Lodi church continues the tradition of The Solemnity of Saint Joseph

The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is among the most prominent feast days in the Catholic Church and holds particular reverence in Italian Catholic communities worldwide.

Saint Joseph’s Day is almost always celebrated on March 19 – unless it falls on a Sunday, like this year, in which case Lent supersedes it, and the feast is held on March 20. The saint also has a second feast day on May 1, celebrating Saint Joseph, the Worker.

Historically, Saint Joseph’s Day was widely celebrated by Italians of the Archdiocese of Newark in the early to the mid-20th century. As legend has it, during a great famine and drought in Sicily in the Middle Ages, people prayed to St. Joseph for relief. Their prayers were answered with rains that spared their crops. It’s believed that this is why Saint Joseph’s celebration is held in March each year. When the rain came, the people prepared tables of food in thanksgiving which became the annual celebration.

*The altar to St. Joseph, which highlights the La Tavolata di San Guiseppe (Saint Joseph Table dinner) at St. Joseph Church in Lodi (St. Joseph Society, Lodi).*

The largest tradition carried from the Sicilian ancestors connected to the Solemnity of Saint Joseph is setting up the elaborate table or altar overflowing with fish, pasta, pastries, eggs, fruit, and bread in symbolic shapes. No meat is allowed as Saint Joseph’s Day always falls during Lent. The altar is in the shape of a cross with three tiers to represent the Holy Trinity; a statue of St. Joseph is placed at the center of the top tier. People who can give, offer the food. After dismantling the food is given to those in need. The tradition is to honor the relief Saint Joseph provided during the famine in Sicily.

Although the tradition is still popular in New Orleans, as Italians migrated out of the area such as in Jersey City and Hoboken and other ethnic groups arrived, the devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholic communities has scaled down.

This year however, a handful of parishes in the Archdiocese are holding special Masses in honor of Saint Joseph. There is a nine-day novena, which began on March 10 and ends on March 18, leading up to the feast day. Participants of the novena include Immaculate Conception Church in Mahwah (March 10), the Adorno Fathers in Ramsey (March 11-12), Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Hoboken (March 13), Most Holy Name Church in Garfield (March 14, 16), Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City (March 15), and Saint Francis de Sales Church in Lodi (March 17-18).

And Saint Joseph Church in Lodi will continue the tradition of the Saint Joseph’s altar incorporated in Lodi when Saint Joseph Church was built in 1917. On Saturday, March 18, the parish is hosting a La Tavolata di San Guiseppe (Saint Joseph Table dinner) for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. The celebration is held in a nearby gymnasium with rows of tables filled with food, where attendees sit for dinner. At the front of the gym is an altar of St. Joseph on three levels of tables (representing the Holy Trinity) with food to be given away. A Solemn Mass will be held on Sunday, March 19, at 11 a.m.

St. Joseph Church in Jersey City will have a Triduum from March 17-20, with special prayers and a Mass. Instead of the altar, the distribution of blessed bread of Saint Joseph will be distributed on March 20.

Bishop Manuel Cruz, D.D., will celebrate Saint Joseph Mass at Saint Mary Church on March 20 in Nutley at 7 p.m.