Catholic Cuisine for the month of March

Catholic Cuisine blog features recipes for celebrating the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year. It's a great resource all year long, but don't miss the latest post: Recipes for March ~ Month Dedicated to St. Joseph.

Announcing the 1st Annual St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest

March is the Month of St. Joseph and the ultimate way to give honor to St. Joseph is with your very own St. Joseph Altar. Sounds intimidating, but it really isn't. There are certain guidelines that will help you get started, but remember, it's your Altar and it should reflect you and your family. Our first home Altar consisted of a cake, some cookies, and coloring pages by the kids! It's a family affair, so be sure to get everyone involved.

A bit of history will help you begin your planning, and here are some altar photos for inspiration.

Now that I have (hopefully) talked you into putting up your very own St. Joseph Altar, I invite you join the 1st Annual St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest. To be included, make a blog post about your Altar, including details and pics, then link it here. I will begin the linking on the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph and continue till the end of March. Simple or extravagant, we want to see it! So come back on March 19 to link your Altar post. In the meantime, head to the Virtual St. Joseph Altar for all the info you need to get started planning your Altar.

Feel free to grab this button for your blog. Spread the word and let's get lots of others involved -- just link it back to this post.

7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph - #5

Although this devotion can be done anytime, one of the more traditional times to start is seven Sundays before the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.

Today is the fifth Sunday:

O most watchful Guardian of the Incarnate Son of God, glorious St. Joseph, what toil was thine in supporting and waiting upon the Son of the most high God, especially in the flight into Egypt! Yet at the same time, how thou didst rejoice to have always near you God Himself, and to see the idols of the Egyptians fall prostrate to the ground before Him. By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us the grace of keeping ourselves in safety from the infernal tyrant, especially by flight from dangerous occasions; may every idol of earthly affection fall from our hearts; may we be wholly employed in serving Jesus and Mary, and for them alone may we live and happily die. (Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)


Antiphon: And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty, being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.


V: Pray for us, O holy Joseph,


R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let Us Pray.


O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer taken from fisheaters.com

Chocolate Crown of Thorns

There are many traditional items that are placed on St. Joseph Altars. But, as with any tradition, our own St. Joseph Altar has evolved and gathered life from each member of our family. Certain children have certain cookies or cakes they prepare each year. One item that we always prepare for our home Altar is the chocolate Crown of Thorns.

Simply melt the chocolate of your choice, throw in a handful of pretzel sticks, and mix. Remove the chocolate covered sticks one at a time, before they start to harden, and start building your crown on a piece of wax paper. You’ll end up with a solid and sturdy crown. Warning: this project rates very high in the mess department!

After St. Joseph's Day, we save our crown for placement on top of our Easter cake. Fill it with colorful candy eggs on Easter Sunday and you’ll transform your crown of thorns into a lovely bird’s nest. This project is fun for all ages.

44 and counting!

Four days into the 2010 Virtual St. Joseph Altar and there are already 44 offerings up on the Altar. Some folks are probably wondering how the "offerings" work. On the make offering page, you will be presented with a choice of 12 items to place on the Altar. These items include: red wine, white wine, bread, cake, pastry, biscotti, shrimp, fish, crawfish, votive candle, flowers, and citrus. Selcet one, all, or any combination that you like, and hit the submit button. If you have entered your email address, I will notify you as soon as your items have been placed on the Altar - usually within 24 hours. You'll even get a number so you can locate your personal offerings on the Altar page.

So, if you haven't already placed your offerings on the Altar, head on over. The Virtual St. Joseph Altar will accept offering through March 19, 2010 for this year's feast day.

7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph - #4

Although this devotion can be done anytime, one of the more traditional times to start is seven Sundays before the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.

Today is the fourth Sunday:

O most faithful Saint who shared the mysteries of our Redemption, glorious St. Joseph, the prophecy of Simeon regarding the sufferings of Jesus and Mary caused thee to shudder with mortal dread, but at the same time filled thee with a blessed joy for the salvation and glorious which, he foretold, would be attained by countless souls. By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us that we may be among the number of those, who through merits of Jesus and the intercession of Mary the Virgin Mother, are predestined to a glorious resurrection.  (Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)


Antiphon: And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty, being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.


V: Pray for us, O holy Joseph,


R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let Us Pray.


O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer taken from fisheaters.com

An ordinary sort of man

St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life.

-- Blessed Josemaria Escriva

Royal lineage from the House of David

As promised, Rufi has sent me another beautiful image of St. Joseph:

This beautiful image is from early 1800's and it is a processional image of a family in central Luzon in the Philippines. This is a depiction of a more youthful Saint Joseph and the family has provided him with a ducal crown to symbolize his royal lineage from the House of David. His staff is made of sterling lilies in gold vermeil and his robes are embroidered in gold metal threads.  There are still many towns in the Philippines that celebrate feast days of saints with images of the town patron saints processed around villages in ornate carriages decorated with tropical flowers and candles. I have provided you with a full image photo so that you won't mistake it for an image of the Christ the King. In the full image photo the image clearly holds his staff that bloomed into lilies as a heavenly sign that he is the chosen spouse to Our Lady (remember the legend of the "blooming dead branch"?). Additionally, its robes are in the usual yellow mantle and green tunic.

May our Saint Joseph watch over you and your family.

Sincerely,
Rufi

 photos by Jay Alcala

2010 Virtual St. Joseph Altar is now open!

In the tradition of the Sicilian St. Joseph Altars of New Orleans, the Virtual St. Joseph Altar made its online debut in February of 1999.

The Virtual St, Joseph Altar is open now through the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.

Visit the Altar and make your virtual offerings, add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, there is even a place for special prayer requests. There's lot more to keep you busy: prayers, history, recipes, photos, special links, and more. Don't miss the mini 3d Virtual St. Joseph's Altar craft.

Because of the continued prayers & support of so many, the Altar gets bigger and better each year!

Thank you for helping to spread devotion to St. Joseph & Viva San Guiseppe!

Evann Duplantier
Virtual St. Joseph Altar

The silence of Saint Joseph

The silence of Saint Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of the adoration of His holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his "father" Joseph that Jesus learned -- at the human level -- that steadfast interiority which is a presupposition of authentic justice.... Let us allow ourselves to be "filled" with Saint Joseph's silence! In a world that is often too noisy, that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God's voice.

Pope Benedict XVI

Angelus, December 18, 2005

Beautiful San Jose

This morning, I was greeted by this beautiful statue of San Jose and the following email:

Sending You a Photo of Our Saint Joseph
Hi Evann,
I visited your blog and I wanted to share with you a photo of our Saint Joseph.
Sincerely,
Rufi

Thanks, Rufi, for giving us a peak at your beautiful St. Joseph.

If anyone else has an unusual statue or image of St. Joseph, please consider sharing it with us!

UPDATE:
Today I got some more info on this beautiful statue of St. Joseph. I asked Rufi for a bit of background on the style and source of the statue:

Hi Evann!
I am glad you liked our heirloom San Jose. The exquisitely robed image is from the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. This image is from the mid-19th century and has gold thread embroidery. It is usually part of a tableau of the Blessed Virgin and the Child Jesus. The image and all the accoutrement including the golden halo the sterling staff with lilies were all crafted in the Philippines around 150 years ago. Although the silk fabrics are new replacements, the original gold metal embroidery was subsequently transferred and hand sewn to the newer fabric. I am attaching the complete tableau of a somewhat formal nativity creche on a mahogany altar with garlands and florettes of bone inlay.

There are still many extant antique images of Saint Joseph in the Philippines. Some are larger and brought out for town procession during his feast day in March and/or May. I may be able to send you an even more beautiful late 18th Century San Giusseppe (San Jose) that is almost life size and the head is made of solid ivory with glass eyes (the head is of course pre-ban ivory as the image is from 200 years ago). I am waiting for a friend to send me a photo. If you liked this tiny image, you will love this bigger processional image.

Regards,
Rufi

A just man

Saint Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the upright guardian of those entrusted to his care. May he always guard, protect and enlighten familes.

-- Pope John Paul II

It's almost time

Yes, it's almost time for the Virtual St. Joseph Altar to open for the 2010 feast of St. Joseph. From February 19 through March 19, visitors to the Altar will be able to submit virtual offerings to be placed on the Altar. You can also submit the names of deceased loved ones to the prayer list. There's a special place for prayer requests as well.

The 2010 Altar marks 12 years for the Virtual St. Joseph Altar. Spread the word & Viva San Guiseppe!

7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph - #3

Although this devotion can be done anytime, one of the more traditional times to start is seven Sundays before the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.

Today is the third Sunday:

O glorious St. Joseph, thou faithfully obeyed the law of God, and thy heart was pierced at the sight of the Precious Blood that was shed by the Infant Savior during His Circumcision, but the Name of Jesus gave thee new life and filled thee with quiet joy. By this sorrow and this joy, obtain for us the grace to be freed from all sin during life, and to die rejoicing, with the Holy Name of Jesus in our hearts and on our lips. (Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)


Antiphon: And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty, being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.


V: Pray for us, O holy Joseph,


R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let Us Pray.


O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer taken from fisheaters.com

7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph - #2

Although this devotion can be done anytime, one of the more traditional times to start is seven Sundays before the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.

Today is the second Sunday:

O most blessed Patriarch, glorious St. Joseph, who was chosen to be the foster father of the Word made flesh, thy sorrow at seeing the Child Jesus born in such poverty was suddenly changed into heavenly exultation when thou didst hear the angelic hymn and beheld the glories of that resplendent night. By this sorrow and this joy, we implore thee to obtain for us the grace to pass over from life's pathway to hear the angelic songs of praise, and to rejoice in the shining splendor of celestial glory. (Say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be)


Antiphon: And Jesus Himself was beginning about the age of thirty, being (as it was supposed) the Son of Joseph.


V: Pray for us, O holy Joseph,


R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let Us Pray.


O God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, grant we beseech Thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in Heaven. Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer taken from fisheaters.com