Even in the midst of Lent, March brings forth the most beautiful feast days—most notably, the solemnities of St. Joseph and of the Annunciation. Immersed as we are in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Holy Mother Church gives us little windows into the glory of the celestial rejoicing of Easter Sunday through the celebration of the feasts of St. Joseph and his Spouse, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Here are some ways to celebrate their feast days:

For the feast of St. Joseph: 

Go to Mass. (This will always be my response when asked how to celebrate a feast day!) There is no greater way to honor a saint than to attend Mass on his feast day—for what makes a man a saint is the emptying out of himself for the sake of Another, for Whom his entire life is lived, and to Whom he directs all others. That is, the saints are the means, not the end, and they ultimately point us to Christ. There is no better way to honor them, then, than to join with them in the Sacrifice of the Mass. And of no man who has lived and loved Christ is this more true than of St. Joseph, who labored endlessly, day after day, to protect and provide for Him and His Mother—emptying himself out as all good fathers do. 

Pray the Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows of St. Joseph. The Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows of St. Joseph is a variation of Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows—the most obvious difference being the inclusion of his “joys.” We often hear people speak about the silence of St. Joseph in the Sacred Scriptures, since we have no written dialogue attributed to him in the Gospels. But in praying with his Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows, which are based in the Scriptures and Sacred Tradition, I’ve often thought that his silence is so eloquent—there is, somehow, more for us to consider if he hasn’t said a word. Pray this short chaplet and meditate on these mysteries of Christ’s infancy with his foster father, and ask him to teach you how to love Christ as he does. 

Find or make your own St. Joseph’s Altar. Depending on where you live, your local parish church might be offering a St. Joseph Altar on his feast day. The tradition originated in Sicily in the Middle Ages: during a terrible famine, the Sicilians begged St. Joseph to assist them and, through his powerful intercession, the famine came to an end. To thank him for his aid, they began the tradition of setting up banquet tables in his honor. They are typically beautiful and elaborate: they have three tiers (one in honor of each Person of the Trinity); a statue of St. Joseph at the very top, surrounded by flowers; cakes and loaves of bread shaped like fish and crosses; and, customarily, sprinkled about with breadcrumbs (representing the sawdust of St. Joseph’s workshop), lemons, and fava beans. If there is a local church, business, or family that hosts a St. Joseph’s Altar, definitely plan to make a trip—it is a beautiful tradition! If this isn’t something that is available locally, make one for your own family—it doesn’t have to be elaborate. Some loaves of bread from your favorite bakery, bags of lemons, and fresh flowers will make a beautiful home altar to honor St. Joseph on his feast day. 

For the feast of the Annunciation:

Go to Mass! 

Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. I always look forward to praying the joyful mysteries of the rosary on the feast of the Annunciation. Sit with Our Lady and say your rosary with her, meditating on this mystery—that God became Man through the fiat of a Woman. 

Pray the Angelus. If you are not in the habit of praying the Angelus regularly, today is the day to start—or, at least, to make it happen. The Angelus is a set of three verses and Hail Marys prayed in honor of the Incarnation of Christ in the womb of His Blessed Mother. It is customarily said three times a day, at 6 in the morning, noon, and 6 in the evening. It is a beautiful daily reminder to us of the important, indispensable role played by the Blessed Virgin Mary in salvation history—all because of her “yes” to God. 

Here is the text of the Angelus:

V/. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary,
R/. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

V/. Behold the handmaid of the Lord,
R/. Be it done unto me according to your Word.
Hail Mary…

V/. And the Word was made flesh, (Genuflect)
R/. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…

V/. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts: that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by his Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

I hope these ideas aid you and your families in marking these beautiful solemnities well.