March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph, also known as the Feast of St. Joseph.
This day celebrates the life of Saint Joseph, “the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, adoptive father of Jesus Christ and patron of Universal Catholic Church,” Father Angelo N. Carusi told Fox News Digital.
Carusi is pastor of St. Rocco Church in Johnston, Rhode Island.
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St. Joseph’s legacy remains influential even today, even though the Bible doesn’t contain much about him.
“I think it’s rather astonishing that there are no words of St. Joseph in the Bible – and yet there are more churches named after him and more images of him around the world than any other saint, except, of course, Jesus and Mary,” said Fr. Carusi.
Father Angelo Carusi, left, is pastor of St. Rocco Church in Johnston, Rhode Island. He said St. Joseph is particularly revered by Italians and those of Italian descent, thanks to an alleged miracle that occurred during a drought in Sicily. (Courtesy of Father Angelo Carusi/Getty Images)
St. Joseph is especially revered by Italians and those of Italian descent, thanks to an alleged miracle during a drought in Sicily in the 17th century, Carusi said.
Carusi Parish was established in the early 20th century to serve the growing Italian immigrant population in Johnston.
“In the church where I pastor, St. Rocco’s in Johnston, Rhode Island, there is a beautiful stained glass window of Saint Joseph, and at the bottom are engraved these words ‘Ite ad Joseph,’ which in Latin means, ‘Go and see Joseph.'”
And while the phrase “Go to Joseph” may seem simple, those words are “so profound,” Carusi said.
“If you have a problem in your marriage, go to Joseph. If you have problems as a father, go to Joseph. If you have problems a problem at work, go see Joseph. If you are facing serious illness or death, go see Joseph,” he said.
Priests in Malta carry a statue of St. Joseph in a procession on St. Joseph’s Day, a solemnity celebrated annually on March 19. (Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
Catholics believe in the intercession of saints, meaning they ask a saint in heaven to pray for a certain outcome and intercede with Jesus Christ.
“Saint Joseph is for us a model of faith, justice, hope, charity, obedience, tenacity and chastity,” Carusi said.
He continued: “In our secular world, we need these virtues more than ever. »
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The feast of St. Joseph is a solemnity, meaning it “constitutes the highest degree of celebration,” the Catholic Responses said. This also means that even if it is during Lent each yearnormal fasting rules do not apply in celebrating the day.
“The St. Joseph’s table is a beautiful tradition for St. Joseph’s Day,” Carusi said.
A St. Joseph table from an ice cream parlor in New Orleans, Louisiana. This Italian tradition honoring St. Joseph began in the Middle Ages, Carusi said. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The practice of the Saint-Joseph Table started in Italyafter the Sicilians asked Saint Joseph to intercede and end a drought.
“Miraculously, it rained,” he said.
“Their harvest was more abundant than ever.”
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To mark this miracle each year, Sicilian families began preparing a “St. Joseph’s table,” consisting of “three tiers of different types of breads, pastas, thick vegetable soups, olives, figs, desserts, flowers and a statue or picture of Saint Joseph in the front row,” Carusi said.
It is also a custom to eat Italian pastries on St. Joseph’s Day.
“Over the years, this tradition has become a living work of art,” he added.
When Italians began to settle in the United States, they brought these traditions with them.
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It’s also a custom to eat Italian pastries on St. Joseph’s Day, particularly zeppole, fried pastries topped with a maraschino cherry, Carusi explained.
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