The use of a compare at making ceremonies

[B.]

One of the memorable things about Valachi's telling of his making ceremony is the finger game which determined who his compare, or godfather was, which in this case was Joe Bonanno (though JB denies it, I believe Valachi). Valachi was originally a Gagliano associate and the families were temporarily acting as one during the war, so Valachi ended up working directly for Maranzano and was considered part of that group for all intents and purposes. So with that in mind it's not too weird that Valachi would end up with a compare who was from a different family than the one that proposed him.

So what exactly is a compare or godfather in this context? It's well-known how a proposed member is sponsored by a member, sometimes two, and the sponsor then becomes responsible for the new member. The new member also reports to a captain or someone, so that is who he would theoretically go to if he had a problem. So what use is a compare? If Valachi was telling the truth about Bonanno, Bonanno either lied in order to distance himself from a "rat" like Valachi or he simply didn't remember because Bonanno's life was an absolute tornado of changes at this time. If Valachi had stayed with the Bonannos, maybe he would have had some kind of arrangement with Joe Bonanno, I don't know.

But that's not the only time it's come up. When Rocco Scafidi was made, his sponsor was his uncle Joe Scafidi, who was also his captain. Scafidi's father Tom was also a captain at this time but was not the sponsor. Scafidi's godfather at the ceremony ended up being Antonio Pollina, who was captain of a separate crew. We learn a bit more, though, because Scafidi describes in a wiretap how he would ask Pollina for help when he needed it. So you have Scafidi, who had his own captain that sponsored him, directly consulting another captain, who had been named his godfather during a making ceremony.

Are there any other examples of this and has any kind of explanation ever come up for it? We know how the word compare is typically used among wiseguys and Italians in general, but there does seem to be something to this "unofficial" role.

[Angelo Santino]

One of the memorable things about Valachi's telling of his making ceremony is the finger game which determined who his compare, or godfather was, which in this case was Joe Bonanno (though JB denies it, I believe Valachi). Valachi was originally a Gagliano associate and the families were temporarily acting as one during the war, so Valachi ended up working directly for Maranzano and was considered part of that group for all intents and purposes. So with that in mind it's not too weird that Valachi would end up with a compare who was from a different family than the one that proposed him.

So what exactly is a compare or godfather in this context? It's well-known how a proposed member is sponsored by a member, sometimes two, and the sponsor then becomes responsible for the new member. The new member also reports to a captain or someone, so that is who he would theoretically go to if he had a problem. So what use is a compare? If Valachi was telling the truth about Bonanno, Bonanno either lied in order to distance himself from a "rat" like Valachi or he simply didn't remember because Bonanno's life was an absolute tornado of changes at this time. If Valachi had stayed with the Bonannos, maybe he would have had some kind of arrangement with Joe Bonanno, I don't know.

But that's not the only time it's come up. When Rocco Scafidi was made, his sponsor was his uncle Joe Scafidi, who was also his captain. Scafidi's father Tom was also a captain at this time but was not the sponsor. Scafidi's godfather at the ceremony ended up being Antonio Pollina, who was captain of a separate crew. We learn a bit more, though, because Scafidi describes in a wiretap how he would ask Pollina for help when he needed it. So you have Scafidi, who had his own captain that sponsored him, directly consulting another captain, who had been named his godfather during a making ceremony.

Are there any other examples of this and has any kind of explanation ever come up for it? We know how the word compare is typically used among wiseguys and Italians in general, but there does seem to be something to this "unofficial" role.

In non-OC Italian culture derives from the Roman Catholic practice, typically it's a father's friend who attends the baptism of his child and becomes a "second father." I have a Godfather and the way it works is, say my parents died and I was still a minor, I would probably be adopted by him before I was sent to live with other blood relatives. It's a cultural/religious practice that was bastardized by the Mafia and the original tradition inverted into an organized crime custom, same thing with "honor" "Family" and the other buzz words. It's not a position or rank but part of the sub-culture or at least it was. It seems like one of those customs that died out with modernization. It exists in the form of a "rabbi" as they call someone who steps up to protect someone else from repercussion: "He's got a rabbi." Maybe this helps??

[B.]

One of the memorable things about Valachi's telling of his making ceremony is the finger game which determined who his compare, or godfather was, which in this case was Joe Bonanno (though JB denies it, I believe Valachi). Valachi was originally a Gagliano associate and the families were temporarily acting as one during the war, so Valachi ended up working directly for Maranzano and was considered part of that group for all intents and purposes. So with that in mind it's not too weird that Valachi would end up with a compare who was from a different family than the one that proposed him.

So what exactly is a compare or godfather in this context? It's well-known how a proposed member is sponsored by a member, sometimes two, and the sponsor then becomes responsible for the new member. The new member also reports to a captain or someone, so that is who he would theoretically go to if he had a problem. So what use is a compare? If Valachi was telling the truth about Bonanno, Bonanno either lied in order to distance himself from a "rat" like Valachi or he simply didn't remember because Bonanno's life was an absolute tornado of changes at this time. If Valachi had stayed with the Bonannos, maybe he would have had some kind of arrangement with Joe Bonanno, I don't know.

But that's not the only time it's come up. When Rocco Scafidi was made, his sponsor was his uncle Joe Scafidi, who was also his captain. Scafidi's father Tom was also a captain at this time but was not the sponsor. Scafidi's godfather at the ceremony ended up being Antonio Pollina, who was captain of a separate crew. We learn a bit more, though, because Scafidi describes in a wiretap how he would ask Pollina for help when he needed it. So you have Scafidi, who had his own captain that sponsored him, directly consulting another captain, who had been named his godfather during a making ceremony.

Are there any other examples of this and has any kind of explanation ever come up for it? We know how the word compare is typically used among wiseguys and Italians in general, but there does seem to be something to this "unofficial" role.

In non-OC Italian culture derives from the Roman Catholic practice, typically it's a father's friend who attends the baptism of his child and becomes a "second father." I have a Godfather and the way it works is, say my parents died and I was still a minor, I would probably be adopted by him before I was sent to live with other blood relatives. It's a cultural/religious practice that was bastardized by the Mafia and the original tradition inverted into an organized crime custom, same thing with "honor" "Family" and the other buzz words. It's not a position or rank but part of the sub-culture or at least it was. It seems like one of those customs that died out with modernization. It exists in the form of a "rabbi" as they call someone who steps up to protect someone else from repercussion: "He's got a rabbi." Maybe this helps??

Thanks... I'm definitely familiar with the normal Catholic idea of a godfather/godmother, but here we have two prominent east coast families using their own twist on the idea twenty years apart in different cities, yet it doesn't seem to have any obvious function and isn't normally mentioned in most reports on making ceremonies.

Your last sentence did make me think, though. It's the sponsor who steps up and theoretically puts his reputation and life on the line to bring the new guy in (side note: are there any examples of a sponsor actually being killed because of the new member's actions? seems the sponsor is expected to kill the member they sponsored, if anything), and a randomly chosen compare in addition to this like Bonanno and Pollina couldn't be expected to be held accountable for some guy they may barely even know. I am thinking the original purpose may have been to have someone unbiased who the member could go to if needed. Something like a more informal consigliere role who isn't necessarily a friend or enemy?

Would be interesting if this was just something Maranzano, a top boss back in Sicily, used in the ceremony because it was used in Sicilian (or even just Castellammare) initiations and he carried that over to NY, or if it was something the other American families were actively doing, or both. Too many unanswerable questions.

Philly could have simply gotten it from Sicily as well and didn't stop doing it until after most of the other American families. One thing to consider is that both Sabella and Maranzano were from Castellammare.

[Angelo Santino]

One of the memorable things about Valachi's telling of his making ceremony is the finger game which determined who his compare, or godfather was, which in this case was Joe Bonanno (though JB denies it, I believe Valachi). Valachi was originally a Gagliano associate and the families were temporarily acting as one during the war, so Valachi ended up working directly for Maranzano and was considered part of that group for all intents and purposes. So with that in mind it's not too weird that Valachi would end up with a compare who was from a different family than the one that proposed him.

So what exactly is a compare or godfather in this context? It's well-known how a proposed member is sponsored by a member, sometimes two, and the sponsor then becomes responsible for the new member. The new member also reports to a captain or someone, so that is who he would theoretically go to if he had a problem. So what use is a compare? If Valachi was telling the truth about Bonanno, Bonanno either lied in order to distance himself from a "rat" like Valachi or he simply didn't remember because Bonanno's life was an absolute tornado of changes at this time. If Valachi had stayed with the Bonannos, maybe he would have had some kind of arrangement with Joe Bonanno, I don't know.

But that's not the only time it's come up. When Rocco Scafidi was made, his sponsor was his uncle Joe Scafidi, who was also his captain. Scafidi's father Tom was also a captain at this time but was not the sponsor. Scafidi's godfather at the ceremony ended up being Antonio Pollina, who was captain of a separate crew. We learn a bit more, though, because Scafidi describes in a wiretap how he would ask Pollina for help when he needed it. So you have Scafidi, who had his own captain that sponsored him, directly consulting another captain, who had been named his godfather during a making ceremony.

Are there any other examples of this and has any kind of explanation ever come up for it? We know how the word compare is typically used among wiseguys and Italians in general, but there does seem to be something to this "unofficial" role.

In non-OC Italian culture derives from the Roman Catholic practice, typically it's a father's friend who attends the baptism of his child and becomes a "second father." I have a Godfather and the way it works is, say my parents died and I was still a minor, I would probably be adopted by him before I was sent to live with other blood relatives. It's a cultural/religious practice that was bastardized by the Mafia and the original tradition inverted into an organized crime custom, same thing with "honor" "Family" and the other buzz words. It's not a position or rank but part of the sub-culture or at least it was. It seems like one of those customs that died out with modernization. It exists in the form of a "rabbi" as they call someone who steps up to protect someone else from repercussion: "He's got a rabbi." Maybe this helps??

Thanks... I'm definitely familiar with the normal Catholic idea of a godfather/godmother, but here we have two prominent east coast families using their own twist on the idea twenty years apart in different cities, yet it doesn't seem to have any obvious function and isn't normally mentioned in most reports on making ceremonies.

Your last sentence did make me think, though. It's the sponsor who steps up and theoretically puts his reputation and life on the line to bring the new guy in (side note: are there any examples of a sponsor actually being killed because of the new member's actions? seems the sponsor is expected to kill the member they sponsored, if anything), and a randomly chosen compare in addition to this like Bonanno and Pollina couldn't be expected to be held accountable for some guy they may barely even know. I am thinking the original purpose may have been to have someone unbiased who the member could go to if needed. Something like a more informal consigliere role who isn't necessarily a friend or enemy?

Would be interesting if this was just something Maranzano, a top boss back in Sicily, used in the ceremony because it was used in Sicilian (or even just Castellammare) initiations and he carried that over to NY, or if it was something the other American families were actively doing, or both. Too many unanswerable questions.

Philly could have simply gotten it from Sicily as well and didn't stop doing it until after most of the other American families. One thing to consider is that both Sabella and Maranzano were from Castellammare.

Despite it's corrupt reality, the mafia has a series of checks and balances so someone doesn't obtain too much power. So the idea of an arbitrary go-to guy doesn't strike me as obtuse, this method occurred even if it doesn't have a formal name for it.

Maranzano's ceremony is something we'll never know but I'm sure you read Calderone, the ceremony deviates ever slow slightly. The finger is cut, sometimes it is picked, sometimes a saint card is used, other times just a piece of paper. One family used a gold needle, another with a thorn. But the general correlations between Sicilian towns with each other and American cities with each other, they are about 80% simpatico with one another. (I'm not including the quickie ceremonies here: Mike Rizzi in a car or Previte being told he's made or any of that confusing shit in Chicago).

One thing that I always remembered was a quote from Calderone's book: "If someone is good enough to be a member, they are good enough to represent it." Which I interpretted as: the mafia is very selective in its members (in theory) and those chosen are the most honorable (*allegedly), so each member acts on a sort of ritual of justifying what they do by adhering to the unspoken code, as it is their right since they were the cream of the crop to join. "Honor, loyalty, family" are positive terms that people gravitate to, even evil people. And in the mafia we've seen people justify things such as murder, robbery, extortion, revenge killings in honorable ways, showing loyalty etc. But if you were to ask Scarfo and then Bruno and then Joe Bonanno to define loyalty, you'd get three different answers... As it relates to ceremonies, a boss can do what he wants (within reason). Some might be more traditional, others might be "fuck it, let's get it over with."

Edit: The English version of Calderone's book was translated: "If someone is good enough to join, they are good enough to become boss." It doesn't conjure the same meaning as the Italian version but it's not wrong at all. The mindset is the same in America. There's been fast risers who've become administration within five years of being admitted while some members have been in 25+ plus years. Goes back to the mindset that only the best are being admitted.

[Angelo Santino]

But if we were to list some 'continuities amongst the families, a few would be:

1) The compari system
2) Circle Open, Circle Closed (where members join hands: the affairs of the family are open... closed)
3/4) Knife Vs the Pin... Has anyone looked at each informant's ceremony and took notes of the deviations? It's something I never cared to do but there could be some relevance to it.

[Antiliar]

Diego Gambetta in his book "The Sicilian Mafia" compares ceremonies from the earliest known ones to the most recent (until time of publication).

https://books.google.com/books?id=y3bv3 ... ri&f=false

[toto]

They use the compare in Sicily as well. The guy chooses at the ceremony and the more ambitious ones will choose somebody like a powerful capodecina. Nino Giuffre chose John Stanfa at his ceremony for example. I can't remember who it was just now but Sandro Lo Piccolo was going to kill his compare in the showdown with Rotolo 10 years ago.

The sponsor is not guaranteed to be the compare. So Nino Giuffre was proposed by his father-in-law, Nicasio Stanfa. But he still chose John Stanfa. A lot is to do with ambition or friendship I guess.

[B.]

They use the compare in Sicily as well. The guy chooses at the ceremony and the more ambitious ones will choose somebody like a powerful capodecina. Nino Giuffre chose John Stanfa at his ceremony for example. I can't remember who it was just now but Sandro Lo Piccolo was going to kill his compare in the showdown with Rotolo 10 years ago.

The sponsor is not guaranteed to be the compare. So Nino Giuffre was proposed by his father-in-law, Nicasio Stanfa. But he still chose John Stanfa. A lot is to do with ambition or friendship I guess.

Ah yeah, I remember that about Stanfa from when it got posted in the discussion of dual memberships, etc. That is another angle of it, too... proposed members choosing their own compare instead of it being randomly chosen by the finger game or some other method.

Christie you're right about the ceremonies being 80% similar, maybe even more, with differences depending on the family or even just the boss. I'd be curious how the ceremonies changed in NY between 1957 to 1976. No matter how established the ceremony is, when you don't do something for 20 years it is bound to change a little bit (or in smaller families like Cleveland, they forgot how to do it entirely). It sounds like they may have been rid of the compare system in NY after the 1930s if it was ever even used outside of Maranzano.

That quote from Nino Calderone says a lot about how the mob is supposed to work, and in Sicily that might have been more true than in the US. In the US, it seems like there has been something of a caste system within the membership where some members are much more likely to take positions of power than others, and once they do, they are expected to hold those positions indefinitely. I am not that knowledgeable of the Sicilian families, but from Calderone's book it sounds like it is more common in Sicily for a guy to hold the boss position for a set period of time, and when he steps down or someone else is voted in there isn't necessarily much of an issue and the former boss can go about his business as a respected member. In the US, a boss generally is expected to be the boss until death or "retirement", which is why it was ridiculous when the idea was floated for Joe Bonanno to step down and become just another soldier in his family in the 1960s. You can't expect a US boss to run a family for 35 years and suddenly start over at the beginning.

[B.]

I re-read the descriptions Valachi and Scafidi gave to the FBI about their making ceremonies and here is a summary of the "finger game" aspect:

Valachi says the finger game was used to determine his "god-father or cumbare [sic], also known as a sponsor." Note that it's not quoting Valachi directly except for use of "cumbare"/compare, so the word "sponsor" may be the FBI's interpretation not Valachi's. However, Valachi did say that after Bonanno was selected as his compare, Bonanno was the one who pricked his finger and stood with him through the oath. Due to the war and all of the chaos going on, we don't know who Valachi's captain would have been. I've also never seen Valachi specify who proposed him, but Chick Callace drove the three proposed members to the ceremony. Typically it is the sponsor who comes and gets the proposed member from the "waiting room" and takes them to the main room for the ceremony, but Valachi couldn't remember who this was. This person took him to the front of the room and introduced him to Maranzano prior to Bonanno being selected as "compare".

The "finger game" and "godfather" situation was almost identical in Philadelphia for Rocco Scafidi. Re-reading it, I was surprised by how close it actually is between the two ceremonies. The key difference is that Scafidi identified a clear sponsor and captain he was assigned to (Joe Scafidi for both), but Pollina was selected as the "godfather" through the finger game and was the one who pricked Scafidi's finger and went through the actual ceremony with him. The "godfather" was completely distinct from sponsor / captain and the member was supposed to maintain a relationship with the "godfather", almost like a mentor.

An informant from San Francisco was told prior to his induction that whoever "pinches" him at his ceremony would be his "godfather". The informant said it ended up that he didn't even know this person, though he doesn't say how they were selected as "godfather". This "godfather" is then the one who pricks the new member's finger, etc. Since his "godfather" seems to have been someone random who simply helped him through the ceremony, I have to wonder if they selected the "godfather" using the finger game or what other method they could have used to choose him.

Now with this info JD posted about the Colombos, we know of a family doing the finger game in the 1980s, but a key difference is it was used not to determine "godfather" but the new member's captain. Hard to believe that this was a common practice, as most crew membership in families follows some kind of logic. It could only be practical in a family like the Colombos who are concentrated in a very small area. You have to wonder if this was some kind of bastardization of the "godfather" ritual, which based on the two examples we know of must have been an old Sicilian practice even if it was only used occasionally.