Rome, Italy, October 24, 2022 – National President Robert A. (Bob) Bianchi, Esq. of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® (OSDIA), led a delegation of OSDIA, Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF), and Commission for Social Justice (CSJ) National Officers on a historic visit to Rome, Italy. President Bianchi was the first National President in the storied 117-year history of OSDIA, the oldest and largest organization for Italian Americans in the United States, to personally install a new lodge in Italy. The founders of the new Dr. Vincenzo Sellaro Lodge #3009 of Palermo, Sicily, Italy, received a charter in a ceremony during a meeting of the Capitolo di Roma #3002, the first OSDIA lodge in Italy. The new lodge in Palermo is named in honor of the man who founded OSDIA in 1905 and was born near Palermo, in 1868.
Originally called Ordine Figli d’Italia, the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America® was established in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City on June 22, 1905. Now, 117 years later, OSDIA continues to grow and expand outside of the United States to Italy. Today, the mission and vision of the Order map the work of the organization, whose focus is to support charitable causes while preserving and promoting Italian culture and heritage.
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