Saint Joseph Festival

Locals call it St. Joe’s on the hill. Technically it is in the Journal Square neighborhood, but it feels more one of those in-between, not quite this or quite that Jersey City neighborhood, but it is on a slope.

The feast is the last one of the summer. Summer ends with Labor Day, although the weather tells us otherwise and night is undeniable by 8:00 PM. But it’s not September 21^st, so this technically runs the last weekend of the summer.

 

 

A parishioner told me the reason they hold their parish feast now is that the feast day of Saint Joseph is in mid-march, always during lent. The only Lenten feast allowed is Saint Patrick’s Day (I’m making that up). Have a few beers and walk up Fifth Avenue, that’s okay for March, but a feast for the Blessed Mother’s “Most Chaste Spouse” which symbolizes family unity that needs warm weather and Italian comfort food.

I was there on opening night. School had started, things were subdued. The street fair is held in the parking lot. The rides were of higher quality than other local carnivals. The music was a DJ, Sinatra's Summer Wind was played. 

 I had never been in the church, it’s a beautiful space filled with lovely details, such as arm rests with lions on the altar, Stations of the Cross with alabaster statuettes. The pictures reflect the church more than the feast, which runs through sunday.

 

 

 

I bought some zeppoelle for the walk back down the hill and thought of Summer Days by Bob Dylan – Summer nights are gone/I know a place where something’s going on.

Saint Joseph’s Parish feast lets us say good bye to summer by holding onto it for one more weekend, giving us the illusion of suspended time, getting more from summer even when it thought there was no more to give.