St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church will return to its roots to celebrate its centennial.

To commemorate the church's 100th anniversary, members are replicating a traditional Italian marketplace on Saturday with Festa Italia and hosting a spaghetti dinner on Sunday.

The building's interior will be transformed into an old-fashioned Italian marketplace, complete with a café, vendors and live music.

"It's not like a carnival atmosphere, it's an Italian village," said organizer Herb Nichol. "Hopefully, it's going to be that kind of experience, where you can step back in time."

The old world theme is meant to honor the church's early attendees: about 200 Italian immigrant families who settled in Butler around the turn of the century, Nichol said.

Most of those families lived on the south side of Butler and first attended St. Peter Roman Catholic Church.

"Father Vincent Marinaro was here in America visiting his brothers around that time," Nichol said. "While he was here, he was asked by a large number of those Italian Americans to establish a church for them, and it all sprang from there."

Marinaro decided to stay in Butler County and founded the church in 1909, said church member Dorothy Kriley.

"The first Mass was said at the old fire station on Monroe Street," she said.

The congregation moved a few months later to Spring Street and stayed until acquiring the current Center Avenue property in 1948, Kriley said.

"The church as we know it today was dedicated Sept. 28, 1952, at a final cost of $450,000," Kriley said. "The money was raised by contributions from $5 to thousands of dollars."

Today, the church is valued around $7 million and membership has grown to include about 500 families.

"Some of us still have the same names of the original families," said Nichol, who can trace his heritage to the church's early days. "There are a lot of people who are descendants of the original families."

Tours given during the festival will educate visitors about the church's history as well as its construction and artifacts housed in the building.

"I have a feeling that even some of the parishioners aren't familiar with all of the stained-glass windows and all of the niches we have in the church," said Kriley, adding the marble was imported from Italy. "It's a beautiful church; it's out of this world."

The church will provide a realistic setting for the replica village.

Two water fountains will adorn the outside door, and the inside hall will be modeled after an Italian street, said member Barb Macurdy, who handled the decorations.

"We're even going to have a restaurant," she said. "The tables will be covered with red-checkered tablecloths and a centerpiece of a Chianti bottle with a candle."

Several church members constructed archways and pillars out of craft store materials for an authentic feel, she said.

The stage's backdrop is a mural of an Italian street lined with bistro tables and potted plants for a three-dimensional effect.

"It looks like a real Italian village," Macurdy said.

About 11 booths will be decorated to look like authentic Italian shops, bearing handmade signs and draped with grape vines and ivy.

The "shops" will offer goods for sale or showcase demonstrations like pasta making or wine tasting.

Another tradition that will be demonstrated is palm cross making, in which the palm from Palm Sunday is formed into the shape of the cross.

Kriley will show off her recipe for pizzelles, a type of Italian cookie. She is known within the church for her recipe, but said she just wants to be involved in any way she can.

"I've just loved going to our church," said Kriley, a lifelong member. "It feels almost like mine, you know, being that I've been there so long."

Live Italian music will set the scene, said member Vince Tavolerio, who booked the bands.

"It's folk music from Italy, the traditional songs we used to hear as kids," Tavoliaro said. "My grandparents came from Italy and they would sing these songs."

Tavoliaro booked several popular groups from the Youngstown, Ohio, area, where a large Italian festival is held each year.

"If you want Italian flavor, this is the music to listen to," he said.

Performers include Italian folk singers Frankie Gallo and Rocky Chirchiglia and their bands.

The celebration continues on Sunday night, when accordion player Johnny Gabriel will roam through the café to create an authentic mood during the spaghetti dinner.

Parishioners stayed true to old-world Italy with all of the festival's events, Nichol said.

"If it wasn't for those 200 families back in 1909 and Father Marinaro, St. Michael's as we know it probably wouldn't exist," Nichol said. "We wanted to go back to our roots and honor the heritage that began the church."

<B>WHAT: </B>Festa Italia centennial celebration<B>WHERE: </B>St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church, 432 Center Ave., Butler<B>WHEN: </B>10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; spaghetti dinner from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday<B>COST: </B>$2 on Saturday; $8.50 for Sunday dinner<B>CONTACT: </B>724-282-4107