ALMOST 300 people celebrated the annual feast of San Leone (St Leo) at Holy Family Catholic Church in Kalamunda on May 5.
Fr Antonio Scala was the main celebrant at the Mass, which was followed by a procession through the streets of Kalamunda.
Traffic in the area came to a halt and many locals stood in amazement as the crowd, accompanied by the Belmont Brass Band, passed by.
The event was organised by the San Leone Association, which is made up of 16 committee members.
Newest member Charles Vinci said it was an important feast for the Italian community.
“It’s really for all the people from Sinagra; they would be [celebrating] it if they were in Sinagra now,” Mr Vinci said.
The celebration has been held since 1974.
The statue of San Leone was imported in the early 1970s and was initially installed in the chapel at Mary’s Mount Primary School in Gooseberry Hill.
St Leo was born in Ravenna in the 8th century, where he was ordained a priest and, later, a bishop of the city.
He was known for displaying great charity towards the poor and orphans, and for performing many miracles. As such, he was often called Taumaturgo which means ‘miracle worker’.
St Leo is the patron of Sinagra, a town in Sicily, Italy.