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Grand President's Message by Leonard Rossi I believe that every American should have the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. The month of July celebrates the birthday of our beloved country. We all should be proud of being Americans. We in the Italian Catholic Federation also are proud of our ancestors who were Italian citizens and embarked on their journeys to the United States of America. These were people of extreme courage. Leaving their families and traditions behind them and beginning a new life in a land where they did not know the language, customs, or hardly anything else that pertains to America. My dad told me a story about his father, my grandfather Adolfo Rossi. He left the beautiful town of Gubbio in the province of Umbria, and settled in Jessup, Pennsylvania. This town was made up of people who also came from Adolfo's town. He never accomplished learning English because the "language" of the town was Italian. The Rossi's moved west in 1943 because my grandfather did not want to see either of his sons, Nello or Angelo, having to work in the coal mines. On the day when my dad took my grandfather to get his American citizenship, the judge asked Adolfo a question. "How many White Houses are there in the United States?' My grandfather thought about it for a few seconds and then answered, "Well, I am not sure, but there are at least 3 or 4 on my block alone." An honest answer from an honest man. Who would have guessed that Adolfo's great-granddaughter Janet would earn a masters degree in Political Science from one of the most prestigious Universities in the country, American University. How ironic. All of us in the Italian Catholic Federation have stories about our ancestors who came to this wonderful land. In the early days of the Federation most of our people came from Italy. As the years have gone by we now have members who have their ancestry from various countries throughout the world. They all had that courage to leave their families and try to begin a new life with better opportunities. Washington D.C. brings out patriotism in all of the American citizens that visit that beautiful city. There is so much to see. American history really comes alive when visiting the various monuments and places of historical recognition. God bless America. God bless the Italian Catholic Federation. Italian Catholic Federation, 675 Hegenberger Road, Suite 230, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE