When I was in graduate school my roommates and I faced a conundrum - should we host a party for the feast day of St. Patrick or for the Solemnity of St. Joseph? We had a one very Irish roommate and one very Italian roommate. There were so many traditions to choose from. Rather than choosing one great saint or the other we elected to choose both and make a new tradition - the great and celebrated Pat and Joe Party. 

There are obviously many great (and questionable) traditions associated with the celebration of the beloved patron of Ireland. There are also many great traditions (especially from Italy) of how to celebrate the foster father of Our Lord. We decided to blend the two together. In our basement we constructed a beautiful St. Joseph altar, an Italian tradition where loaves of bread and flowers are placed on a home altar with a statue of St. Joseph and shared with family, friends, and neighbors. I made homemade Irish cream and a Guinness chocolate cake. There was also Irish beef stew (because as someone who studied abroad in Ireland I found that corned beef and cabbage is actually not that common in the Emerald Isle). We printed out and framed a nice image of St. Patrick and put it in a place of honor. We prayed the litany of St. Joseph and the Breastplate of St. Patrick by our altar which was followed by much feasting and some dancing to Irish jigs. 

I share this in an effort to inspire you and your family and friends to find a way to express not only a cultural pride if you be Irish or Italian, but also to unite a cultural pride to authenthic Catholic identity. These great saints deserved not only to be celebrated with treats or alcoholic beverages (which are, of course, encouraged in moderation), but also with prayer, with going to Mass, and with truly remembering why they are worthy of our admiration. 

St. Patrick was a man who though he was made a slave and spent years away from all he knew, after escaping slavery he returned to the place of his enslavement to preach Christ to the Irish. He persevered through rough weather, persecution, and entanglements with the forces of evil. He did whatever it took to bring more souls to Our Lord. 

St. Joseph was a man who said yes to the Father’s call to be the head of the Holy Family. He protected and provided for Mary and Jesus unwaveringly to the end of his life. He laid down his life as an offering of love for their sakes. He took up the hard work that put food on the table, he taught Jesus his craft, he shepherded them through trial and through joy. 

Let us turn to St. Patrick and St. Joseph for inspiration and accompaniment on our way to eternal life. No matter how you celebrate may you have a happy feast day of St. Patrick and a beautiful Solemnity of St. Joseph!