RUMFORD — The Order of the Sons of Italy officially dedicated a monument Thursday to recognize the contributions residents of Italian heritage have made to the area over the past 200 years or more.

Jim Rinaldo, a member of the order, read the names of 78 families engraved on the granite marker that stands next to the Muskie Memorial near the Rumford Information Center on Bridge Street.

“Today, we are here to honor the people whose names are on this monument … Those who aren’t related, they are friends,” said Rinaldo, a member of the Order. “They were proud of their Italian heritage, equally as proud in becoming citizens of the United States of America.”

Close to 50 people attended the ceremony at which the Rev. Aaron Damboise, pastor of the Parish of the Holy Savior in Rumford, blessed the monument. He said God blessed the community with people of Italian extraction, “who came and brought their language, their culture, their food — their food, definitely! But they also came and brought their faith with them,” he said.

Rinaldo said the ceremony might be the last time the mostly Italian crowd gathers. Several shared memories of their experiences.

The Order of the Sons of Italy was organized in Rumford in 1915 and is one of the oldest orders of its kind in America. The Rumford Order closed this year after 107 years, the last one in Maine to do so. Lack of members and lack of money to keep its building in the hamlet of Smith Crossing on Route 108 were among the reasons.

The monument was a collaboration with Laperle-Durland Memorials in Mexico. A plaque at the top reads, in part:

“Their motto is liberty, equality and fraternity. They lived up to their motto not only as an organization, but also as individuals becoming very active in Rumford and the surrounding communities. They excelled as business leaders, officials in public office and volunteers. This monument is for all of the people these family names represent who lived, worked, prayed and played here in this and surrounding communities. May they never be forgotten for the sacrifices they made for their families and their community. Their legacy will last forever. We, your friends and families, think of you every day. God bless you all. Buona Notte.”

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