On a St. Joseph Altar, the meaning is in the details.
The five red roses symbolize the five wounds of Christ. The two lambs represent Christ as the lamb of God. The twelve fish signifies the twelve apostles.
Then, there are the traditions. The lemons on the altar are for good luck and marriage. The Scillian tradition says that if a woman takes a lemon from a St. Joseph altar without anyone noticing, she will find a husband. The fava bean sits on the altar as a symbol of survival: the beans sustained Sicilians through a famine.
The Catholic tradition of honoring St. Joseph with an altar of food and prayer continues this year at three local churches. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Hahnville will bless its altar on March 15, with a viewing from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. On March 16, the church will host a viewing after each Mass until 5 p.m. There will be another viewing on March 19 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
St. Anthony of Padua in Luling will bless its altar on March 16 at noon. Viewing and meals will take place on March 16 from 12 p.m.-3 p.m.; March 17 and March 18 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; and March 19 from 6 a.m.-6 p.m., with meals from noon until food runs out.
This is the 10th year of a St. Joseph Altar at St. Charles Borromeo in Destrehan. The altar will include fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers, cookies, fish, and memorial cakes. A large St. Joseph statute adorns the altar as does a stained-glass window of St. Joseph. The church will also offer sacramentals, including rosaries, blessed candles, and blessed oil.
The church will bless its altar on March 16 at 8:45 a.m. with a viewing until 2 p.m. On March 19, the church will host a viewing of the altar from 8:45 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Mary Engler, the St. Joseph Altar Society coordinator at St. Charles Borromeo, said this year the altar will include a large digital picture frame that will show photos of deceased loved ones. Any visitor can upload a photograph to the frame using an app.
In the past, visitors have laid cakes on the altar in memory of loved ones who have passed. St. Joseph is the patron saint of the dying, Engler said.
Engler said every visitor to the altar gets a bag that includes a fava bean, three cookies and breads. The St. Joseph Altar Society has baked over 20,000 cookies so far.
“It’s a lot of work,” Engler said. “But it’s a lot of fun. I just feel that it ripples out so much farther and so much wider than even the work that we put into it.”
Engler said the tradition has been an evangelization.
“People have learned about the faith [through this tradition],” Engler said. “I’ve been so impressed with the catechism classes. They are looking for the items that they know should be on the altar – they look for the crown of thorns, the fish, the roses.”
For years, Engler has been making her own St. Joseph altar in her home. Her home altar inspired the church to start its own, with Engler in charge.
“St. Joseph has been a stalwart part of my life,” Engler said. “I pray to him every morning.”
When the St. Joseph Society gets together, they pray for the parish, families and deceased loved ones, Engler said.
“To me it’s just a way to spread the faith and honor St. Joseph,” Engler said.
