Feast Day: St. Joseph ... otherwise known as ...

... the saint I forgot but have now found!

It's funny: I'm a cradle-Catholic from a fairly Catholic family; we celebrated feasts and the liturgical calendar; we lit candles at Advent and avoided desserts during Lent. But somehow, we never really did much for St. Joseph. Our grammar school was run by Sisters of St. Joseph, so we did have our school/parish festival on St. Joseph's Day ... but honestly, that's all I can remember!

But this year is different. Worrying about the house not selling in Colorado (yep, it's still available if you want it!), worrying about dh worrying about the house, discerning what we should do .... and on and on ... has been a blessing in many ways: I'm praying much more and have really discovered a strong devotion to St. Joseph, the patron of everything and anything.

Often, when you have trouble selling a house,folks will suggest burying a St. Joseph in the front yard. This is not the St. Joseph to whom I've found a devotion, the St. Joseph of superstition and magic.

The St. Joseph to whom I have a new-found devotion is the one that is described by St. Bernard of Clairvaux:

"There are some saints who have the power of protecting in certain specific circumstances; but St. Joseph has been granted the power to help us in every
kind of need, and to defend all who have recourse to him with pious
dispositions."

St. Teresa of Avila is even more specific: "to other saints our Lord has given power to help in one sort of need, but this glorious saint helps us in EVERY need."

How cool is that ... a saint who is second only to our Blessed Mother in closeness to Jesus and thus, God; a saint who wants to help us and only needs to be petitioned!

We've been praying the St. Joseph Novena to petition the good saint for help with our house in Colorado and discerning God's will. One part of the prayers is particularly apropos for us now: obtain for me a pure, humble, charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine will. Wonderful stuff!

I particularly like this image of St. Joseph ... the father working hard while his son sits and chats and learns. When I see this, I think of my own dh gardening or working on the car and the boys sitting and talking with him, learning from him. And learning more than just a skill ... learning how to be an adult and how to love. Georges de La Tour (1593 - 1652) painted this painting titled, St. Joseph the Carpenter.
Here's the St. Joseph Litany we prayed at the end of Mass:

V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Jesus, hear us. R/ Jesus, graciously hear us.
V/ God, the Father of Heaven, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Holy Spirit, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ Holy Trinity, One God, R/ have mercy on us.

R/for ff: pray for us.
Holy Mary,

St. Joseph,

Renowned offspring of David,

Light of Patriarchs,

Spouse of the Mother of God,

Chaste guardian of the Virgin,

Foster father of the Son of God,

Diligent protector of Christ,

Head of the Holy Family,

Joseph most just,

Joseph most chaste,

Joseph most prudent,

Joseph most strong,

Joseph most obedient,

Joseph most faithful,

Mirror of patience,

Lover of poverty,

Model of artisans,

Glory of home life,

Guardian of virgins,

Pillar of families,

Solace of the wretched,

Hope of the sick,

Patron of the dying,

Terror of demons,

Protector of Holy Church,

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R/ spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, R/ graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world. R/ have mercy on us.
He made him the lord of his household. R/ And prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever. R/ Amen.

Can you see why I'm enthralled with this quiet saint about whom little is known? As Fr. Z. said at Mass today, Joseph was silent only when he needed to listen; he talked when it was necessary. A distinction I need to practice more!

So what did we do today to celebrate this wonderful feast in the Liturgical Calendar? Had a great time learning about St. Joseph through reading and discussing the wonderful meditations in this month's Magnificat. After, we each did a different craft ... String Bean did a "virtual St. Joseph altar" by coloring, cutting-out and pasting the pieces to cardstock; Bam-Bam colored a glorious picture of Joseph holding the infant Jesus; Lego-Maniac wood-burned a picture of St. Joseph while I did a shrinky dink plaque (see the beginning of this post).

Then we ran errands, including stopping at the Lego store to purchase more bricks so the kids could be "carpenters" while we watched another couple of episodes of The Adams Chronicles. Dinner was a veritable feast of St. Joseph inspired items:

• boneless-skinless chicken breasts marinated in italian dressing
• garlic-butter breadsticks (that looked like Joseph's staff) -- see recipe below
• salad with Italian dressing
• shell-pasta with butter and garlic
• Fritelle di San Guiseppe -- see recipe below

After dinner, we sat and watched the classic The Dog of Flanders, a great movie with a strong parental character, a "not sure he wants to be a father" paternal figure and a few grumpy men who should NEVER be fathers!

St. Joseph, Protector of the Holy Family, pray for us!

Recipes:

St. Joseph's Staffs (garlic butter breadsticks)

1 tbs yeast
1 1/3 c. Warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
3 tbs Vegetable oil
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups All-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. honey

Dissolve yeast in warm water in 2 1/2 quart bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the oil, honey and 1 teaspoon salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, scraping dough from side of bowl, until soft dough forms. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir down dough by beating about 25 strokes. Turn dough onto generously floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour. Divide into 18 equal parts. Roll and shape each part dough into a rope, about 9 inches long, sprinkling with flour if dough is too sticky. Place on greased cookie sheet. When baking, bake until crust is deep golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Store loosely covered.
Garlic-butter: while sticks are still hot, brush with mixture of 1/4cup melted butter, a minced clove of garlic, and 1 tsp dried parsley.

Frittele di San Guiseppe (from Evelyn Birge Vitz’s A Continual Feast) -- St. Joseph Fritters

2-1/4 cups milk
1 cup rice (I used brown)
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbls flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbs fruit brandy (optional – I didn’t use)
Grated rind of 1 large orange
1/2 cup golden raisins (original called for just 3 tbls)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (called for pine nuts, but I used chopped pecans; original called for just 3 tbls)

Oil for frying; powdered sugar for dusting fritters

The night before or very early on St. Joseph’s day: bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice, salt, vanilla and sugar. Cover the pan and simmer gently until rice is cooked and the milk absorbed – about 30-45 minutes. Let the rice cool overnight or for several hours.

Mix the cooled rice with the eggs, flour, baking powder, orange rind, raisins and nuts.

Heat oil to 375 for deep-fat frying. Drop the frittellle mixture 1 tbls at a time into the oil. Cook a few at a time, keeping the frittelle separate. Fry till golden.

Drain on a paper towel. Serve hot, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Both of these recipes are definite keepers -- good thing St. Joseph has another feast in the calendar -- St. Joseph the Worker on May 1st!

Feast Day: St. Patrick's Day ...

St. Patrick's Prayer, also known as, "St. Patrick's Breastplate"

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the belief in the threeness,

Through the confession of the oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.
I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,

Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,

Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,

Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.
I arise today

Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs,

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of holy virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.
I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of sun,Radiance of moon,Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,Swiftness of wind,Depth of sea,

Stability of earth,Firmness of rock.
I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to save me

From snares of demons,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who shall wish me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ to shield me today

Against poison,

against burning,

Against drowning,

against wounding,

So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,Through confession of the oneness,Of the Creator of Creation

Amen!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all .... we've actually been enjoying the great Saint's feast for the past few days. We started Saturday with:

the parade in Manassas.

And, man, was it cold for March 14th (somewhere round about hi-30s)!

The Young Marines marched and looked wonderful -- LegoManiac, being one of the height-challenged boys, is in the very back of the group, but he didn't mind one bit!

We also watched the others prance, dance and drive past: Irish dancers, wolfhounds and even

the good Saint himself!

We then came home (mostly to warm up!) and the kids watched one of their favorite Irish movies, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, a classic story of the big bad American coming to Ireland to capitalize on the pristine beauty only to find more than he bargained for! Great stuff. They followed that with Darby O'Gill (a classic when I was little; that young Sean Connery is a joy to behold). Tonight, they'll watch The Quiet Man, while I head out for a theology lecture at dh's high school.

For dinner, I'm making this amazing Irish Beef and Guiness Stew from Jessica on Catholic Cuisine. If the smell is any indicator, this stuff is going to be great! I've also made two loaves of cranberry soda bread that is always a big hit and with a salad, we should have a really great meal.

We've also been talking lots about the saint and what he did to help spread the gospel throughout Ireland. Much of his life is shaded in myth, but there are bits that are true -- primarily that he evangelized the faith to a country that stayed Catholic through the Reformation and beyond, bringing their strong faith to the new world as they emigrated from their homeland! It's said that on St. Patrick's Day, everyone is Irish -- but we truly are and we're very proud of that fact!

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Recipes:

Irish Beef and Guiness Stew (Jessica on Catholic Cuisine)

Ingredients:
· 2 pounds lean beef stew meat
· 3 tbs vegetable oil, divided
· 2 tbs all-purpose flour
· salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
· 1 pinch cayenne pepper
· 2 large onions, chopped
· 1 clove garlic, crushed
· 2 tbs tomato paste
· 1 1/2 cups Guiness stout beer (or other Irish Stout)
· 2 cups carrot, cut into chunks
· 1 sprig fresh thyme
· 1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:Trim the meat of any fat, cut into 2 inch cubes, and toss them in a bowl with 1 tbs of the vegetable oil. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Toss the meat in the mixture to coat.Heat the remaining oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions and crushed garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water (to dilute); pour into the pan, stir to blend, cover and cook gently (reduce heat if necessary) for about 5 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.Yields: Six to Eight Servings

[NOTE: I added 3 potatoes, cleaned and chopped up as what's Irish Stew without potatoes!]

Cranberry Soda Bread -- If you're not already a fan of soda bread, you will be after you've tried this variation. To achieve the right texture, you should cool it before serving.

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal. Measure the oats into a bowl, then stir in the buttermilk, honey, and oil. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and make a well in the middle. Pour the liquid into it and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls together in a shaggy mass. Let the dough rest for 3 minutes. Turn it onto a floured surface and gently knead the dough for about 30 seconds. Next, divide it in half and form each half into a football shape with rounded ends. Place the loaves on the baking sheet with plenty of room between them and cut a shallow slit down the center of each. Bake the bread for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake another 25 minutes, or until the loaves are golden and crusty and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Cool before serving. Makes 2 loaves.

Feast: St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) -- what a wonderful role model. She stood up for what was right, regardless of the mores of the day. At 18, she became a third-order Dominican (which means she remained a laywoman, but lived the life of a Dominican) even though her family really wanted her to get married. She talked the Pope into coming back to Rome from France. She is one of the few female "doctors of the Church" which means that the Roman Catholic Church has determined that her writings are inspired by the Holy Spirit and thus worthy of study. Here's one of her pithy (and quite deep) quotes:

Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does
nothing without this goal in mind.

Since Kotch is named for St. Catherine, we get to party tonight. But since Kotch is more Irish/German than Italian, she has chosen potato pancakes with applesauce for dinner!

St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church, please pray for us!