FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lauren Barnes (815) 514-9947 laurenlbarnes@lewisu.

edu Our Lady of Angels traditional feast day of Saint Joseph Following just behind Saint Patricks Day is the traditional feast day of Saint Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Joseph is a role model who is admired by Italian-Americans, and being the patron of workers and the protector of the family, he is honored with a feast on his birthday, March 19. Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home located in Joliet hosted a Saint Josephs traditional feast day on March 19. Every year on the feast day, OLA has a celebration and mass honoring Saint Joseph. The nurses and staff members of OLA donate food for the residents and families to come together, and each year a donation is made to a different charity. This year, OLA decided to contribute all the donations made by nurses, staff members, residents and families to a Will County community service center Daybreak Center located in Joliet, IL. The Daybreak Center operates 24/7 all year round providing emergency housing, supportive services to individuals and/or families that are homeless and homelessness prevention services. They offer many programs that are helpful for those who are homeless, but they are known mostly for their slogan, hope for new beginnings. The main goal of OLAs traditional feast day is to bring the residents and outside community together to enjoy each others company and share a meal together. This particular day helps some of the residents bring back good memories of family and events they have remembered over the years. --MORE--

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We make the traditional feast day as festive as possible for the residents and the OLA community by setting up St. Josephs statue and red table cloths on all the tables because red is his known color, said Sister Odelia Kloc, music therapist. We also put out a basket to receive the generous donations. The different charity that is chosen every year is within Will County. Charities can always use more donations and not only in money form. Giving to others is the main point of Saint Josephs Day, to come together as one celebrating and helping out other people who are in need of it most. Our nurses and staff members will sign up to bring homemade dishes, and if there are specific Italian dishes that are not signed up to be made then the kitchen will provide them, said Sister Odelia. Saint Josephs Day is celebrated in a variety of ways all over the world but started in Sicily, when food was limited and many people were starving. Back when Saint Joseph had his own day to celebrate by feasting, the poor people who couldnt afford to eat had only their faith to rely on. Being a true Italian, St. Josephs feast day at OLA reminds me of my entire family that would get together and eat outside on the picnic tables in Italy, said Fannie Antonucci, an OLA resident. Afterward, we would play group games and make an entire day out of it. Following the traditional feast, a mass is celebrated just like every other day at OLA but on March 19 the Saint Josephs festivities are incorporated into the prayer service as much as possible. --MORE--

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There are special prayers that are said to St. Joseph on his day that the priest recites, explained Sister Odelia. OLAs traditional feast day is still the talk among the residents and community. This is an event that the OLA community continues to look forward to every year. Our Lady of Angels is committed to the healing mission of Jesus by providing holistic quality care for retired and infirm persons within a loving and life giving setting.