Holidays:
My
family is of Roman Catholic decent, and one of the major holidays
that we celebrate in conjunction with our religion is St. Joseph's
Day. St. Joseph's day is celebrated on March 19th, which is said to be
the
day that St. Joseph was born. According to the Roman Catholic religion
St. Joseph is the husband to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the step
father to Jesus. Those who primarily celebrate the birth of St.
Joseph are Southern Italians, which is where my family originated. The
holiday
came about when Sicily was experiencing a major famine, those who
suffered the most only had their undying faith to help them
survive.They prayed to St. Joseph to help them grow healthy and
successful crops, when their prayers came to fruition they decided to
dedicate annual offerings of food to St. Joseph to celebrate his answer
to their prayers. Today Italians all over the world continue to honor
St. Joseph.
When my family celebrates they make meals that consist of different
vegetables, pasta, fish, and bread, all of which are prepared in a
special
way for St. Joseph. Before beginning the meal we all say a traditional
prayer to St. Joseph just like the ones that were recited when Sicily
was experiencing the famine. Below is the prayer that my family and I
recite before eating our meal in honor of St. Joseph. According to my
family those who read or hear this prayer will never die a sudden
death, be drowned, and will never be poisened. Those who read this
prayer will never be attacked, and will never fall in the hands of the
enemy.
Prayer to St. Joseph:
Oh, St. Joseph where protection is so great, so strong, so prompt,
before the throne of God I place in you all my interest and desires.
Oh, St Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for
me from your Devine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Chrits
our lord, so that having enjoyed here below your heavenly power, I may
offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers. Oh,
St.Joseph I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press
Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me and ask His return to the
Kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph Patron of departed souls,
Pray for me.
(St. Joseph)
Creativity within the Family
One the most interesting things that I found while gathering
information for my family was a series of poems that were written by
one of the brothers of the Orlando family, Joseph. Joseph Orlando was
the third oldest sibling and he was also the only sibling that did not
marry throughout his lifetime. However, he did make an effort to
stay in touch with family, and through that we have been able to gather
a series of poems that he has written throughout his lifetime. At
the beginning of the series Joseph writes this "Come read my poems and
be inspired. Enjoy the philisophical content. My poems show deep
insight and depths of feeling." Below is an one of the poems that
Joseph Orlando wrote, and it is one that speaks well to his character
and shines light on his brilliant writing ability.
A Parting Farewell
I gave a soul to each creature
and drew light to each dark corner,
I found joy in ev'ry meadow
and magiv in ev'ry corner.
Somehow, I brought peace to turmoil
and begged consolation from grief,
I took solace from the hills
and found comfort amongst the trees
I stood still in come leafy glade
and heard the music of the forest,
I read the poetry of the vale
and fled to the murmuring brook
I saw the sun behind the clouds
and chased it out for all to see,
I basked in God's breathless wonders
and felt His presence everywhere.
My thanks to the universe
for this brief moment on earth,
I now see the twilights dimming
and hear talk of the night's wind calling.
~Joseph John Orlando
Another creative relative within the family is Ashley Judd who is
the daughter of my grandma's cousin, Michael Ciminella Jr. Even though
Ashley Judd's parents got divorced at a very young age and
has not had contact with her father since, she has gone on to
have a successful career as an actress in a variety of movies. Some of
which include, Simon Birch,
Where the Heart Is,
Crossing Over,
Someone Like You,
and many more.
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