Happy feast of St Joseph! Here are photos of the St Joseph's table at the Academy of the Holy Family where I am subbing this month. It was made by the students and their cooking teacher, Loretta Palliardi.
All the delicious pastries, fresh breads and mouth-watering handmade Italian ices were sold to students and faculty. Here is a quote from an article explaining the tradition of the St Joseph Table in Italy.
"Sicily's most important saint is Giuseppe (Joseph), Father of Jesus, whose day is celebrated on March 19. Many activities are scheduled, including the very unique one called the St. Joseph's Table. This ancient tradition goes back to the Middle Ages. At that time there was an exceptionally severe drought in Sicily. No rain fell for an extended period of time, no crops would grow, and countless people died of famine. The peasants prayed to God for rain, and they also prayed to St. Joseph to intercede with God on their behalf. They promised that if God caused it to rain, they would have a special feast honoring God and St. Joseph.
By miracle, the rains came and the crops were planted. With the harvest, the people prepared a feast of foods from their crops. This has become known as the Tavola di San Giuseppe. Through the centuries, people who have prayed for a favor and been granted the favor use this festivity to show their thanks. The "favor" requested must not be for personal gain or benefit. Some common requests are the safe return of a loved one from a war (very common request during World War II), or that a loved one will be cured and survive from a serious, life threatening illness or accident. "
Tonight my daughters and I will be attending a Missa Cantata at the Marian Friary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Griswold, which you can watch as it will be streamed at AirMaria.
How blessed we are to have a Catholic community so rich in traditon!
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