1. Faith & Values
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TUESDAY
MARCH 31, 2015 10
BY LORETTA JOINER
Contributing Writer
Creativity and symbols were every-
where at the St. Joseph’s Feast Day cel-
ebration at St. Helena Catholic Church
in Amite.
Church member Greg Esteven, who
is of Sicilian heritage, explained why
Sicilians started the traditions many
centuries ago and brought them to this
country.
A terrible famine had occurred on
Sicily due to drought, he related. The
drought ended when the people asked
St. Joseph to intercede for them to God.
In thanksgiving, they held a big feast in
St. Joseph’s honor.
Thus a tradition began of enjoying
the fruits of their labor and sharing
the food with those in need every year
around the time of St. Joseph’s Feast
Day, March 19.
A wide variety of dishes are prepared
for St. Joseph altars or “St. Joseph ta-
bles” as they are called in some parts of
the United States, but certain foods are
usually present.
There is no meat anywhere because
the altar is held during Lent, and ac-
cording to Esteven, there’s another rea-
son.
“During the drought, there was no
meat and even fish was scarce. The tra-
ditional meatless Milanese red sauce is
served over spaghetti,” he said. “A top-
ping mixture of bread crumbs and a
little sugar can be poured over the dish
which symbolizes sawdust which re-
minds us that Jesus and St. Joseph were
both carpenters.”
Tufa Tufa — The old Sicilian custom
of “Tufa Tufa” takes place before the
feast. It is based on the story of the Holy
Family being rejected time and time
again with no room at the inns.
Outside the building, the re-enactors
knock on the door and say, “We are way-
farers, and we are looking for something
to eat.”
On the third time, they are invited in-
side.
Fava Beans or Luck Beans — Little
bowls of dried dark brown fava beans
are called appropriately called lucky
beans because the Old World Sicilians
felt blessed or lucky to have them.
“Fava beans bring good luck,” Esteven
said. “Farmers grew fava bean plants
to feed to their mules, but during that
terrible drought the people themselves
were so desperate for food, they had to
resort to eating the fava beans them-
selves in order to survive.”
Ossi de Morte — Some people, how-
ever, starved. The slender brittle cookies
on the altar are called “ossi de morte,”
which means bones of the dead. They
are in remembrance of those who had
died.
Sculptures of Dough — Crucifixone
Pane Scala, Pinulati, Puppo Co Ova,
these breads are usually shaped into
symbols from the life of Christ such as
crosses, carpenter tools and even fish.
“Crucifixone Pane Scala” means the
ladder used to take Christ down from
the cross.
“Pinulati” in English means pine
cones; these are caramelized sticky
cookies that resemble a pine cone that
the child Jesus used to play with.
“Puppo Co Ova” is a Sicilian symbol
for the birth and resurrection of Christ.
This has a hard-boiled egg wrapped in
bread shaped to resemble a basket.
St. Joseph altar items symbolize events in life of Christ
Photos by Loretta Joiner
Relic guards Christy Rohner and Beverly Oubre make sure these historical relics
or their display case are only viewed, not touched, during the St. Joseph Altar at
St. Helena Catholic Church in Amite.
FEEDING THE MASSES — Laura
Costanza serves bread to Imelda Tra-
vis, church member from Greensburg.
In the background, Kathy Schilling
serves fellow parishioners during the
St. Joseph Altar at St. Helena Catholic
Church in Amite.
SYMBOLS — Bread is in the shapes
of hammer and nails of a carpenter,
Jesus’ hand with the nail wound, and
Jesus’ sandal.
BLESSING — Rev. Fr. Mark Beard of
St. Helena Catholic Church asks God
to bless all the food that will be shared
according to the Old World Sicilian tra-
dition.
St. Margaret Queen of Scot-
land Church of Albany held
its annual St. Joseph Altar on
March 14.
It began with the rosary in
church followed by the Vigil
Mass. Immediately following
was the St. Joseph Procession
with parishioners carrying a
statue of St. Joseph while cantor
Sarah Daugereaux sang a prayer
in Italian.
After the procession, everyone
prayed the St. Joseph Novena
prayers and the St. Joseph Lit-
any.
Father Jamin David, J.CL.
blessed the altar and children
representing the Holy Family,
also part of the procession, pre-
sented a brief skit, “Tupa, Tupa,”
(“Knock, Knock”).
They included Joey Cocchiola
(Jesus), Sarah Lambert (Mary)
and Cameron Carter (Joseph).
Youth Group member Hayley
Hanewinkel represented the
Innkeeper.
Adults represented the Saints:
Joseph Hanewinkel (Jesus),
Candace Orbeck (Mary), Vito
Tallia (Joseph), Theresa Chris-
tina (St. Margaret), Rodney Paul
Fontenot (St. Thomas), and
Frances Cicet (St. Lucy).
Each were introduced as a
scapular was placed on them
and their hands were washed.
Joseph Hanewinkel, portray-
ing Jesus, led all in the meal
prayer and sliced the first loaf of
bread.
Through the years St. Joseph
Altars have increased in size
and have become more elabo-
rate. The locals are invited and
the food is shared with the less
fortunate, home-bound, nursing
homes, war veteran homes, etc.
Today, St. Joseph devotees con-
tinue praying to God through
the intercession of St. Joseph for
their needs and promise to erect
an altar in St. Joseph’s honor for
favors granted.
Pastor Jamin David and
Chairpersons John and Mary
Gaeta thanked all for making the
altar so beautiful and meaning-
ful.
Ronnie Randazzo reconstruct-
ed the altar, making it three-
dimensional, and constructed
a metal framework which holds
the background cloth.
Pat Randazzo beautifully
decorated the background and
added special compliments to
the main altar and Saints’ Table.
The rich textures and hues of
royal blue and muted silver were
stunning, especially against the
altar elegantly draped in white
lace by ladies of the church,
John Gaeta said.
Susan Melancon’s addition of
fine table linen, accessories and
fresh flowers matching the color
scheme added the final compli-
ments.
Lucy Whiddon, food chairper-
son, led the baking and cooking,
using recipes from generations
past.
She is also skilled in making
the pupukolovas, small edible
pastries in various shapes that
represent the coming of Easter
and contain an Easter egg.
Lucie Hanewinkel made cos-
tumes for and helped with the
children who portrayed the Holy
Family.
Donna Dauterive, her mom
Jeanne Davis and family do-
nated and Barry Desselles made
some of the finest altar bread
in the shapes of hearts, crosses,
sandals,hammer,nails,wreaths,
lobsters, turtles and fish!
The three steps of a St. Jo-
seph Altar and palms branches
in groups of three represent
the Trinity (Father, Son & Holy
Spirit).
Many altars are in the shape
of a cross. Lamb cakes represent
the Lamb of God, the lambs sac-
rificed before Jesus sacrificed
himself.
Adults and youth participated
in the making of symbolic pas-
tries, large edible fig-filled pas-
tries which are made in shapes
of holy objects important to the
Holy Family and the church.
Participation is encouraged
in order to help perpetuate this
fine art.
Intricate patterns are skillfully
cut out of the dough exposing
the fig filling.
The shapes represented on the
St. Margaret altar include the
cross, staff, monstrance, chalice,
heart and dove.
Many others donated their
time, talents and labor of love.
About 20 men and women
baked several days to produced
the number of cookies needed to
feed the many guests, the home-
bound and others.
Some cooked spaghetti, made
sauce, fried fish, stuffed arti-
chokes and produced many
other kinds of savory food and
pastries, too many to name.
Love knows no boundaries as
shown by the many devotees of
St. Joseph who honor him and
give glory to God.
Information and photos
courtesy of John Gaeta.
St. Margaret’s community joins in St. Joseph altar tradition
Ronnie and Pat Randazzo
stand in front of the altar at
St. Margaret Queen of Scots
Catholic Church in Albany.
ALTAR — Breads elaborately fashioned in the shapes of religious symbols, numerous other foods
in religious shapes, statues, photos, pictures and other special artifacts fill the St. Joseph Altar
at St. Margaret Queen of Scots Catholic Church in Albany.
Through the years
St. Joseph Altars
have increased
in size and have
become more
elaborate. The locals
are invited and the
food is shared with
the less fortunate,
home-bound, nursing
homes, war veteran
homes, etc. Today,
St. Joseph devotees
continue praying
to God through the
intercession of St.
Joseph for their
needs and promise
to erect an altar in
St. Joseph’s honor
for favors granted.