St. Joseph's Table

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the primarily Catholic holiday of St. Joseph's Table. The paper describes the various customs involved in celebrating this day and elaborates on them, stipulating the customs that are unique to different communities. The history of St. Joseph's Table is presented in the paper, including its introduction to the United States in the late 19th century.

From the Paper:

"St. Joseph is also honored as the patron saint of the poor and desperate and it is in this role we find the custom of St. Joseph's Table, which is an elaborate, meatless and literal feast. St. Joseph, in his many protector roles, is primarily honored in ethnic groups which follow Catholicism, although his day, March 19th is also recognized in the liturgical calendar of the Episcopalian church. The groups that celebrate with a St. Joseph's Table include Sicilians, Italians, in general, Poles and occasionally Irish. Apparently, just being Catholic doesn't necessarily include following the tradition of St. Joseph's Table."

More papers on St. Joseph's Table:

• Essay # 31602 : "St. Joseph's Health Centre - a Toronto Institution."
• Comparison Essay # 86478 : "Odysseus, Joseph, and Gilgamesh"
• Analytical Essay # 123514 : "Joseph McCarthy and the Cold War"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: