The CRASES was founded in 1970 by Rev. Don Francesco Paolo Azzara, delegate in the Archdiocese of Palermo for the Pastoral in favour of Sicilian emigrants living both abroad and in Italy.

As a matter of fact, the center was already operative a few years before 1970, when a wide network of connections with Sicilians living in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Great Britain existed.

Since the birth of CRASES more than 30 years have passed, and it hasn't changed but for the enlarging of its operational horizons which have opended to those who have immigrated to Sicily.

On January 1st 2000 CRASES renewed its statute after Don Azzara's resignation (he was then elected honorary president) and the election of a new management, whose President is Mr Gaetano Beltempo. The most important news about CRASES is that it has accepted as its members both Sicilian Associations and individuals emigrated abroad, who are called to take part to the center's activities and life through triennial elections.

CRASES's greatest merit is having understood that Italian people's needs abroad have changed. The activities of CRASES are therefore nowadays also oriented to satisfy their cultural needs.

Vocational training courses, meetings, film festivals, exhibitions, which have been organized, have gained great success not only among Italian emigrants, but also among citizens of the host foreign countries and our representative Authorities abroad.

In other words, we like seeing our emigrants proud of their country, instead of making them feel nostalgia for a past, often sad, which led them to leave. That's why we are going to show them the best of Sicily's history, literature and art, without overlooking, of course, any socio-humanitarian aspect.