Saint Sebastian's Church

I have been photographing the Saint Sebastian's Church Festival "I Nuri" Run since 1996 for the Town Times newspaper that covers Durham, Middlefield & Rockfall. My photos of the "I Nuri" Run also appeared in the Record-Journal newspaper in Meriden and The Hartford Courant newspaper-"i-Towns" section. The Saint Sebastian Church is an Italian-American church in Middletown, Connecticut. It was modeled after the Saint Sebastian's Church in Mellili, Sicily. This year the church will be celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Saint Sebastian's Church Festival. The Saint Sebastian's Church festival will be held May 13-15, 2011 and this year's "I Nuri" Run will be held on Sunday, May 15, 2011.

The church parishioners who participate in the "I Nuri" Run are dressed in white clothing, wear red sashes with a picture of Saint Sebastian pinned on their clothes, they hold flowers in their hand and they run either barefoot or in stocking feet through the streets of Middlefield and Middletown. Both the young & not so young and males & females participate in the annual "I Nuri" Run. There are two groups of "I Nuri". One group of "I Nuri" begins at the Saint Sebastian's Cemetery in Middlefield and the second group is stationed at the corner of Washington & Main Streets in Middletown. The first group that begins at the Saint Sebastian's Cemetery will say prayers to their departed relatives, to God & Saint Sebastian. Around 10 a.m.-11 a.m. this group will leave the cemetery on Route 66 so they could be at the Saint Sebastian Church in Middletown by 12:15 p.m. for the conclusion of the High Mass in honor of their patron saint. During the run the "I Nuri" will proclaim throughout the streets of Middlefield & Middletown "E Chiamamulu Paisanu! Primu Diu E Sammastianu!"translated to English it means "He's one of our own! First God and then Saint Sebastian." When the mass is over both groups of "I Nuri" would converge with each other and run into the church still chanting "E Chiamamulu Paisanu! Primu Diu E Sammastianu!" Then, the statue of Saint Sebastian is carried out of the church by the St. Sebastian Church parishioners who then hand the St. Sebastian Statue over to the "I Nuri" who parade it through downtown Middletown for everyone to see. The "I Nuri" are still saying "E Chiamamulu Paisanu! Primu Diu E Sammastianu!" during the processional. After the processional through city streets the statue is returned to the church.

Why do the "I Nuri" do this? There are several reasons such as preserving tradition, to thank Saint Sebastian for his help throughout the year, to honor relatives, for health reasons, personal sacrifice to honor Saint Sebastian, family reasons and hoping for a miracle of some kind from Saint Sebastian. The "I Nuri" never do it for monetary reasons.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

I would like to thank Father James Thaikoottathil, Pastor and Miss Connie Didato for allowing me to take pictures of the interior of the Saint Sebastian's Church. Also, I would like to thank my former photography professors Glenn Curtis & Peter Benson of the Paier College of Art in Hamden for their technical guidance regarding these images. Also, Jake Wyman & John Giammatteo, members of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers along with Mike Simonds of Simonds Photographic in East Hartford, Connecticut