Blog No. 34 – July 10, 2025

The WWII Chain Letter Gang. Thomas Yaccarino, our family historian, provided the Sicilian bloodline for us:

Michele was a “child of the wheel” In Naro, Sicily, as in many places in Europe at this time there were convents where the nuns took a vow of silence. So that the nuns could do business while maintaining their vows, there was a wheel built into the wall of the convent. The nuns would put whatever they were trading for provisions on the wheel and the local merchants would put the provisions or money on the wheel and they silently made their transactions. When a woman would get pregnant but could not keep the child they would go to the convent before dawn and put the child on the wheel. When the nuns heard the baby cry, they would bring it in, give them a name, and raise them until they were adopted or able to fend for themselves. The norm was to name the child after a saint. Michele was named after the Arcangel and was named Michele Arcangelo. Michele would go on to marry Grazia Amico, so beloved that she became known in Neptune, NJ simply as Mama Ra. Ra is Egyptian for the sun. This would have been well known in Sicily if not in Neptune.

Michele and Grazia had nine children. Of interest to us here:

Anna Arcangelo married Giuseppe Richetto Attardo and they gave birth to our Attardi Wolverines.

Carmela married Angelo Curto and they gave birth to our Curto Wolverine.

Maria Christina married Ignazio Acquisto and they had a daughter Rose that married Peter Ardolino.

Ignazio would get a job driving coal trucks between Carbondale Pennsylvania and the Jersey Shore. Ignazio got Gaetano “Tom” and Melchiore “Charly” Attardi jobs driving for the same company. While they were in Carbondale, they would eat at the restaurant where the Gregorace family worked. Gaetano married Ann Gregorace and Charly married her sister Pasqualina. This is how Michael “Chick” Curto became friends with Carmine Gregorace. Tony Addeo would later marry Ann Carmine and Lena’s niece Loretta Manfredi, the daughter of their older sister Assunta Gregorace.

So, more than a few of our heroes came to be in the time and place that this book is about due to the good nuns of Naro who named a baby with no family after the Arcangel with a sword in his hand who along with a woman who’s warmth was so comforting they called her Mama Sun, and their story is the prequal to this one.

I wish I knew the back story to the Sicilianos, the Davidsons and the others, but I do not.

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Information posted from the internet by Lynne for only those who wish to pray to him, (please don’t quote me):

Michael is the first Angel that was created by God, and he is the leader of all the Archangels and is in charge of protection, courage, strength, truth and integrity. Michael protects us physically, emotionally and psychically. When it comes to angels, Archangel Michael is considered the leader of all angels. As the “Prince of the Heavenly Host,” Michael is above all others in rank. In Hebrew, Archangel Michael is written as מִיכָאֵל (pronounced Mîkhāʾēl or Mikha’el). The name is a combination of three Hebrew words: מִי (mi) meaning “who,” כָּ (ka) meaning “like” or “as,” and אֵל (El) meaning “God”. Therefore, Michael’s name translates to “Who is like God?”. This phrase is often interpreted as a rhetorical question, emphasizing that no one is like God.

Judaism believes in Archangel Michael. He is recognized as a powerful angel, often associated with protection and guidance, particularly for the Jewish people. He is one of the four major angels mentioned in Jewish tradition, often depicted as being around God’s throne and watching over the four corners of the world, according to the Jerusalem Prayer Team (website). *

When he’s around, you may see sparkles or flashes of bright blue or purple light. However, at any time, silently or aloud, call upon Archangel Michael by saying something like, “Beloved Archangel Michael, I call upon you for protection and guidance,” or “Archangel Michael, you are my family’s leader, or you are my friend, please be with me.”

As the spiritual force and leader of the Holy angels, Archangel Michael encourages us to establish a disciplined and orderly daily routine to cultivate constancy, dependability, and trust. This fosters a healthy foundation, offering both spiritual guidance and physical protection that bring stability and strength.

Arcangel Michael can be invoked for protection and courage in times of fear, confusion, or uncertainty, helping to release doubts and boost self-worth. His energy also provides strength, vitality, and motivation, and can be sought for guidance during life transitions or when seeking purpose.

Envision Archangel Michael, the valiant protector, standing guard against fear and its draining energies. Invoke his presence to cleanse your being and surroundings of negativity, toxins, and lower vibrations. When you open yourself to his protection, he will illuminate paths leading to more loving interactions, experiences, and individuals who champion your spiritual journey. Remember to actively request his assistance and listen closely to your intuitive nudges when he guides you away from potentially harmful people or situations.

The Archangel Michael is there to help you. Let him.

* This reminds me of a still quite bright dream I had many years ago. I’ve printed it a few times when applicable to text I was writing. The dream goes like this:

I dreamt I needed to know the answer to the universe to get out of a difficult predicament. Suddenly the answer was before me, and it was very easy. It was one of those times when I finally fell asleep suffering from an extremely bad migraine. I was attending UPENN at night and studying Egyptology, one of my two majors, and working in court during the day. I was standing high, perhaps on a mountain in Sicily, maybe on one of those pyramidal structures looking out, sort of northerly, and up very high to my right there they were, beginning at my right arm: four huge pyramids in different parts of the world, rising high above all else ever known. Immediately known to me then was the “answer to the universe” – that it was the connection of these pyramids! They were North-East-South and West! (not, mind you, NSE&W) I spun around to see them in a clock-like direction. They were all shooting light straight up and to each other. This dream was many years ago, so long ago when not all the new pyramids we know now exist were yet found – you know, the ones in Central America, China and even Bosnia. Every time a new pyramid is now discovered, such as the ones they say are in icy Antarctica, or the jungles of Central America, or the tundra of Alaska, my “answer to the universe” dream springs up clearly in my mind.

Hey! I can dream, can’t I? And I can predict ships will sink, too. Read my next blog. That wasn’t a dream…