Lætare Sunday
At Mass, the priest may wear rose colored vestments. This custom originated since, as a symbol of joy and hope in the middle of this somber Season, popes used to carry a golden rose in their right hand when returning from the celebration of Mass on this day. In fact, back in 1051, Pope Leo IX called this custom an “ancient institution.” Afterward, the pope would often give the rose to a church, shrine, city, or distinguished person as a token of esteem and paternal affection. It was from this tradition that today is sometimes called “Rose Sunday”.
Our Very First St. Joseph Altar
The History of the Saint Joseph AltarThe people of Sicily prayed. For too long there had been no rain to nourish the crops that sustained life for most of the island. The dried out wheat stalks cracked beneath the feet of the poor farmers as they walked through their barren fields. Only a sea of dust and withered vines remained from what had once been row upon row of brightly colored fruits and vegetables. And so the people prayed. They pleaded to St. Joseph, their patron, for relief from the famine that gripped the island. At last the skies opened, sending down the life-giving water. The people rejoiced. Some time later, to show their gratitude, they prepared a table with a special assortment of foods they had harvested. After paying honor to St. Joseph, they distributed the food to the less fortunate. The first St. Joseph Altar set up on the Island of Sicily was a small one, of course. But as time went on and the tradition took hold, the flamboyant nature and creative spirit of the Italians caused the altars to grow larger and more ornate. Today, the artistic quality of the breads, cookies and pastries, which are baked in such shapes as chalices, staffs and pyramids, often rivals the exquisite flavor of the food offerings. Though Sicilian immigrants introduced the custom to America, the celebration is not confined to any nationality. Rather, it has become a public event which its devoted participants embrace for a host of private and personal reasons. The feast is alternately a source of petition and thanksgiving. Many families believe that having a St. Joseph Altar can bring good fortune. And it is common to hear stories about favors received (a loved one’s recovery from an illness, for example), which are in turn attributed to the family’s dedication to St. Joseph. But whatever the reasons people become involved. St. Joseph’s Feast Day is a tradition that centers on the entire family. One of the special customs calls for the selection of children to portray members of the Holy Family—Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Angels and favorite saints may also be included in the ritual, which begins with the “saints” going door to door to seek aid until finally reaching the place where the altar is on display. After the Holy Family has eaten, guests may partake of the meal. Most of the foods presented on the altar are acquired through begging, a symbol gesture that represents what the poor of Sicily were forced to do. When the feast is over, the remaining food and whatever money has been contributed are given to the poor. Whether a St. Joseph Altar is an elaborate display at an elegant church or a humble table in a modest home, it is a reflection of deep devotion to St. Joseph, the patron of those in need—workers, travelers, the persecuted, the poor, the aged, the dying. And it is a custom that has enjoyed resurgence in recent years, as young and old have begun to rediscover their heritage. After many centuries, the St. Joseph Altar still serves as a reminder that those who have enjoyed some measure of good fortune must share it with those who have less.
Jenn has a great post over at Catholic Cuisine right now with Foods for the St. Joseph Altar, and be sure to check out The Virtual St. Joseph Altar as well! I hope you all have a blessed feast of St. Joseph!
Viva San Giuseppe!
40 Bags of Stuff ~ Update
Speaking of weight, I wonder just how many pounds my home has shed this past week?! Here’s the breakdown so far:
12 Bags of Stuff to St. Vincents
1 Bag of Stuff to a friend
5 Bags of Stuff thrown away
Large Items (which count as 1 bag each):
1 Doll Cradle
1 Television Set
1 Microwave (Do you think I can live without one?!)
Only 19 “Bags of Stuff” left to go to accomplish the 40 Bags of Stuff Challenge!!
This has really been a nice addition to my Lenten Cleaning schedule. I have found it quite helpful to have a preset goal for the quantity of stuff I need to get out of our home, especially since I have a tendency to hang on to things that we really don’t need, and definitely *don’t* have the room for! As I tackle each daily project, I am trying to set a goal of how many bags to fill, and it has been working. I’m going to have a little catch up to do next week, but that’s ok… We’re making progress!
So, how is your Lenten (or Spring) Cleaning going?
WoW ~ Week 10
My Summary:
- Week Ten Weight Loss/Gain: -1.5 pounds
- Inches Loss/Gain: -1.25 inches
- Overall Results: -10.5 pounds and -10 inches
Head on over to Regina’s to see everyone’s stats.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
With getting ready to leave for my Grandfather’s funeral, and the downpour we had the past few days, I ended up canceling our plans for “St. Patrick’s Day at the Park.” Wouldn’t you know that the sun would finally come out, just as we all were to have met?? Anyhow, I just couldn’t pull it off this year. My children still had a nice St. Patrick’s Day at home, and we will head to the park another time, hopefully soon!
Here are a few pictures from our day…
We read lots of picture books and had Shamrock Mint Cupcakes. The cupcakes were very easy to make and looked so cute!
We colored a couple pictures of St. Patrick.
My friend Marci put together a cute little Shamrock craft, which she shared with us.
The boys St. Patrick and St. Joseph Lap books are coming along nicely. I’m sure I will post pictures when they are done!
My girls had a blast making their dipped Oreos, despite how serious they looked in the pictures! lol!! They were determined to get the sprinkle on “just perfectly!”
I finished painting St. Patrick to add to our Alphabet of Saints…
Rascal decided to make an appearance as “St. Patrick!”
Snack time was so much fun with our Oreos, Cupcakes, Green M&M’s and Irish Floats (limeade over a scoop of lime sherbet).
For Dinner we had our Irish Beef and Guinness Stew with delicious Irish Soda Bread, followed by green Pistachio Mallow Salad.
It was a nice day, despite our sadness over losing Grandpa (aka Great-Grandpa)… The day ended with a phone call from my brother asking Rascal and Chiquita to be Ring bearer and Flower Girl for his upcoming wedding in June. He also asked Captain to be one of the Altar boys, serving with my youngest brother. Exciting!
St. Patrick’s Day Treats
Since we had so much fun last month decorating Oreos, we decided (back then) to decorate more for St. Patrick’s day. This time my girls used green sprinkles and (I used) green glitter gel to make Shamrock Oreos.
I hope you all had a blessed St. Patrick’s Day!! I have a few more pictures I’d love to share, but it is going to have to wait… I just realized it is 2am, and I need to get some sleep!
Lá breithe mhaith agat!
It was taken back in 2000 at the 4Ps in Va.)
Slainte!
An Irish Blessing…
My Daybook ~ March 16, 2009
FOR TODAY: March 16, 2009
Outside my Window… it is a misty, cold, rainy day. It seems sort of fitting, since tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day.
I am thankful… for all of your prayers for my Grandpa and family!! THANK YOU!! I took the news of his death much harder than I thought I would… (He had been real sick for a few years.) Even though we will miss him dearly, I know he was prepared to go. I am also thankful that my mom was able to make it in time to see him again on Saturday, and that I was able to have a nice visit with him on the phone, less than two weeks ago, and told him how much I love him!
From the kitchen… another hot sugar-free chai tea. Yuuummmm!! Later today I am planning on letting the girls dip some Oreo’s and I will bake our cupcakes for tomorrow. For dinner we will be having Brown Rice Vegetable Casserole.
From the learning room… lots of Lap Books! The boys continue to work on their Lenten Lap books a bit each day — Particularly filling in the boxes on the charts with the sacrifices they are making and things they are thankful for. They also are each working on a Lap book for the special saints of this week. Captain is working on the St. Patrick Lap book, and Rascal really wanted to make one on St. Joseph. (I stayed up most of the night way too late trying to put resources together for him!)
Living the Liturgical year at Home… in addition to the lap books, we will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at the Park and doing a few other activities tomorrow. On Thursday, the feast of St. Joseph, we will bake St. Joseph Sfinge (Cream Puffs) in the afternoon, and then have an Italian Spagetti Dinner with St. Joseph’s Rocky Road Cake for dessert.
I am creating.. a Mini 3-D St. Joseph Altar with Rascal to go along with his Lap Book on St. Joseph. I also started painting my St. Patrick Wooden Saint, but I still need to finish him. I am also working on a little project with my friend Marci… I’ll share more on that later!
I am going… to start making plans to head to California later this week for my Grandfather’s funeral.
I am reading… “The Shack” which was recommended to me recently by one of our local priests. I had not heard of it previously. I, on the other hand, don’t recommend it. After feeling really uneasy about it, I searched online to see what other Catholics were saying and found this article. Interesting! On a positive note, I also just received the books Golden Legend of Young Saints and Olivia and the Little Way to review. They both look wonderful!
I am hoping… (and praying!) that my Grandpa’s wishes are honored and he is able to have a Latin Mass for his funeral.
I am listening… to a mixture of Celtic Woman, The Clancey Brothers, and Rifles of the I.R.A.. Nothing like good Irish Music to cheer you up! lol!
Around the house… Why does my house always seem to get messier when I spend so much time cleaning?? And where did ALL this STUFF come from?? I thought I had gotten rid of a lot LAST YEAR!
One of my favorite things… is looking through our family photo albums. ♥
Still working on the my Lenten Cleaning schedule and I have filled 13 bags for the 40 bag Challenge. I still have LOTS to do! I am hoping I can get a lot done in the next couple days since we are going to be heading out of town at the end of the week.
A picture thought I am sharing:
In loving memory…
I just found out that my Grandpa died last night… Oh, I am going to miss him soooooo much! I would love to tell you all about him, but I just can’t right now. It’s all I can do to get on here and ask if you could please say a prayer for the repose of his soul, as well as one for my sweet grandmother, their 13 children, and countless* grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (*My Grandpa could always tell you exactly how many of us there are… All together he has over 100 descendants!)
May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
0 Comments