ALIQUIPPA, Pennsylvania — A century ago, industrial communities across western Pennsylvania, from Johnstown to Beaver County, were home to large and growing Italian immigrant populations. They were part of the great migration from Italy that accelerated after 1890 and peaked around World War I. Drawn here by jobs in steel mills, coal mines, railroads, and construction, they came seeking wages, stability, and a better life for their families.

They also brought Old World customs, many rooted in food and faith. Among the most treasured was the feast of San Rocco, marked by processions through neighborhood streets, marching bands, banners, fireworks, and a statue of Saint Rocco carried before the faithful.

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A century later, those immigrant footholds have changed. But Aliquippa’s 101st-year San Rocco observance this past weekend showed how the tradition has endured by adapting — now carried as much by descendants as by immigrants themselves.

Newspaper clippings from the early 20th century capture a time when Italian Catholic life in Pittsburgh was densely rooted in particular streets and parishes. Along Webster Avenue, residents decorated businesses and streets with flags, festoons, and electric lights for celebrations of the Assumption and San Rocco. The........

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