Sicilian altar devotions put spotlight on St. Joseph (PHOTOS)

Intricate handmade baked goods are seen in front of a recent St. Joseph Altar at St. Joseph Church off Kane Street near downtown Houston. The St. Joseph Altar, a Sicilian tradition that honors the patron saint of the poor, features dozens of baked goods fashioned in Christian shapes like fish, crosses, wreaths and other symbols. (Photo by James Ramos/Herald)

PHOTOS: Viva San Giuseppe! A St. Joseph Altar celebration

HOUSTON — Green, white and yellow ribbon tassels fluttered over the courtyard of St. Joseph Catholic Church off Kane Street near downtown Houston as parishioners gathered to celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19 with a Mass and St. Joseph altar devotion.

Following Mass, presided by parish pastor Father Victor Perez, faithful circled a towering multi-tiered altar dedicated to St. Joseph to witness its blessing and pray for the intercession of the saint. This year, the altar was built atop the original Sicilian wood altar built for St. Joseph before the parish received a new one. A statue of St. Joseph was surrounded by red, white and yellow roses. The gathering, which included a Sicilian spaghetti meal, at St. Joseph was one of the dozens of St. Joseph Altars held around the Archdiocese honoring the earthly father of Jesus.

While no meat is ever used in the altar, or the meal, since the March 19 Solemnity of St. Joseph is during Lent, dozens of baked breads, cakes and hundreds of treats — many in symbolic Christian shapes like monstrances, chalices, crosses, fish and wreaths — fill the different levels.

The tradition is carried on from Sicily. The story holds that, during the Middle Ages, a famine struck the island of Sicily, who, in turn, sought help from St. Joseph to end their starvation and death, promising a feast in his honor if he did save them. The famine soon ended, and altars were prepared throughout the island. To honor St. Joseph, the food was given to the poor.