The faithful Catholics gathered at Mary Star of the Sea Parish in San Pedro, California, to celebrate St. Joseph's Day on Sunday, March 19.
According to a report, a Mass and a meatless "poor man's" supper will be served in the church auditorium as part of the commemoration, which Mary Star's Joseph's Society has planned.
Celebrating St. Joseph's Day
Usually observed on March 19, this year's Solemnity of St. Joseph is moved to March 20 due to March 19 falling on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
According to the Diocese of Little Rock, St. Joseph's Day is not a holy day of obligation, even though it is a solemnity, the highest rank of liturgical feasts.
St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and Jesus' legal father under Jewish law, exemplifies the virtues of humility and submission to the will of God.
Local celebrations of this feast date back to the ninth century. It was not until the 15th century that it was officially included in the liturgical calendar and observed worldwide.
St. Joseph is the patron saint of many occupations and groups of people, thanks to Pope Pius IX's 1870 proclamation.
Pope Francis has proclaimed a year dedicated to the saint for the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph's designation as a worldwide Church patron.
Meanwhile, this past weekend in California marked the return to San Pedro of a centuries-old ritual that has taken over the area around Mary Star of the Sea Parish.
According to the diocese's website, the most fervent supporters may usually be found along Seventh and Eighth streets during the procession that circles the church grounds while they are carrying the statue aloft.
When the couple playing Mary and Joseph finally get through all the doors, people greet them with a feast of homemade and organic food in the church auditorium.
The event celebrates the end of a famine that hit Sicily in the Middle Ages. The festival also serves as a joyous reminder of San Pedro's long-standing ethnic diversity.
European fishing families originally colonized the town throughout the last century.
It also developed into a lucrative scholarship fundraiser for high school seniors at the Mary Star and surrounding areas.
About Mary Star of the Sea Parish
Mary Star of the Sea Parish is a welcoming and active Christian group whose goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone they meet. The parish has more people of different ethnic backgrounds than any other in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
On Sundays, not only is Mass offered in four different languages, but they also observe the customary ethnic celebrations and devotions of each community.
Per the website, their community service includes the Apostleship of the Sea, which reaches out to sailors and port workers, and the Christian Care mission, which aids the poor.
There are various parish groups and societies that the community is proud of, including a recently resurrected Knights of Columbus council.
Mary Star of the Sea Parish offers schools for elementary and high school students.
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