Newsletter Archives -- Liturgical Year:

Viva San Giuseppe!

by Evann Duplantier

The penitential nature of Lent makes finding inspirational family activities somewhat difficult. Forty days is a very long time to the smaller members of the household. One bright spot in our Lenten journey is the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph. In the tradition of the St. Joseph Altars of New Orleans, we prepare our own small Altar on our dining room table in honor of St. Joseph for his feast day each year.

The St. Joseph Altar is Sicilian in origin. 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 Altar is set up in three tiers, representing the Holy Trinity. A statue of St. Joseph is placed on the top tier, usually surrounded by flowers, greenery & fruit.

No meat is prepared for the Altar. This is probably because St. Joseph’s Feast falls in the Lenten Season and also because meat was a rarity to the Sicilian peasants. Breads, cakes and cookies, baked in symbolic Christian shapes, are prepared for artistic placement on the Altar. Pastries in the shapes of monstrances, chalices, crosses, doves, lambs, fish, bibles, hearts, wreaths and palms adorn the tiers of the Altar. Symbols of St. Joseph - such as lilies, staffs, sandals, ladders, saws, hammers and nails - are also used. There is symbolism in many of the items on the Altar. Breadcrumbs represent the sawdust of St. Joseph the Carpenter. Twelve whole fish represent the apostles. Wine is symbolic of the Miracle at Cana.

The Altar is a medium of petition and thanksgiving. Petitions of the faithful are written on pieces of paper and placed in baskets on the Altar. Photos of deceased relatives & friends may decorate the Altar as well.

As with any tradition, our St. Joseph Altar has evolved and gathered life from each member of our family. Certain children have certain cookies or cakes they prepare each year. In addition to our traditional dining room table Altar, we now have the first and only interactive St. Joseph Altar on the world wide web – The Virtual St. Joseph Altar. A few adaptations have been made, but the Virtual Altar still offers many of the basics, not to mention a clean kitchen.

St. Joseph is our good friend. He has answered our prayers many times and I am confident that he will continue to do so. Viva San Giuseppe!

For more information on the St. Joseph Altar tradition visit the Virtual St. Joseph Altar.

A King Cake for Twelfth Night

by Evann Duplantier

The Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night, is celebrated on January 6 marking the arrival of the Three Kings at the birthplace of Our Savior. The king cake, baked in honor of the Magi, is traced back to several different cultures.

In Latin America a figure representing the Christ Child is placed inside the cake. Other cultures bake a coin, pea, or bean into the cake. In medieval France the finder of the coin was to make a donation to a worthy cause. In other parts of Europe, finding the pea or bean meant you were king or queen for a day.

In New Orleans, where bakeries sell an average of four to five thousand cakes each day during the Carnival season, the person who finds the “baby” has to host the next king cake party.

The cake itself is like a sweet bread, or brioche, decorated with bands of purple, green, and gold colored sugar. Today’s cakes range from the simple iced versions to the extravagant fruit or cream cheese filled varieties. Traditionally served on Epiphany to family and friends, today the cake is served throughout the “Epiphany season,” or until Mardi Gras.

Evann Duplantier is a homeschooling mother of six, and a native New Orleanian.

KING CAKE RECIPE:
1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
6 tablespoons milk, scalded & cooled
4 cups sifted flour
melted butter
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs (reduce if eggs are x-large)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk & enough flour, about 1/2 cup, to make a soft dough. In another bowl, combine butter, sugar, salt & eggs with electric mixer. Remove from mixer & add soft ball of yeast dough. Mix thoroughly. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups flour to make medium dough that is neither too soft nor too stiff. Place in a greased bowl & brush top of dough with butter. Cover with a damp cloth & set aside till doubled in bulk, about 3 hours. Use remaining 1 cup flour to knead dough into oval ring shape. The center should be about 7 x 12 inches. Connect ends of dough by dampening with water. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. A bean or one-inch plastic baby may be placed in the cake at this time.

Bake in 325 degree oven for 35-45 minutes or until lightly browned. Drizzle top of cake with white glaze icing (melted tub icing works fine) and alternate bands of purple, green and gold color sugar. (Color sugar by adding a few drops of food coloring & shake in tightly covered container until desired color is achieved.)

Skip the baking – order a king cake from www.haydelbakery.com or www.gambinos.com.