March the month of St. Joseph

March is dedicated to Saint Joseph

Solemnity of St. Joseph is March 19th. You can take a break from your Lenten Fasts and enjoy a Feast Day! I wanted to put up a few ideas on how to celebrate St. Joseph through the month of March because he is such an important and dedicated saint. St. Joseph wasn’t one to draw attention to himself he was a humble and silent servant of God. Like many fathers I rather think he prefers to go about doing the work that needs to be done without concern for recognition. It is no wonder that St. Joseph is the patron saint of many aspects of life. He is the patron saint of the Universal Church, fathers, unborn children, travelers, immigrants, families, day laborers, workmen, and a happy death.

St. Joseph stayed in the background and served Mary and Jesus as their protector and provider. Scholars say St. Joseph probably died between the years of Jesus being found in the Temple and the start of his public ministry. Other than the Gospels telling us of St. Joseph during Jesus’ early childhood we know very little about him. In the hidden life of St. Joseph we must take note that he was more than merely a “just” man. It was this man, this quiet St. Joseph who helped form the character of Jesus as his foster father. His life was one of meaningful fatherhood.

Katherine Bogner of Look to Him and be Radiant has some coloring pages: Pure heart of St. Joseph, the St. Joseph Novena where you can color the lilies to mark off the days of prayers. Here’s a talk about three things we can learn from the life of St. Joseph: St. Joseph’s Side of the Story

There is an interesting article about St. Joseph and his quiet nature. Silence is Golden is the perfect connection to prayer during Lent. This talk by John Kinuthia Looking Closer at Joseph This Advent is a very good mini-retreat. Even with it being an Advent 2019 presentation his words are beautiful for Lent too. John Kinuthia discusses St. Jospeh’s ability to quiet his mind and heart to listen to God’s voice. St. Jospeh’s ability to find daily silence made room for God. A beautiful example and message for us to follow every day and especially during Lent.

There is a beautiful Sicilian-Italian tradition to honor St. Joseph with a “St. Joseph’s Table” . Through his intercession the people were saved from starvation due to a prolonged drought. So they honor him with a bountiful feast. Sicilian-Italian immigrants brought this tradition to America where we can see these amazing St. Joseph’s Tables on display. You can make your own at home or look to see if you can visit a St. Joseph’s Table in your community. Many Italian community groups (community centers), Italian businesses, local churches, colleges or museums often sponsor an event honoring St. Joseph’s Day. The DiCamillo Bakery in Western New York has a webpage showing all of the interesting specialized St. Joseph’s Day breads they prepare. Little Italy in Baltimore has events too.

What’s a feast without the food? Here are some ways to enjoy foods associated with St. Joseph’s Day.

• A wood cake with saw
• St. Joseph’s Day cookies
• St. Joseph’s Day soup
• St. Joseph’s cream puffs
• St. Joseph’s Day pasta

The biblical passage, “The just man shall blossom like the lily” is applied to St. Joseph and ancient legend tells that he was chosen from among other men by the blossoming of his staff like a lily. The lily symbolizes integrity and a white lily symbolizes purity. St. Joseph is frequently shown holding three lilies to represent the Holy Trinity. With these connections the lily has become a plant to be associated with St. Joseph. Here are some ways to bring a lily in to your home.

• Bring home an Easter lily for St. Joseph’s day
• Print a paper lily
• Make a St. Jospeh’s Lily from a paper plate
• Make a St. Jospeh’s Lily from paper handprints
• Lily paper art
• Craft an elegant paper lily