Wayland Gets Its Own 'Sons of Italy' Chapter

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland officially has its own chapter of the Sons of Italy in America. “La Familia Di Metro West” has been approved by the organization’s national committee and the Wayland chapter is now officially Lodge 2997. The founding officers of the chapter were officially “installed” at the Sons of Italy in Watertown this spring.

The closest chapter was in Natick. The Order Sons of Italy in America is the largest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States and focuses on educating members on Italian culture, language and heritage.

The Wayland chapter was started by residents Bob DeFrancesco, Joseph Mastroianni, Gino Coppola and Jim Sdoia, who said they wanted to find a way to bring their Italian culture and a greater sense of community to the town.

“We hope to represent the next generation of Italian Americans in the Sons of Italy organization and we look forward to sharing our love for Italian culture, history and heritage as we give back to the community we call home,”DeFrancesco said.

The lodge has yet to find a permanent physical location in Wayland and is currently weighing several options.

Membership applications are currently being accepted at https://www.osia.org/membership/become-a-member/.