Our Lady of Grace celebrates St. Joseph’s Day

FATHER’S FOLKS: Rev. Peter J. Gower (third left, top row) is joined by members of the Fiorillo, Amafiltano and Schofield families during Saturday’s St. Joseph’s Day celebration.

(Sun Rise photos by Pete Fontaine)

SUPER SERVERS: This scene was commonplace Saturday night inside Fioretti Hall at Our Lady of Grace Church as people enjoyed an Italian buffet during the feast.

Posted Thursday, March 30, 2017 1:46 pm

By Pete Fontaine

Fioretti Hall, the oft-used multi-purpose room at Our Lady of Grace Church in Johnston, has perhaps never looked as festive as it did Saturday night.

For example, the Italian colors of red, green and white were everywhere inside the jam-packed Roman Catholic Church’s parish center.

Those colors came in many forms and sizes, none more striking than the Italian flags that volunteers had hanging everywhere as OLG held a fun, food and fellowship in honor of St. Joseph’s Day.

In the middle of it all was Rev. Peter J. Gower, OLG’s popular priests, who strongly believes in bringing parishioners together for such important religious holidays.

“We are celebrating the origins of the Italian-American version of St. Joseph’s Day,” Father Gower noted. “This custom dates back to Medieval Sicily when the Saint was said to have answered the people’s prayers by ending of the island’s legendary droughts.”

Ever since St. Joseph’s Day has been celebrated, there has been a Lenten Mass served to the entire village with an elaborate alter dedicated to Saint Joseph and that also took place Saturday at Our Lady of Grace.

Another part of Saturday night’s special celebration was the St. Joseph’s Table that Father Gower pointed out is an important part of today’s ceremony and people decorated it with flowers, candles, wine and some lucky foods that were later part of a lottery raffle drawing won by various parishioners or their guests.

OLG’s Holy Name Society worked with the St. Anne Sodality group and decorated Fioretti Hall for the unique St. Joseph’s Day feast.

In the middle of it all was Joe Quartino, OLG’s resident chef, who as Father Gower noted “again prepared a wonderful food fest for our parishioners.”

Meanwhile, Lou Mansolillo, John Raposa and Norm Bessette volunteered their services to serve the Italian food to more than 200 people who went through the buffet line to taste Quartino’s pasta and meatballs, polenta and sausage, salad and, of course, the meal included Italian bread and zeppoles.