Contact Information:
- Any questions or concerns please contact:
- Tony Amato 610- 252- 1554
The St. Joseph's Table
History:
- St. Josephs Table is an old Sicilian tradition, in which the people of Sicily were faced with a devastating drought that killed many crops and left many families scarcely low on food. The people of Sicily devoted many prayers to St. Joseph to end the famine and suffering, and if he did they would throw a big feast in his honor. Sure enough, St. Joseph pulled through and the drought was soon over. As promised the Sicilian people began a wonderful tradition in honor and gratitude for St. Joseph’s aide in their time of need. The dishes served on this annual dinner consist of highly cultural dishes made throughout many Sicilian homes. These dishes consist mainly of fish such as: flounder, tilapia, and cod, also the fennel vegetable, the satisfying pasta with chickpeas, and the famous, fried carduna (a plant that is similar to that of Swiss charred), as well as coffee and cake for dessert.
- Individual houses of Italian families were originally doing this in America, as settlers immigrated over from Italy. An elder woman would invite many people over her house and host the dinner. Once she was too old to host the event, it was decided that the feast should become a community event. A group of people decided to start this wonderful tradition, in 1985. This event ran for 20 years up until 2005, which it was stopped due to loss of help. However, as time went on people greatly missed the event and decided to bring it back in 2010. Now, reignited, the organization is doing very well as it has already seen its third year back in action. The feast day is held on the Sunday closest to March 19th.
How Things Work:
- Meetings are held after the Christmas holiday to plan the date and event details for our annual feast. After the meeting is held reservations are made open to the public and are on a first come, first serve basis due to limited seating capabilities. After the feast one final meeting is held to discuss the outcome of the feast. Then, the organization becomes dormant for many months until the great feast of St. Joseph is approaching.
- We always accept help during the two-day preparation of the food for the feast, and delight in new faces to join this loving and beautiful tradition.