The silence of Saint Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known [...]]]>

The silence of Saint Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of the adoration of His holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his “father” Joseph that Jesus learned — at the human level — that steadfast interiority which is a presupposition of authentic justice…. Let us allow ourselves to be “filled” with Saint Joseph’s silence! In a world that is often too noisy, that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God’s voice.

– Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus, December 18, 2005

A Happy St. Joseph Day to all!

This post is part of the 1st Annual St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest. To be included, make a blog post about your St. Joseph Altar, including details and pics, then link it here. Linking begins today and continues till the end of March.

Viva [...]]]>

A Happy St. Joseph Day to all!

This post is part of the 1st Annual St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest. To be included, make a blog post about your St. Joseph Altar, including details and pics, then link it here. Linking begins today and continues till the end of March.

Viva San Guiseppe!

For the past several years, we’ve used our upright piano as the base for our Altar. It is centrally located in our dining room.

I added a couple of sturdy boxes, turned upside down, to get more levels. Crozet generously donated his school desk for the front extension.

Here is our finished Altar:

7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph — #6

This is another invitation to join in the fun. Make a post about your St. Joseph Altar, hopefully with pics, and [...]]]>
1st Annual St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest
March is the Month of St. Joseph and the ultimate way to give honor to St. Joseph is with your very own St. Joseph Altar.

This is another invitation to join in the fun. Make a post about your St. Joseph Altar, hopefully with pics, and head to the Virtual St. Joseph Altar Blog to link your St. Joseph Altar post with all the others. Linking will begin on March 19 and continue till the end of March

Be sure to check out all the great Catholic blog posts at this week’s Sunday Snippets–A Catholic Carnival. This is a weekly opportunity to share our best posts with the wider Catholic blogging community. Join in the fun! Visit the host blog for details.

I always figured folks would immediately get the connection, but I just realized, thanks to Lacy, that it really might not be that obvious. I must also thank Lacy for inspiring me to do this St. Joseph [...]]]>
First off, I have a confession to make: I am the Virtual St. Joseph Altar lady!

I always figured folks would immediately get the connection, but I just realized, thanks to Lacy, that it really might not be that obvious. I must also thank Lacy for inspiring me to do this St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest. I just participated in Lacy’s Catholic Icing Lent Link-Up which was lots of fun and gave me the idea for this Altar link-up.

So, on to the 1st Annual St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest. I know I have inspired some folks out their to start their own home altars for the Feast of St. Joseph, and I’ve made lots of friends in the process. Now I want to get more folks involved, and you can help. The Altar Fest will be a fun way for us to see what others are doing and share good ideas for next year. Grab this nifty button to promote the fest on your blog!

March is the Month of St. Joseph and the ultimate way to give honor to St. Joseph is with your very own St. Joseph Altar. For details, head to the Virtual St. Joseph Altar Blog. Linking will begin on March 19 and continue till the end of March.

It’s time to share all our Lenten posts in Catholic Icing’s Lent Link-Up.

Head over to Catholic Icing and enter your link, or links, about lent. Be sure to link to the actual post. Then, link back to the Lent Link-Up in your post. Be sure to spend some time visitng all the [...]]]>

It’s time to share all our Lenten posts in Catholic Icing’s Lent Link-Up.

Head over to Catholic Icing and enter your link, or links, about lent. Be sure to link to the actual post. Then, link back to the Lent Link-Up in your post. Be sure to spend some time visitng all the great posts.

I’ve compiled all my favorite Lenten posts into this one post. Enjoy!

Celebrating St. Joseph

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.

In 1999 I created the first and only online, interactive St. Joseph Altar – 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.

I invite you to visit the Altar and learn more about this tradition. Add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, or make a special prayer request. You’ll find history, recipes, altar photos, images of St. Joseph, and much more. Don’t miss the 3D cut and color mini St. Joseph Altar on the craft page. Enjoy, and Viva San Guiseppe!

Here are some other things that keep us busy during the season of Lent:

Chocolate Crown of Thorns

Stations of the Cross votive project

40 Bags in 40 Days

Our Lenten Lapbooks

Our projects for Holy Week 2009

Face to face with Christ

A very special Lenten project of mine is the Virtual St, Joseph Altar. The [...]]]> This week I wrote a book review on Praying with the Saints for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. This little book will will inspire you to join your prayers with those of the saints and become an “Apostle of Purgatory.”

A very special Lenten project of mine is the Virtual St, Joseph Altar. The Altar is open now through the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph. Visit the Altar and make your virtual offerings, add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, there is even a place for special prayer requests. There’s lot more to keep you busy: prayers, history, recipes, photos, special links, and more. Stop by the blog, and don’t miss the mini 3d Virtual St. Joseph’s Altar craft.

Be sure to check out all the great Catholic blog posts at this week’s Sunday Snippets–A Catholic Carnival. This is a weekly opportunity to share our best posts with the wider Catholic blogging community. Join in the fun! Visit the host blog for details.

The Virtual St, Joseph Altar is open now through the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.

Visit the Altar and make your virtual offerings, add deceased loved ones [...]]]>
In the tradition of the Sicilian St. Joseph Altars of New Orleans, the Virtual St. Joseph Altar made its online debut in February of 1999.

The Virtual St, Joseph Altar is open now through the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph.

Visit the Altar and make your virtual offerings, add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, there is even a place for special prayer requests. There’s lot more to keep you busy: prayers, history, recipes, photos, special links, and more. Stop by the blog, and don’t miss the mini 3d Virtual St. Joseph’s Altar craft.

Because of the continued prayers & support of so many, the Altar gets bigger and better each year!

Thank you for helping to spread devotion to St. Joseph & Viva San Guiseppe!

Evann Duplantier
Virtual St. Joseph Altar

Although the 7 Sorrows and 7 Joys of St. Joseph devotion can be done anytime, one of the more traditional times to start is seven Sundays before the March 19 Feast of St. Joseph, and that is today!

The intercession of St. Joseph is sought in all sorts of family matters, including the sale of a home. It is now a popular belief that burying a St. Joseph statue on your property can help [...]]]>

St. Joseph, My Real Estate Agent
by Stephen J. Binz
Servant Books ©2003
ISBN 1-56955-361-0

The intercession of St. Joseph is sought in all sorts of family matters, including the sale of a home. It is now a popular belief that burying a St. Joseph statue on your property can help you in the sale of your house. As webmaster of the Virtual St. Joseph Altar, I get many questions about burying St. Joseph. It was my hope that St. Joseph, My Real Estate Agent would shed a bit more light on this increasingly popular practice.

Author Stephen J. Binz presents a light and sometimes personal look at the life of St. Joseph. Although not much is actually known or written about St. Joseph, Binz, a Catholic biblical scholar, brings the reader to the town of Nazareth where he explores the details of the daily life of the foster-father of Jesus. St. Joseph becomes your friend as his life as a carpenter, husband, and father unfolds. The author shares with the reader his own personal journey towards true devotion to St. Joseph.

Only a small portion of the book delves into the actual practice of burying a statue of St. Joseph. Binz rightly encourages the reader to get to know St. Joseph and cultivate a friendship with him. This is not a superstitious ritual and it must be approached with faith and sincerity. In fact, you don’t even need to bury the statue. At the back of the book there is a section of prayers which includes: a prayer service for the burial of a St. Joseph statue; blessing a home; a spouse’s prayer; a parent’s prayer; and a prayer for daily work.

Binz confirms that the statue burying ritual has no endorsement by the Church and no one knows how or where it began, but I have my own theory. The tradition may have began hundreds of years ago during the time when St.Teresa of Avila was opening Carmelite Convents throughout Europe. Taking only the bare necessities and their statue of St. Joseph, her nuns would set out in search of land or buildings suitable for a new convent. St. Teresa of Avila always encouraged her nuns to pray to St. Joseph. It is believed that, on one particular search, the nuns found a piece of property perfect for their needs. Having no money, the nuns immediately started to petition St. Joseph for the funds needed to buy the property. In the meantime, having no place to stay, the nuns decided to bury their statue of St. Joseph on the property so he would not get stolen or broken. After the nuns prayed to St. Joseph, someone purchased the land and built them a convent. When it was finished, the sisters dug up the statue and built a beautiful shrine inside in honor of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph’s popularity is on the rise and not just because of his so-called home selling skills. Binz states:

. . . Our society has been described as father-hungry. We have too many absent fathers, deadbeat dads, daughters without fathers to encourage them, and sons without dads to look up to. . . . For the father-hungry people of the world, for the million deprived of a healthy, fulfilling relationship with a father, Joseph is an ideal foster father. When we need the attention that only a father can give, the man that Jesus called Dad is ready to listen.

St. Joseph is a saint for today. Seek his intercession and you will be pleasantly surprised. When asking for the intercession of St Joseph to sell your home, the emphasis should properly be placed on our belief in the communion of the Saints and our desire to do all things according to the will of God.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on St. Joseph, My Real Estate Agent.

Happy Saint Joseph the Worker Feast Day. St. Joseph rates two special days in the Church year: The Feast of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary — March 19, Solemnity, and The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker — May 1, Memorial. Pope Pius XII instituted today’s Feast in 1955.

Daily Prayer to Saint Joseph, the Worker

Glorious Saint Joseph,
pattern of all who are devoted to toil,
obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance,
in order thereby to atone for my many sins;
to work conscientiously, putting devotion to duty
before my own inclinations;
to work with thankfulness and joy,
deeming it an honor to employ and to develop,
by my labor, the gifts I have received from Almighty God;
to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience,
without ever shrinking from weariness and difficulties;
to work, above all, with pure intention
and with a spirit of detachment from self,
having always before my eyes the hour of death
and the accounting which I must then render
of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone,
and of my empty pride in success,
which is so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus,
all through Mary,
all in imitation of thee,
O Blessed Joseph!
This shall be my motto in life and in death.
Amen.

Pope Benedict reflects on St. Joseph Excerpted from an address Benedict XVI delivered yesterday at the Basilica of Mary Queen of the Apostles in Cameroon:

Speaking to the crowd and to his disciples, Jesus declared: “You have only one Father” [...]]]> A happy and blessed feast day to all! Viva San Giuseppe!

Pope Benedict reflects on St. Joseph
Excerpted from an address Benedict XVI delivered yesterday at the Basilica of Mary Queen of the Apostles in Cameroon:

Speaking to the crowd and to his disciples, Jesus declared: “You have only one Father” (Mt 23:9). There is but one fatherhood, that of God the Father, the one Creator of the world, “of all that is seen and unseen”. Yet man, created in the image of God, has been granted a share in this one paternity of God (cf. Eph 3:15). Saint Joseph is a striking case of this, since he is a father, without fatherhood according to the flesh. He is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely. To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. Saint Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails. He had to settle far from his native town. His only reward was to be with Christ. His readiness to do all these things illustrates the words of Saint Paul: “It is Christ the Lord whom you serve” (Col 3:24).

What is important is not to be a useless servant, but rather a “faithful and wise servant”. The pairing of the two adjectives is not by chance. It suggests that understanding without fidelity, and fidelity without wisdom, are insufficient. One quality alone, without the other, would not enable us to assume fully the responsibility which God entrusts to us.

The life of Saint Joseph, lived in obedience to God’s word, is an eloquent sign for all the disciples of Jesus who seek the unity of the Church. His example helps us to understand that it is only by complete submission to the will of God that we become effective workers in the service of his plan to gather together all mankind into one family, one assembly, one “ecclesia”. Dear friends from other Christian confessions, this quest for unity among the disciples of Christ represents a great challenge for us. It leads us first of all to be converted to the Person of Christ, to let ourselves be drawn more and more to him. In him, we are called to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. During this year dedicated to the Apostle Paul, the great herald of Jesus Christ and the Apostle of the Nations, let us all turn towards him so as to hear and learn “the faith and truth” which are the deepest reasons for the unity of Christ’s disciples.

full text

I invite you all to visit the Altar and make a virtual offering. You can also add the names of deceased loved ones to the [...]]]>

Tomorrow, March 19, is the Feast of St. Joseph. I have a special devotion to St. Joseph and ten years ago I began the Virtual St. Joseph Altar.

I invite you all to visit the Altar and make a virtual offering. You can also add the names of deceased loved ones to the prayer list. Other prayer intentions can be posted on the message board. Other pages of the site include the history of St. Joseph Altars, prayers, photos, recipes, and more.

Head over to the Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog for news, events, and updates on St. Joseph Altars. Enter the ebook giveaway – last one for this year! Winner will be announced tomorrow.

New this year on the coloring page is the cut & color mini St. Joseph Altar. A great way to teach children about the St. Joseph Altar tradition.

Virtual offerings and prayer listings will only be accepted until 10 pm tomorrow evening. The rest of the site remains open year long.

Viva San Giuseppe!

With over 40 pages of recipes, stories of faith, Altar background, and history, this little out of print booklet is a handy reference for anyone setting up a St. Joseph [...]]]>

Head over to my Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog to enter the latestViva San Giuseppe: A Guide For St. Joseph Altars e-book giveaway.

With over 40 pages of recipes, stories of faith, Altar background, and history, this little out of print booklet is a handy reference for anyone setting up a St. Joseph Altar.

The ebook is also my gift to those who make donations of $25 or more to the Virtual St. Joseph Altar.

Homeschool mom honors saint with ‘virtual’ altar by Jennifer Brinker, Review Staff Writer For Evann Duplantier, creating an altar in honor of the feast of St. Joseph on March 19 is a “labor of love.” read the entire [...]]]> My Virtual St. Joseph Altar is featured in this week’s St. Louis Review:

Homeschool mom honors saint with ‘virtual’ altar
by Jennifer Brinker, Review Staff Writer
For Evann Duplantier, creating an altar in honor of the feast of St. Joseph on March 19 is a “labor of love.” read the entire article

I will also post the novena daily at the Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog.

This is an idea I have had for almost two years. Many thanks to Isabel and Maxine for helping me get it done, and just in time for the 2009 Feast of St. Joseph!

Send me a [...]]]>

Make your own mini 3d Virtual St. Joseph’s Altar. Complete instructions included on the pdf download.

This is an idea I have had for almost two years. Many thanks to Isabel and Maxine for helping me get it done, and just in time for the 2009 Feast of St. Joseph!

Send me a photo of your 3d Altar and I will post it on the Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog.

Visit the Altar to make your virtual offering, add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, or for special prayer requests visit the message board.

Be sure to visit the Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog.

Because of your continued prayers & support, the Altar [...]]]>

The 2009 Virtual St. Joseph Altar is now open!

Visit the Altar to make your virtual offering, add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, or for special prayer requests visit the message board.

Be sure to visit the Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog.

Because of your continued prayers & support, the Altar gets bigger and better each year!

Thank you for helping to spread devotion to St. Joseph & Viva San Guiseppe!

The penitential nature of Lent makes finding inspirational family activities [...]]]> The March 19 Feast of St. Joseph is just over one month away. Why talk about a feast day so far in advance? Well, if you are going to set up a St. Joseph Altar, you’ll need to do some planning, and some research.

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 Sicilian 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 Altar is a medium of petition and thanksgiving.

In 1999, I started the Virtual St. Joseph Altar to make this wonderful Sicilian/New Orleans tradition available to everyone. The goal of the Virtual Altar is not to replace the traditional Altars, but to encourage them. To learn more about the St. Joseph Altar tradition visit The Virtual St. Joseph Altar. You’ll find history, prayers, photos, recipes, coloring pages, and more!

At the Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog, I’m holding an e-book giveaway. With over 40 pages of recipes, stories of faith, Altar background, and history, Viva San Giuseppe: A Guide For St. Joseph Altars is a handy reference for anyone setting up a St. Joseph Altar. Winner will be announced on February 19!

So, get ready and Viva San Giuseppe!

With over 40 pages of recipes, stories of faith, Altar background, and history, this little out of print booklet is a handy reference for anyone setting up a St. Joseph [...]]]>

Head over to my Virtual St. Joseph Altar blog and enter the Viva San Giuseppe: A Guide For St. Joseph Altars e-book giveaway.

With over 40 pages of recipes, stories of faith, Altar background, and history, this little out of print booklet is a handy reference for anyone setting up a St. Joseph Altar.