New Orleanian creates virtual St. Joseph altar
by Dominic Massa / Eyewitness News

The creation of former New Orleanian Evann Duplantier, the virtual St. Joseph altar web site explains the history and rituals of the annual tradition, which lives on in New Orleans, thanks to the efforts of Italian-American families, churches, schools and other organizations. The largely Roman Catholic tradition (passed down through generations of Sicilians) includes setting up elaborate altars to St. Joseph, to give thanks for favors granted, or to ask for petitions to be heard.

As Duplantier's web site explains, during a terrible famine, the people of Sicily pleaded to St. Joseph, their patron saint, for relief. St. Joseph answered their prayers, and the famine ended. In gratitude, they prepared a table with foods they had harvested. After paying homage to St. Joseph, they distributed the food to the less fortunate. The tradition continues today, with hours of volunteer work going into the altar, including baking special cookies, breads and pastries, and cooking all of the food that goes onto the altar. Duplantier's web site includes the history of the St. Joseph altar tradition, a section for prayer offerings and petitions, photos of the traditional foods, and even a listing of several altars in the New Orleans area. Other locations can be found in the classified section of the daily newspaper, in the days leading up to March 19.

For more, visit www.thankevann.com/stjoseph/

This article appeared in papers in Honolulu, Hawaii; Austin, Texas; Biloxi, Mississippi; Metuchin, New Jersey; Rockville Centre, New York; and, Providence, Rhode Island.

Saint Joseph – Taken for Granted
by Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin

Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary, foster father of Jesus – what a tremendous role he played in the history of salvation, but how often he is forgotten.

Well, thanks to a dedicated Catholic, St. Joseph can be rediscovered or maybe revealed for the first time at http://www.politickles.com/thankevann.

Designed by a home schooling mother, this website is filled with tips, tricks, and techniques appropriate for all families. The site is called "Thank Evann," and the author hopes that we have something to be thankful for after visiting.

What especially caught my attention to this website was information about the St. Joseph Table, an Italian custom that we revitalized at Wadhams Hall Seminary a few years ago. There is even a blessing for this event in the official Book of Blessings. With origins in Sicily, the St. Joseph Table recalls a famine that ended upon petitions being made by the people to St. Joseph. In thanksgiving, they prepared a huge feast, gave thanks to St. Joseph, and then distributed the food to the poor.

This website not only has a fuller explanation, but an actual photograph of the table. Detailed directions for designing such a table for the home are provided. However, the most interesting part is a wide variety of recipes for the diverse foods traditionally served on this occasion. For those who want even more help in establishing this celebration, there is a reference book obtainable to purchase. You will notice that I mentioned the availablity of recipes. Most Italian cooks that I know are very reluctant to share recipes. So, we should be very grateful that these recipes are posted for the enjoyment of all.

The Feast of St. Joseph occurs on March 19 during Lent. All of the recipes are meatless, but all are very good. The recipes are the best of Italian cuisine and are probably items that one does not usually find in an Italian restaurant. Not only has the webmaster provided an abundance of recipes, but there are also links to quite a few other sites that explain the celebration and provide even more recipes. If you are looking for a way to celebrate St. Joseph, this is definitely the place to check out. This section of the website is called the "Virtual St. Joseph Altar." It is so well presented that readers will not be satisfied with virtual food, but will definitely want to make the virtual a reality.

Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday, French for "Fat Tuesday," has traditional Catholic roots. New Orleans gets all the publicity, but this is a feast rooted in Catholic tradition that can be celebrated in any home. King Cake seems to be the delicacy of choice. I won't spoil the surprise of letting the readers find for themselves the significance of King Cake. Suffice it to say that it is like a cinnamon roll, but there is something special inside.

Homes schoolers will find many interesting and valuable references. However, these references are not just for home schooling families. In this "goodies" section, I was able to find an abundance of information about science, art, an ever-expanding lisitng of textbooks, and religion projects to mention just a few.

This website is not overwhelming with resources, links, and pages. However, all the resources presented are nicely placed, easy to access, and worthy of a visit. As the webmaster hoped, we do have a reason to thank Evann.

Almsgiving, prayer and sacrifice: Home schooling families emphasize three works of Lent
by Jennifer Brinker, St. Louis Review Staff Writer

Lucy Hannegan believes it’s important that her six children know the three works of the Lenten season — almsgiving, prayer and sacrifice.

Hannegan is a home schooler and president of the St. Louis Catholic Home School Association. She, along with other Catholic families in the St. Louis Archdiocese, are incorporating activities into their lessons that teach their children the importance of the penitential season.

Many of Hannegan’s ideas come from The Year and Our Children, a book by Mary Reed Newland. “It’s outstanding — not just for Lent, but for all the (liturgical) seasons,” she said. Other resources for Hannegan include Around the Year With the Trapp Family, by Maria Augusta Trapp, and Celebrating the Faith in the Home by two home school mothers, Teresa Zepeda and Laurie Gill.

One tradition during Lent is reading the Stations of the Cross. Hannegan and her family use a homemade candelabra — and blow out a candle as each of the 14 stations are read.

?We really like the St. Alphonsus Liguori stations,? Hannegan said. ?The language is pretty in those. Eventually after the last station, we’re sitting in darkness. That’s really good for understanding that sin is darkness and that we need Christ to be the light on Easter.?

Hannegan, a member of St. Roch Parish in the West End, said her children, ranging in age from 11 to 18, have also in past years made charts to mark their progress of the 40 days of Lent.

?We make a big path on a piece of poster board and for each of the kids, they draw a zigzaggy path across (it),? Hannegan said. ?We section out 40 squares on the path, and then in each square we sit down and decide what would be a good penance on each day,? including no sweets, going without video games or doing a good deed.

As each day of Lent passes, the children would place a sticker or drawing on each square to mark their progression of the season. ?It’s so they could see the development of time,? Hannegan said. ?With little kids, it’s hard to have them understand that this is a 40-day retreat.?

The Hannegan family also places a focus on pretzels during Lent — a recipe that was instituted centuries ago during the Lenten season. The crossed arms of a twisted pretzel have come to signify arms crossed in prayer.

?We make the big soft ones,? she said. ?And then sometimes at Easter I would dip them in chocolate. And that was our culmination of Lent.?

Hannegan stresses that it is important to teach children the three works of Lent — almsgiving, prayer and sacrifice. ?The almsgiving is taken care (of) with the Rice Bowl,? a project of Catholic Relief Services in which money is collected for the needy.

Prayer, Hannegan said, is achieved through the Stations of the Cross and by trying to attend Mass daily. Sacrifice happens through being kind toward one another. ?That can be a big sacrifice,? she noted.

Evann Duplantier is another home school mother who offers her children activities to remember the importance of Lent.

For Lent, Duplantier has organized with her six children, ranging in age from a year-and-a-half to 14 years old, a St. Joseph altar, a Sicilian tradition.

On the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, families and churches set up large altars with a statue of the saint and meatless food placed on it. Photos of deceased loved ones also are placed on the altar in remembrance.

The story goes that during a terrible famine, the people of Sicily prayed to St. Joseph, their patron saint, for relief. St. Joseph answered their prayers, and the famine ended.

In gratitude to their patron, the Sicilians prepared a table with foods they had harvested. After praying in thanksgiving to St. Joseph, they gave the food to the needy.

Duplantier recalled having seen the tradition growing up in New Orleans.

?They’re a work of art,? she said. ?Crowds of people go to see them. When I was little, my grandmother used to take me to these altars, and it was a big deal.?

In the past, Duplantier has created a St. Joseph altar with her children and other families in the St. Louis Catholic Home School Association. More recently, she, along with her oldest child, Maria, have made a virtual altar on the Internet at www.thankevann.com/stjoseph. The Web site offers historical information, a place for prayer requests, links to information on St. Joseph and the opportunity to make a virtual offering.

Lent, Duplantier said, is ?not just a dull, boring time where (you) have to give things up.? The idea is to ?add to what you’re doing — maybe do some extra reading and good works for people.

“It’s not just what are you going to give up, but what are you going to do. How can you do something better for somebody else ... or yourself? That’s what we shoot for.”