The Feast of the Archangels is a day of special joy here at the Convent of the Sisters of Purity.

The archangels’ voices call out to us,
filling our hearts with a drive to achieve.

It is on this day that we complete our wonderful candy,
a sweet made from zucca lunga squash.
Long, skinny, hard shelled,
boiled in water, this squash is dull and lifeless,
but when simmered in sugar until firm and crystallized
—a long process—
it is truly a glorious treat,
decorating cassata and cannoli, eaten out of hand, and sold to those few who make their way up this rocky hill.

God bless Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
Strong, healing, contemplative.

And lord, thank you for these odd, unruly squash, that bring so much joy into our lives.

(Please visit and like this charming and mystical order of nuns on their Facebook Page: Readings from the Sacro Bosco   https://www.facebook.com/ilsacrobosco  ).

For novenas to each of the three archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, check out our Novena App or use the search engine at the upper right hand corner of this page.