Join us for the St. Joseph Table this Sunday!

Another Lenten Tradition returns to St. Ben’s. The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a St. Joseph Day Table on Sunday March 16th. Join us after the noon Mass for a traditional St. Joseph Table Meal at 1 pm in Beaven Hall.

Over the years this tradition has taken various forms from a sweet table prepared by the ladies of our parish to the most recent beautiful Sunday dinner spread hosted by the Aluise family.

This year the Knights of Columbus Council 15052 invite you to the table whose proceeds will support the Catholic Extension Society’s work among the poor of our country. The St. Joseph Table offers our faith community time to gather, have a great meal, and this year to come together to support the Franciscan friars working in New Mexico and Texas who are helping the needy.

So we hope you will join us!

Can't make it please consider a donation of items to help prepare the meal!

CLICK here for the Sign-Up Genius link!

So many might be asking the question: What is a St. Joseph Table?

Here are some insights:

  • This meal honors the foster-father of Jesus, husband of Blessed Mother Mary on or near his feast day of March 19th each year.

  • As it occurs in Lent the meal is traditionally meatless and to be served at no cost to the guests so that donations can be taken up for the poor to coincide with Lenten almsgiving practice.

  • What began as a devotion in medieval Sicily after time of famine when prayers to St. Joseph for his intercession brought relief, the practice spread with the immigration of Italians all over the world.

  • Formerly they were hosted in homes and parish priests would come to bless the table at your house. Parishes began hosting meals for their communities beginning in the 1950's at St. Callistus parish in the Tri-Taylor St. neighborhood of the west side that held a parade each year similar to the large parade hosted each year in New Orleans with floats and marching bands.

So what is on the menu??

  • traditional St. Joseph Linguine Pasta with fried breadcrumbs resembling the sawdust from his carpenter's shop in Nazareth

  • Rotini with marinara sauce or butter sauce for the kids

  • Salad

  • Baked fish fillets

  • Shrimp Cocktail

  • Vegetable side dishes

  • Vegetable and Cheese platters

  • sweet table with "zeppole" desserts: custard, cannoli, nutella

  • Coffee, drinks and homemade punch made by Mrs. Cathy Kattner Kyle

What else is provided? Everyone in attendance receives to take home:

  • blessed bread

  • holy card

  • traditional lucky fava bean.

Why a fava bean?

Fava beans play a large role in the Sicilian tradition of the St. Joseph Table. They may be served in a frittata (omelette) or in garlic sauce. When dried and blessed, it becomes the very popular “lucky bean.”  Legend has it that you will never be poor as long as you carry one. Some believe that if you keep one in the pantry, there will always be food in the kitchen. The myth of the fava bean began during the famine in Sicily, where the bean was used as feed for cattle. To survive, the farmers prepared them for the table. Hence, they considered themselves lucky to have them. The bean is also a symbol of fertility since it grows well even in poor, rocky soil. Italians would carry a bean from a good crop to ensure a good crop in the next year. The blessed dried beans are distributed at the St. Joseph Table along with a piece of blessed bread.

Thanks to the following parishioners and school parents for their contributions!

  • Claudia Anzur

  • Ann Marie Crocco

  • Melissa Cusick

  • Tara DeFreytas

  • Krista DeLange

  • Christina Kromkowski

  • Cathy Kyle

  • Esther Massick

  • Gloria Ottesen

  • Ellen Reynolds

  • Ellen Rossi

  • Liz Rutherford

  • Ann Ryan

  • Kara Spak

Questions?? Please email Mr. Accardi at jaccardi@stbenedict.com

or call his direct line at (773) 509-3832.

Our Knights of Columbus Council 15052 is again hosting their annual Fish Fry dinner nights on two more Fridays of Lent: March 21, and April 11, 2025. Join us in Beaven Hall (corner of Irving Park and Bell) from 5 pm - 7:30 pm.

Dinner Package: All-You-Can Eat Homemade Fried Cod, French Fries,Coleslaw, Mac & Cheese, and a Dessert

Adults $15 Children (12-7) $5 Children 6 & under FREE: Drinks $1

Please consider assisting or donating to help make this event a huge success. CLICK here for the sign-up genius.

Elementary School, Events, LS_Early Childhood PK&K, LS_Primary 1-3, School Featured, The Buzz, US_Intermediate 4-5, US_Middle School 6-8Joe Accardi