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. 1Kings 8:57