Students celebrate St. Patrick's and St. Joseph's Day around the Archdiocese

Did you celebrate this past weekend with corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick or did you enjoy a big bowl of Carpenter’s Pasta in honor of St. Joseph? Or did you have both on your table?  

Archdiocese of Newark Catholic school students celebrated the Catholic feast days with Masses, lessons on the lives of these saints, and learning about Catholic traditions from around the world.  

St. Patrick’s Day was Friday, March 17, while St. Joseph’s Day was celebrated on Monday since the official May 19 date fell on a Sunday this year.   

During his life, Saint Patrick became a priest and founded schools, churches, and monasteries throughout Ireland, where he is the patron saint, before his death on March 17. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated with Masses in honor of Saint Patrick, traditional Irish food, and parades. 

St. Joseph’s Day commemorates the feast of Saint Joseph, the husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of Sicily, Italy, and his feast day is often celebrated with traditional southern Italian food, including pasta, fish, vegetables, and pastries. 

Here is a highlight reel of the saint day celebrations that our Catholic school students have been participating in this past week. 

 
Students at Saint Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City showed off their school pride as they marched in the New York City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade for the second year in a row.  Students at Saint Thomas the Apostle School in Bloomfield learned about Joseph the Carpenter, spouse of Mary, in honor of Saint Joseph’s Day. 
 
Students at Visitation Academy in Paramus, donned in festive green, took a special trip to the church where they learned to pray for Saint Patrick’s intercession. 


Students in grades 1-3 at Good Shepherd Academy in Nutley celebrated Saint Joseph’s Day Mass at Holy Family Roman Catholic Church. 


Students at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Park Ridge celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day wearing festive green and received a special visit from the Police Pipe & Drum Band. 


Students at St. Elizabeth School in Wyckoff celebrated a special Mass in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. 


Girl Scouts at the Church of the Little Flower in Berkeley Heights created a St. Patrick’s Day display and distributed festive cookies in honor of the feast day. 


Students at Notre Dame Academy in Palisades Park celebrated Saint Patrick's Day with classroom parties and by dressing up in green.


Students at Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale celebrated the Feast Day of their namesake with a special school-wide Mass. 


St. Bartholomew Academy in Scotch Plains hosted a feast for their students in celebration of St. Joseph’s Day. Those gathered received a special blessing. 


Students at Academy of Our Lady of Grace in Fairview dressed up in festive green and made Saint Patrick's Day crafts to celebrate the feast day.